Bastei Luebbe AG, a leading German publishing group, has started its 2026/2027 fiscal year with increased revenues despite a persistently challenging book market. In the quarter ending June 30, 2026, the company reported group revenues of EUR 24.6 million, up from the previous year, and an EBIT of EUR 1.1 million, resulting in an EBIT margin of 4.4%. The company's CEO, Soheil Dastyari, expressed satisfaction with the performance, stating, “Once again, we were able to boost our revenues and also make significant progress in terms of profitability compared to the previous quarter. We will be systematically continuing on this trajectory as the year progresses.”
The revenue growth was particularly driven by the company's core book segment, which saw revenues increase to EUR 22.9 million from EUR 21.4 million in the same quarter last year. This performance was bolstered by successful releases under both new and established imprints. Notably, the new “Pfaueninsel” imprint achieved significant success with “Traume aus Feuer” by Florian Illies, a SPIEGEL bestseller that has consistently ranked in the top ten. Additionally, Lucy Astner’s novel “Kein Sommer ohne August” under the “Luebbe” imprint remained a top seller, along with the paperback edition of Ken Follett’s “The Armour of Light” and Eva Almstadt’s crime thriller “Akte Nordsee – Die letzte Predigt”. Despite the revenue growth in the book segment, segment EBIT decreased slightly to EUR 1.0 million from EUR 1.2 million in the previous year.
The “Novel Booklets” segment also experienced modest growth, with revenues rising to EUR 1.7 million from EUR 1.6 million, and segment EBIT improving to EUR 0.1 million from EUR 0.0 million. However, overall profitability was impacted by higher costs, particularly in materials and personnel. Material costs increased to EUR 12.4 million from EUR 10.6 million, largely due to higher printing costs for upcoming releases. Personnel expenses rose to EUR 6.1 million from EUR 5.7 million, reflecting scheduled salary adjustments and the filling of vacant positions.
Despite these cost pressures, the company's consolidated earnings before taxes (EBT) stood at EUR 1.0 million, slightly lower than the EUR 1.2 million reported in the previous year. Net profit attributable to shareholders was EUR 0.7 million, with earnings per share of EUR 0.05, compared to EUR 0.06 in the prior year. The company's balance sheet remains stable, with total assets of EUR 107.2 million as of June 30, 2026, and equity attributable to shareholders increasing to EUR 66.4 million.
Importantly, the company has confirmed its full-year forecast for 2026/2027, expecting revenues in the range of EUR 118-122 million and EBIT of EUR 10-12 million. This outlook underscores the company's confidence in its strategic direction, which includes a focus on community-driven business models and digital products. In the first quarter, the share of revenues from community-driven models decreased to 24% from 31% in the previous year, while digital products accounted for 35% of revenues, down from 38%. This shift reflects the strong performance of traditional book formats.
For industry observers, Bastei Luebbe's results signal resilience in the German book market, which has been facing muted conditions. The company's ability to grow revenues and improve profitability, despite higher costs, highlights the effectiveness of its publishing strategy and its adaptability to changing consumer preferences. As a pioneer in digital media and community-driven business models, Bastei Luebbe continues to set trends in the publishing industry. The full interim statement is available on the company's website at www.bastei-luebbe.de.
