The book trade - The role of the book trade in the book industry
The (online) book trade is the heart of the book industry. It is not only the place where books are sold to readers, but also an important meeting place for literature enthusiasts. This is where readers and authors can meet, discover new books and discuss the latest literary trends.
The bookshop is therefore more than just a sales outlet. It is a place of encounter, exchange and discovery. Books are presented and discussed here. This interaction and the experience of buying a book are an essential part of the entire book market.
To list your book in bookstores, you must first publish it with a publisher or a self-publishing service provider such as Nova MD.
The book trade follows a certain system. As an author, it is therefore important to understand the book trade and how it works. This is the only way to ensure that your books find their way to readers and that you can operate successfully on the book market.
How does the book trade work?
First, publishers produce books, which are then delivered to bookstores through various channels. Various players play a role here:
- Publishers: they are responsible for the production and often also the marketing of the books.
- Bookstores: They act as intermediaries and ensure that books are delivered to bookstores quickly and efficiently.
- Bookstores: They ultimately sell the books to readers.
Bookstores in Germany can order titles via the Informationsverbund Buchhandel (IBU) if they are listed in the VLB. IBU bundles the order processes of the participating booksellers and forwards them to the publishers and bookstores.
However, individual bookshops also order books from the bar ranges.
The bar ranges
The bar range is a wholesaler for bookshops: The bookseller orders a title from the wholesaler (intermediate bookseller, e.g. bar range), who in turn purchases it directly from the manufacturer (publisher).
At Nova MD, we work with the three major book wholesalers for Germany, Austria and Switzerland: KNV, Libri and Umbreit.
Bar ranges and bookstores: close cooperation
The book trade and the bar ranges work closely together. This cooperation is crucial for the efficiency of the entire book market. Thanks to the bar ranges, bookshops can offer a wide selection of books and respond quickly to demand. This means that readers can always find a large selection of books and discover new literature.
Booksellers who order books via the bar range have the advantage that individual titles can usually be obtained overnight, as they are in stock there. They also benefit from a simple, profitable ordering system.
Finally, a term that we will explain in more detail here, but which should not be missing from this general description of the book market: the Verzeichnis lieferbarer Bücher.
The index of available books (VLB)
The VLB provides title data for the book industry; almost all available German-language titles can be found there. In 2025, 2.5 million titles from more than 22,000 publishers are stored, which can be researched and ordered by any bookshop.
Every book that should be available for the book trade/bar assortments should be stored there with the corresponding ISBN.
Books that are available with one of our ISBNs via our physical distribution network Nova MD are of course automatically listed there by us.
