Bertelsmann has big plans for very small book print runs. The media, services, and education group is setting up an on-demand printing facility in Gütersloh, Germany. The project brings together GGP Media, a book printer; Campaign, which specializes in direct marketing and digital printing; Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe, a German-language publishing group; and VVA, a book distributor. All of these companies are owned by Bertelsmann.
This production line will manufacture paperback books with black-and-white interiors and color covers. It will have a production capacity of 1.5 million copies per year. For the first year of operation, Bertelsmann expects to produce approximately one million books.
The digital printing equipment will be installed at the Gütersloh site of the subsidiary Campaign. GGP Media is involved in organizing production, while VVA will handle the books as they leave the production line. They will then be shipped directly or stored, depending on the publishers' needs.
Print-on-demand to keep titles available
This system is designed to enable publishers to reprint their titles in very small print runs based on orders, with shorter production and delivery times. It is particularly relevant for backlist titles, which continue to sell long after publication, albeit in limited quantities.
The group hopes to reduce inventory and excess copies while keeping books available. Developed in partnership with Penguin Random House, the program is expected to be open to other publishing houses.
"We are thus providing a reliable solution to publishers' growing demand for flexible solutions tailored to very small print runs. Together, we are creating the conditions for cost-effective and sustainable print-on-demand production that will meet the long-term needs of the book market." , says Dirk Kemmerer, CEO of Bertelsmann Marketing Services.
The line is scheduled to begin operations in April 2027. A few months later, the line will be expanded to enable the production of softcover books with flaps using print-on-demand technology.
