MVB GmbH

MVB GmbH (Marketing- und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels) is a German company headquartered in Frankfurt am Main that functions as the central interface and infrastructure provider for the book industry. It is a subsidiary of the Gesamtverband Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, and operates under the umbrella of Börsenverein Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH. Its stated mission is to make books visible — from the database to the bookshelf — by developing digital platforms and media formats that create orientation in the book market and improve the flow of information around books. The company traces its origins to 1947, when it was founded as Buchhändler-Vereinigung. It was renamed MVB Marketing- und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels in 2003 and took its current legal form as MVB GmbH in 2018. Across its history it has provided publishing products and services for the marketing of books, including the Verzeichnis lieferbarer Bücher (VLB, the German Books in Print directory), the Börsenblatt weekly magazine for the German book trade, and the Buchjournal. It also offers a book gift service and the address directory for the German-language book trade. MVB describes itself as a company of more than 130 book people at five locations on three continents. Its homepage lists Frankfurt am Main, London, Mexico City, New York and São Paulo as its sites, reflecting a long-running internationalization strategy. The company emphasizes setting standards for a common language to describe books consistently across borders, so that they can be searched and found, and it brings market requirements into relevant international committees. It works with publishers, bookshops, service providers and self-publishers, and develops its offerings through collaborative and agile processes. Key activities include metadata and standards work, the ISBN agency, the VLB and its preview tools, the Börsenblatt with its paywall, and the Metabooks platform, which was recognized as Mexico's best commercial initiative. Since 2020 MVB has also been the central agency for administering the International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI). In January 2009 the Informationsverbund Buchhandel (IBU) was taken over from the Buchhändler-Abrechnungs-Gesellschaft (BAG). The company publishes a corporate newsletter, "Der Rote Faden," whose first issue appeared in November 2023, and it maintains a presence at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Meike Knops has been managing director since 2024.

MVB GmbH traces its roots to 1947, when the company was founded under the name Buchhändler-Vereinigung. In 2003 it was renamed MVB Marketing- und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels, and in 2018 it took its current name, MVB GmbH. From 2002 to 2004 the Archiv für Geschichte des deutschen Buchwesens (Archive for the History of the German Book Trade) was also among its publishing products. At the beginning of 2008 the industry platform Libreka! went online, after the predecessor version Volltextsuche Online (VTO) had begun test operations in February 2007. Libreka! developed into a platform for available German-language titles. From spring 2009 it also offered the purchase and download of e-books. In December 2014 this offering was integrated into the website www.buchhandel.de and the name Libreka was dropped. In January 2009 the Informationsverbund Buchhandel (IBU) was taken over from the Buchhändler-Abrechnungs-Gesellschaft (BAG). Since 2020 MVB has also been the central agency for administering the International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI). Over the years MVB has invested in the internationalization of its business, so that more book professionals can benefit directly from its expertise and digitize their processes to make books optimally visible at home and abroad. This growth also ensures that its platforms can be operated economically despite ongoing modernization needs and market consolidation. The company develops its offerings through collaborative and agile processes, responding flexibly and quickly to customer needs. Its work has been recognized with awards including the Sales Award 2017 for VLB-TIX, the Top Innovator 2019 designation for MVB GmbH, and the recognition of Metabooks as Mexico's best commercial initiative. MVB's media archive from the 1970s to 2005 is accessible at the German Book and Type Museum (Deutsches Buch- und Schriftmuseum) in Leipzig. The company publishes a corporate newsletter, "Der Rote Faden," whose first issue appeared in November 2023. Meike Knops has been managing director since 2024. Today MVB describes itself as more than 130 book people at five locations on three continents, with sites in Frankfurt am Main, London, Mexico City, New York and São Paulo.

• 2024

  Meike Knops becomes managing director.

• 2023

  First issue of the corporate newsletter "Der Rote Faden" published in November.

• 2020

  MVB becomes the central agency for administering the International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI).

• 2019

  MVB GmbH named Top Innovator 2019.

• 2018

  Renamed MVB GmbH.

• 2017

  VLB-TIX receives the Sales Award 2017.

• 2014

  Libreka! integrated into www.buchhandel.de in December; the name Libreka is dropped.

• 2009

  Informationsverbund Buchhandel (IBU) taken over from the Buchhändler-Abrechnungs-Gesellschaft (BAG) in January; Libreka! begins offering e-book purchase and download in spring.

• 2008

  Industry platform Libreka! goes online at the beginning of the year.

• 2007

  Predecessor platform Volltextsuche Online (VTO) begins test operations in February.

• 2003

  Renamed MVB Marketing- und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels.

• 2002

  Archiv für Geschichte des deutschen Buchwesens becomes part of the publishing products (until 2004).

• 1947

  Company founded under the name Buchhändler-Vereinigung.

Central interface and infrastructure provider for the book industry, making books visible worldwide through digital platforms, metadata standards and media formats.

• Verzeichnis lieferbarer Bücher (VLB)

  The German Books in Print directory, a core database for available titles.

• Börsenblatt – Wochenmagazin für den Deutschen Buchhandel

  Weekly magazine for the German book trade, with a paywall.

• Buchjournal

  A book magazine published by MVB.

• Metabooks

  Metadata platform recognized as Mexico's best commercial initiative.

• VLB-TIX

  A VLB product that received the Sales Award 2017 for consistent customer involvement.

• ISBN agency

  MVB operates the ISBN agency for the German book industry.

• ISNI agency

  Since 2020, the central agency for administering the International Standard Name Identifier.

• Buchschenkservice

  A book gift service offered by MVB.

• Adressbuch für den deutschsprachigen Buchhandel

  Address directory for the German-language book trade.

1. 1MVB: Empowering Solutions – Für die Buchbranche und darüber hinausmvb-online.de
2. 2Service · mvb-online.demvb-online.de
3. 3Der Rote Faden – unser Newsletter für Siemvb-online.de
4. 4MVB – Dafür stehen wirmvb-online.de
5. 5MVB GmbH – Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Marketing- und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org