"We want to be the first choice globally for all publishers"

Frankfurt-based technology company Bookwire has secured the support of one of the world's most renowned technology investors. This strategic move is intended to herald the start of a new phase of growth in which the company aims to further expand its international relevance and drive technological innovation, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. In an interview, the managing directors explain why personnel continuity is the key to success, what role corporate culture played in the partnership, and why the entry of the new investor does not mean the end, but rather an acceleration of their original vision.

Bookwire has gained an internationally renowned technology investor. What does this investment say about Bookwire's development and international relevance as a company?

Jens Klingelhöfer: First of all, it is important to say that we were actively looking for a new partner for the next phase of Bookwire. We are team players – we need the right teammates. That's why we searched very carefully for the right partner for us. Together, we will develop Bookwire over the next few years in line with our vision. We have big plans!

The new investor brings a global understanding and an excellent technology network to the challenges ahead. Many years ago, we always said that digitalization had only just begun. When I think about AI today, that was probably a pretty good assessment.

The founders will not only remain managing directors, but also shareholders of Bookwire. Why was this personal and entrepreneurial continuity also a central component of the partnership for the new investor?

Jens Klingelhöfer: Bookwire is the best thing John and I have achieved as an entrepreneurial duo in our professional careers. We are very proud of that. And, we are not finished. We want to achieve even more for our customers with our team, successfully accompanying them as partners through this exciting phase of the publishing industry. That's why we are both still at the helm, as the managing director team – together with Christian Lindemann – and also as significant shareholders.
And yes, investors invest in people, in successful teams. At no point was it ever an issue that we would leave the company.

John Ruhrmann:  First of all, Bookwire as a company impressed our new shareholder in every way. By that I mean how we established our Bookwire OS product, how our teams work, and who works in our teams. For the new investor, this was fundamentally important for our past and future success. It was therefore completely clear that the two founders and, in total, the three managing directors would remain on board as managers and shareholders.

Will the arrival of a new investor change anything concrete in Bookwire's day-to-day business? In terms of additional pressure or greater freedom of action, for example?

Jens Klingelhöfer: This question also came up within our own team, of course. The answer is quite simple: our mission remains unchanged, so we are not planning any major changes to the organization. But we certainly have more opportunities to invest and can draw on the wealth of experience of other tech companies. We are looking forward to that. We can learn a lot from other founders, teams, and industries—that never stops!

John Ruhrmann: We now have new partners who have long had a positive perception of us in the market, share our mission, and with whom we are now further developing our company for our customers. Essentially, this doesn't change anything, but we feel the energy and the growing momentum and want to take advantage of it. Starting from the German-speaking market, we have built something for our publishing and channel partners that now has strong international relevance. The European and, in particular, German-speaking publishing market can be proud of this.

What does the new investor mean for your customers in concrete terms—especially with regard to technological innovation, product development, and the further development of your services?

Jens Klingelhöfer: Our possibilities are expanding. As the company grows, the demands on the product and the organization are also changing. We want to develop our product even faster and more innovatively. And we want to further broaden our offerings—publishers don't want to use ten different platforms for their challenges. The vertical integration of additional solutions and services is an exciting topic for us.

Christian Lindemann: Our new partner strengthens our clout for investment projects in both internal product development and the acquisition of additional companies. Relevant areas of focus in product development include promoting AI for the creation of new functionalities and usability design, as well as increasing process efficiency. We see considerable potential in broader coverage of our customers' value and process chains through integrated or networked solutions. In addition to our own development, targeted acquisitions can also play an important role here. For example, acquisitions may play a role to expand our position in international markets.

Bookwire has grown strongly from the German-speaking region and is now active in many international markets – from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland to Spain, Italy, France, Brazil, and the US. Where do you currently see the greatest growth potential, and what role do these markets play in your overall strategy?

Jens Klingelhöfer: Even after 15 years, Germany is still our most important and strongest market, accounting for over 50% of our sales. But we saw ourselves as an internationally active company very early on, partly because many of our partners on the retail and platform side are internationally positioned. In addition to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, we are the clear market leader in Spain/Latin America and Brazil. That's why we ventured into the US, the world's largest publishing market, in 2023. We still have significant growth potential in the US, both in the e-book and audiobook markets. But we're not just looking at one market. We want to be the first choice globally for all publishers who want to market their digital products and a meaningful partner to sales channels and platforms interested in selling and expanding access to digital content like e-books and audiobooks. The international setup is complex, but for me personally, that's also part of the appeal.

With Andrew Weinstein, you recently gained an experienced industry expert for your US business. What strategic importance does the US market have for Bookwire – and why is Andrew the right person to continue growing there?

Jens Klingelhöfer: We hesitated for a long time before expanding into the US. We knew that we would have to prove ourselves all over again there. People there don't pay much attention to Europe or Latin America. It takes time, and you have to earn the trust of customers bit by bit. In recent years, we have gained a number of large publishers as customers and taken over the digital customer base of medium-sized publishers from the US distributor IPG. With Andrew Weinstein as our new Country Manager, we now want to build on this and take it to the next level. He is a great choice, brings a wealth of experience from his time at Ingram and Scribd, and has an excellent network in the market.

John Ruhrmann: The American market has enormous potential for further and sustained audiobook growth. And the "can-do" mentality of Americans provides fresh impetus, for example in the market for legally and technically rewarding AI partnerships. A lot of completely new things are happening here right now, and we are delighted to be involved in this with our American team and our partners at publishing houses and platforms.

The entry of a major investor is often associated with consolidation in the industry. How important will organic growth, product strength, and partnerships be for Bookwire in the future?

Christian Lindemann: Our new investor is the prototype of a "growth investor." Its portfolio companies are selected specifically for their technological leadership and long-term growth potential. Being part of this now makes us quite proud. Our new investor's basic orientation fits perfectly with our own vision: creating growth through deep market understanding, innovation in products and processes, and strong customer relationships. We plan to achieve this growth both organically and, where appropriate, through acquisitions. This is the only way we will be able to compete in the long term as a German digital company among global tech players.

While audiobooks are growing particularly dynamically in many markets, Bookwire's e-book business continues to develop steadily and grow moderately. How important is this balance between audio and e-books for your business model?

John Ruhrmann: We have always been format-agnostic. We started with e-books 15 years ago. But at the same time, it was always clear to us that all products in the book and publishing content industry have a strong digital component. Even if it's just metadata for physical products that is delivered to online platforms. I can only imagine a publisher of a certain size being successful if it has fundamental strategies for all forms of content delivery. The balance is found in the fact that, even though audiobooks are currently growing strongly, there are still so many books that are not yet "audible." We want to help make this possible soon, for example, through our audiobook production capabilities in Bookwire OS known as WAY, We Audiobook You.

When you look back on the new investor's entry in three years' time, how will customers, partners, and the market as a whole recognize that this was a good move for Bookwire?

John Ruhrmann: Ideally, they will see that we have been able to deliver on our promise to always provide our publishers with the best reach using the most modern technology and to provide our channel partners with the best feed. But there is so much more to it than that. I am convinced that the best is yet to come!

Christian Lindemann: Bookwire stands for sales success and increased process efficiency for our publishing customers. To this end, we are continuously developing our platform, interfaces, and processes. In the coming years, we want to further expand our coverage of our customers' value chain and, not least through the use of AI, tap into new efficiency and revenue potential for publishers.

Jens Klingelhöfer: We thrive on our customers enjoyment working with us and achieving maximum success. The positive feedback and the many close customer relationships we have built up over the years are what drive us and what we are measured by. And the fact that we are enabling new ways of monetizing content even in the age of AI.