News From The Herd - September '25

That was our Frankfurt Book Fair 2025

Blink twice – and it’s already over: The Frankfurt Book Fair 2025 was a complete success for us. Our main focus this year was on discoverability, with a spotlight on reach, relevance, and conversion. Our Stripes magazine was a great tool for showcasing our broad expertise in all the right places.

As a sponsor of the Global 50 CEO Talk and the “Digital Leader” category at the dpr Award, we were also able to actively contribute to key industry discussions. In addition, we participated in several panels and expert talks — including topics like AI in publishing marketing and the role of audio dramas in the streaming market.

At our booths in Hall 3.1, we had countless inspiring conversations with publishers, partners, and industry enthusiasts — and had a lot of fun doing it.

A big thank you to everyone who visited us!

The Digital Event: IGNITE! Publishing – Trends in Marketing 

Couldn't join us live on November 5th? No problem! The digital conference IGNITE! Publishing – Trends in Marketing is now available as a free recording, featuring exciting insights on AI, BookTok, data-driven publishing, and platform strategies.

Aufbau Verlag extends its collaboration with Zebralution

Aufbau Verlag continues to rely on Zebralution: The contract has been extended for another two years.
Especially in times of a rapidly changing media landscape, this decision demonstrates that Aufbau Verlag trusts our expertise, our portfolio, and the new digital opportunities made possible through the integration of Open Publishing. 

Together, we create reach, relevance, and conversion – strengthening the position of publishers in the digital market.

News from IGNITE! Publishing with Natali Helberger

In Episode 11 of the IGNITE! Publishing Podcast, Prof. Natali Helberger from the University of Amsterdam shares her vision for the year 2043: At the center is the concept of "FutureNewsCorp", a kind of Netflix of Artificial Intelligence, illustrating the dramatic dependency of media companies on major U.S. tech giants. Helberger warns that many publishers are sleepwalking into this dependency — with far-reaching consequences for media diversity and freedom of the press.

Our brilliant colleague Veronica Maidl also offers a fascinating perspective on goldfish-level attention spans in the publishing industry.

You’ll find more content on innovation in the publishing world in our web magazine.