New wind in Carlsen-Verlag: Sandra Harzer-Kux takes the lead!

New wind in Carlsen-Verlag: Sandra Harzer-Kux takes the lead!

Hamburg, Deutschland - Carlsen-Verlag in Hamburg is facing a change of generation. From October 2023, Sandra Harzer-Kux will be the new publisher managing director after Renate Herre, who managed the publisher for 14 years, will hand over the helm. Under the leadership of Herre, the publisher was able to double its turnover to over 110 million euros, which earned its great respect in the industry. In 2012 she joined the role of the publisher's manager and had the challenge of starting the legacy of a predecessor who was responsible for securing the rights to the "Harry Potter" series.

The Carlsen Verlagsgruppe is known for its children's and youth books as well as for mangas and comics. Her most famous publications include not only the "Harry Potter" books by J.K. Rowling, but also titles such as "School of Magic Animals" and the manga series "Naruto" and "One Piece". Last but not least, these success stories are the result of Mr. Commitment to strategically use the resources of the publisher in order to serve both the print and the digital market.

The background of the brand evolution

Renate Herre, which has grown into her leadership role, is an example of how to get to the top by open communication with the employees. "It is important to listen to the employees," she said in an interview. Her trip starts in an old machine factory in Hamburg-Ottensen, where she discovered her passion for children's books. The takeover of the publisher's management happened in a challenging environment, shaped by budget cuts and a changing market.

Lords Approach to digitize the publisher is shown in the development of apps and e-books as well as in cooperation with self-publishers. These steps are crucial to lead the publisher to the digital age, especially in view of the challenges that the publishing industry is faced with due to demographic change and changed media use patterns. "The digital transformation requires a radical realignment," says industry expert.

The digital challenge

According to current reports, the publishing industry is under pressure through falling printed revenues, especially among older readers who are increasingly turning away from physical media. A large part of the loss of income is due to increasing production and delivery costs in certain regions. In order to meet these challenges, it is essential to develop new digital strategies and strengthen online presence. Dynamic websites and mobile apps are of great importance to increase reader loyalty.

relevant strategies also provide for various content formats to offer. This includes short news articles for quick information transfer and longer reports that promote reader loyalty. The consideration of multimedia content and the personalization of offers are viewed as the key to answering changed reader needs. Analyzing the understanding of the performance of different types of articles and diversifying the income portfolio are current demands that have to implement publishers in the digital era.

With the change in the publisher management, Carlsen-Verlag is in a decisive phase. Sandra Harzer-Kux will set the course for the future and together with her team will shape the ongoing change to position the publisher in a dynamic media environment.

Further information can be found in the reports of ZVW , Arbeitsagentur and purple Publish .