arbeitsgemeinschaft von jugendbuchverlagen

What arbeitsgemeinschaft von jugendbuchverlagen does

Arbeitsgemeinschaft von Jugendbuchverlagen e.V. (avj) is a registered non-profit professional association (eingetragener Verein under German law, Vereinsregister VR 210375, Amtsgericht Mannheim) that represents German-speaking children's and youth book publishers. Founded in 1949/1950 and headquartered at Braubachstraße 16, Frankfurt am Main, avj counts nearly 100 member publishing houses and operates across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Its core remit is collective advocacy for reading promotion and member services rather than technology development; the organization explicitly has no proprietary technology, app, or API stack. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring membership fees from member publishers, supplemented by sales of educational materials (posters at EUR 3.50–16.90, flyers at EUR 6.90 per 100 units, plus a free Rights Guide/Lizenzkatalog) and fees from seminars and the INSIGHT webinar series. The customer base is structurally narrow — publishers of children's and youth books, audiovisual media, calendars, and BuchPlus products — with secondary stakeholders in schools, kindergartens, libraries, and reading-promotion organizations who benefit from advocacy outputs.

avj delivers value through a portfolio of services including the annual avj-Seminar, the INSIGHT webinar program, member newsletters with topic-specific distribution lists (PR-Ticker, Lizenzkatalog, Lese-Reise, Bologna, Social Media), and an internal members area. It produces recurring publications such as the 'Bock auf Buch!' market study/podcast and the Lizenzkatalog licensing catalog, and runs advocacy programs including the 'Lesen für alle!' initiative and the 2022 Frankfurter Erklärung calling for public funding of school and kindergarten libraries. The association maintains concentrated presence at Frankfurt Book Fair (Halle 3) and Leipzig Book Fair, and operates the 'Kinder- und Jugendbuchverlage A-Z' online directory. Recent advocacy in 2026 includes an open letter to Deutschlandradio protesting program cuts affecting children's literature coverage and formal protest against the planned discontinuation of the 'Lesestart 1–2–3' reading-promotion program. Strategic partnerships extend to Stiftung Lesen, the Austrian counterpart association, Leipziger Buchmesse (for the avj medienpreis), and the Initiative Verlegerrecht platform covering AI and publishing rights. Leadership transitioned in 2021 (Bernd Herzog elected Chairman) and 2023 (Barbara Müller appointed Managing Director from June 1, 2023), and the association celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2025.

Name

arbeitsgemeinschaft von jugendbuchverlagen

Legal name

Arbeitsgemeinschaft von Jugendbuchverlagen e.V.

Website

https://avj-online.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Short description

avj (Arbeitsgemeinschaft von Jugendbuchverlagen e.V.) is a Frankfurt-based, non-profit professional association representing nearly 100 German-speaking children's and youth book publishers, providing advocacy for reading promotion, professional development seminars and webinars, and collective industry representation at Frankfurt and Leipzig book fairs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's and Youth Publishing Association

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Reference & Informational Series Publishing (MPAJAFAN)

Keywords

• Children's book publishing
• Youth book publishing
• Publisher trade association
• Professional development seminars
• Reading promotion advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt am Main

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: The association generates revenue through membership fees from approximately 100 member publishing houses that publish children's and youth books.
2. Publication sales: Sale of educational materials including posters (A1 format, priced at 3.50 EUR for 1, 9.90 EUR for 3, or 16.90 EUR for 6), flyers (6.90 EUR per 100 units), and the Rights Guide (free of charge).
3. Seminar and event fees: Revenue from professional development seminars and workshops for members and industry professionals, including PR seminars and INSIGHT webinars.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Arbeitsgemeinschaft von Jugendbuchverlagen e.V. (avj) is a member-driven professional association for children's and youth book publishers. It represents member publishing houses, advocates for reading promotion, provides professional seminars, webinars, networking, and member communications, and sells educational posters and flyers related to book creation and reading literacy.

Product overview

The Arbeitsgemeinschaft von Jugendbuchverlagen (avj) is a professional association of children's and youth book publishers. Rather than offering a unified technology product, avj provides a portfolio of publications, programs, and services including educational posters (Wie ein Buch entsteht, Von der Idee zum Buch, ABC-Plakat Lesen für alle!), informational flyers (Sachbuch, Bilderbuch, Hörbuch), and the annual Rights Guide (Lizenzkatalog) for international licensing. The association runs advocacy programs like the 'Lesen für alle!' initiative and the 'Frankfurter Erklärung' campaign. Digital offerings include the 'Bock auf Buch!' podcast and the 'Kinder- und Jugendbuchverlage A-Z' online directory. Avj organizes professional events including seminars, the INSIGHT webinar series, and the avj medienpreis award ceremony.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• avj Membership Membership for children's and youth book publishing houses, providing industry representation, reading-promotion advocacy, professional development, networking, and member services.
• How a Book Is Made Poster [„Wie ein Buch entsteht“] An A1 educational poster illustrating the key steps of book creation in comic style, designed by Flix and including a downloadable PDF slideshow presentation (Bilderbuchkino).
• From Idea to Book Poster [„Von der Idee zum Buch“] An A1 poster showing how illustrations are created and added to books, with illustrations by Daniel Napp and folded to A4 size.
• Nonfiction Books Make Worlds Visible Flyer [„Sachbücher machen Welten sichtbar“] A flyer explaining the importance of nonfiction books for children's development, with illustrations by Antje von Stemm, sold in packs of 100.
• Picture Books Help Children Grow Flyer [„Mit Bilderbüchern wächst man besser“] A flyer about the importance of picture books for child development, designed by Philip Waechter and Moni Port and created in collaboration with Austrian children's book publishers.
• Discover the World with Audiobooks Flyer [„Mit Hörbüchern die Welt entdecken“] A flyer about audiobooks for children.
• INSIGHT Webinar Series An online professional-development webinar series covering sustainability in publishing, inclusive language, Creative Europe funding programs, GEO versus SEO for AI visibility, and other publishing topics.
• avj Seminar Program Professional-development seminars for member publishers, including PR seminars, practical seminars, and other industry training events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 100 member publishing houses represented
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Initiative VerlegerrechtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Platform for publisher rights initiatives covering topics like AI & personality rights, AI licenses, E-Lending, and Web-Books. Organizes regular webinars on publishing law topics.
• Tessloff VerlagcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Cooperation partner for the 'Lesen für alle!' (Reading for All) action at Frankfurt Book Fair 2023. The action focuses on ABC-poster with facts and demands for reading literacy.
• Frankfurter Erklärung (collective initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2022Internal initiative by avj member publishers calling on policymakers to provide public funding for school and kindergarten libraries. Represents the collective voice of nearly 100 member publishers on reading promotion.
• LesArt (Bundeszentrale für Kinder- und Jugendmedienschutz)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2022Collaborated on book donation action for refugee children from Ukraine, demonstrating commitment to reading access for displaced children.
• Deutsche Akademie für Kinder- und JugendliteraturmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2022Co-organizer of book donation action for refugee children from Ukraine, providing access to children's books for displaced youth.
• Leipziger BuchmessecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 March 2020Kooperationspartner (cooperation partner) for the avj medienpreis award ceremony held annually at Leipzig Book Fair. The partnership provides a platform for recognizing outstanding journalism in children's and youth literature.
• Stiftung LesenmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2005Partner from the original 'Mit Bilderbüchern wächst man besser' campaign launched at Frankfurt Book Fair 2005. Collaborates on reading promotion initiatives.
• Börsenblatt, Wochenmagazin für den Deutschen BuchhandelminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2005Partner from the original Bilderbuch-Flyer campaign launch. Industry media partner for reading promotion.
• Magazin BuchMarktminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2005Partner from the original Bilderbuch-Flyer campaign launch. Industry media partner for reading promotion.
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft der österreichischen Kinder- und JugendbuchverlagemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2005Austrian counterpart association partnered on the Bilderbuch-Flyer campaign, representing cross-border German-speaking children's book publishing cooperation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Arbeitsgemeinschaft der österreichischen Kinder- und Jugendbuchverlage: Austrian counterpart trade association representing children's and youth book publishers in Austria. Functions as the closest structural peer to avj — same mission, same constituency, and already an explicit cooperation partner on the Bilderbuch-Flyer campaign.
• Deutsche Akademie für Kinder- und Jugendliteratur: German academy focused on children's and youth literature, including awards, reading promotion, and literary criticism. Directly comparable mission (children's literature advancement in Germany) and a confirmed cooperation partner on the Ukraine refugee book donation action.
• Stiftung Lesen: German reading-promotion foundation running nationwide reading programs and partnering with schools. Shares avj's reading-promotion mission and is a long-standing core GTM partner since the original 'Mit Bilderbüchern wächst man besser' campaign in 2005.
• Interessengruppe Jugendliteratur (IGEL): Smaller interest group representing independent youth-literature publishers and authors in Germany. Operates in the same niche of independent children's/youth publishing advocacy with similar constituency, though narrower in scale.

Broad incumbents

• Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels: The umbrella trade association for the entire German book industry (publishers, booksellers, wholesalers). Operates in the same industry and overlapping advocacy space but at much greater scale and broader scope than avj's children's-publishing niche.

Others

• Börsenblatt – Wochenmagazin für den Buchhandel: Industry trade magazine covering the German book trade. Functions as a media partner of avj since the 2005 Bilderbuch-Flyer campaign and as the principal information channel for the same publisher constituency avj represents.
• Carlsen Verlag: Major German children's and youth book publisher and avj member. Comparable in that it operates in the same children's-publishing market avj represents, and hosted the avj-Seminar 2026 — though as a publisher rather than an association peer.
• Tessloff Verlag: German children's nonfiction publisher and avj member. Operates in the same children's book market and is a cooperation partner on the 'Lesen für alle!' action and other avj initiatives.
• Edition Michael Fischer: Independent German children's and youth book publisher and avj member since December 2020. Comparable market activity (children's publishing) and demonstrates avj's reach into mid-sized independent publishers.
• Initiative Verlegerrecht: German platform for publisher rights issues (AI, e-lending, web-books). Functions as an adjacent ecosystem partner running joint webinars with avj on publishing law topics relevant to the same publisher constituency.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arbeitsgemeinschaft-von-jugendbuchverlagen-e.v.-avj-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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