books - Love Stories for Readers: Bastei Lubbe Publishing releases
After a very successful business year, Bastei Lübbe publishing house is intensifying its focus on social media to attract readers. The so-called Community-Brand-Markets, where Bastei Lübbe is present on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Book Talk, allowing readers to publish their own reviews, are being expanded, according to Publishing CEO Soheil Dastyari, speaking to the German Press Agency in Cologne.
"Growth is disproportionate: These Brand-Markets accounted for 35% of our sales in the past business year and an additional 2 percentage points compared to the previous year." For the future, he expects further growth.
Encouraging Year-End Figures
The publishing house released figures for its fiscal year 2023/24, which exceeded its own expectations: The turnover increased, according to company statements, by 10.3% to 110.3 million Euro. The operating result (Ebit) almost doubled to 14 million Euro. Previously, the management had predicted a turnover of up to 105 million Euro and an Ebit of up to 13.5 million Euro. The company is listed on the stock exchange, and the stock price has quadrupled in approximately the last four years.
The way of active communities, the expansion of the digital business, and the focus on popular entertainment have proven to be "sustainably performant and unabatedly potential-rich," says Publishing CEO Dastyari. "The current figures are a strong testament to the high performance capability of our diversified business strategy and our anticipated growth opportunities." Bastei Lübbe had a workforce of 323 employees at the end of the previous fiscal year.
Women in Focus
The Community-Brand-Markets, whose books often deal with heartache, target different age groups: One is for 14- to 20-year-olds, Lyx for 16- to 26-year-olds, and Pola, which is set to launch in the fall with the first book titles, targets 25- to 40-year-olds. All three "Imprints," as a publishing house label is also called, focus primarily on women. "That's natural, since the book market is heavily female-dominated," explains Dastyari. "Most books are bought by women."
Community meetings are essential for these Markets, whether it's reader tours, book fairs, or other event formats. At Lyx, hundreds or even thousands of participants are expected. This creates a special bond between the readers and the brand. "The readiness of the community is high, even to buy books from previously unknown authors - because the brand stands for a certain quality and fulfills certain expectations." Young readerships are discovered, which are relatively loyal in their purchasing behavior.
Digital will be more important for the publisher
The digital sales of Bastei Lübbe have slightly increased. E-Books and audiobooks together generated 32.4 million Euro in the past fiscal year 2023/24, which is 0.9 million Euro more than the previous year. "We are focusing on popular entertainment. That's current and finds a good place in today's media mix," says Dastyari. In the Lyx publishing house label, the "Save Me" novel series by Mona Kasten is considered a major success, which has since been filmed for Amazon Prime as the "Maxton Hall" series.
What are the prospects for the future considering the booming streaming services - don't people have less time for reading in the evening after work when they watch series on Netflix or Amazon Prime? Dastyari shakes his head. "Regardless of how many streaming services there are - the market has a stable demand and we can gain market shares perspectively with our innovative concept: People always want to be entertained well, that's our chance."
- Bastei Luбbe, excited about its successful business year, is amplifying its presence on social media platforms like Instagram, aiming to attract more readers.
- The Community-Brand-Markets, which contributed to 35% of the company's sales last year and saw a 2% increase, are being expanded further by Bastei Luбbe.
- Ken Follett's love stories and Dan Brown's thrillers are some of the popular titles from Bastei Luбbe that can be found on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
- In the future, Dastyari anticipates even more growth for the publishing house as it continues to focus on social media and digital content.
- The Focus Imprint, one of three imprints within the Community-Brand-Markets, primarily targets women and deals with heartfelt love stories, attracting a large female audience.
- Women make up the majority of the book market, and Bastei Luбbe takes advantage of this by focusing on genres that cater to female readers on platforms like Instagram.
- With the release of its 2023/24 fiscal year results, Bastei Luбbe saw a significant increase in turnover and operating result, surpassing its initial expectations.
- As digital media continues to grow, Bastei Luбbe plans to prioritize popular entertainment, such as E-Books and audiobooks, and remain innovative in its approach to captivate readers on platforms like Instagram.
