Verlag Krug & Schadenberg

A - Z

• Format:
• Publisher
• Location(s):
• Germany, Berlin
• From:
• 1993
• Contact:

• krugschadenberg.de
  facebook.com/krugschadenberg/
  instagram.com/verlagkrugschadenberg_berlin/
  twitter.com/KrugSchadenberg

• Contact Persons / Persons Involved:
• Andrea Krug, Dagmar Schadenberg
• Main Language Published:
• German
• History:

• The publisher was founded in response to a lack: almost thirty years ago there were hardly any books with lesbian content or a lesbian outlook.
  One obstacle to be overcome was the lack of finance. For a long time, therefore, the two publishers kept their day jobs and did the publishing work as a sideline.
  Feedback was very good from the start: then as now, there was praise and avid interest, helpful suggestions, constructive criticism, and offers of support in finding authors or selecting manuscripts, etc.
  Gaining a stronger profile among the general public remains problematic, because of the limited human and financial resources for advertising, press, and PR.

• Content Focus:

• Verlag Krug & Schadenberg is a publisher exclusively of books with a lesbian outlook or content of relevance to lesbians, among them a great deal of literary fiction (contemporary novels, historical novels, cliffhangers/ thrillers) and, occasionally, nonfiction, especially narrative nonfiction. German-language authors are on the list, along with translations from other languages, from countries such as England, Canada, USA, Sweden, Italy, and France. The publisher would like to expand its international spectrum.

• Organization and Decision-making Process:

• Verlag Krug & Schadenberg shares an office with fellow publisher, edition steinrich. Business is conducted from there, but also by phone, email, and threema, since both team members have day jobs too. They have additional support from a seasoned network of supporters who mostly help out on a voluntary basis. The two publishers weigh things up carefully before taking decisions and, if necessary, seek the opinions of other relevant experts, not least when selecting manuscripts or books for publication.
  Personal research, offers from literary agents, and tips from others, also from fellow authors, are the means to locating authors. Some authors contact the publisher on their own initiative.
  Verlag Krug & Schadenberg has a sales and marketing agent who assures as far as possible that its list is available in bookstores. Unfortunately far too few bookstores, small or large, are prepared to stock lesbian, gay, queer, and related literature and give it the attention it deserves. Potential readers therefore have difficulty in sourcing such literature and so often fall back on online shops.

• Financing and Support:

• Verlag Krug & Schadenberg advances the funds for all its publications. As a rule, the publisher receives no third party funding, because it is a commercial enterprise, not a not-for-profit association.
  The publisher pays for all of the work it outsources, albeit often a modest fee.

• Conditions and Political Situation:

• Statement from the publishing duo behind Verlag Krug und Schadenberg:

  »The publishing scene in Germany is very mixed. There are still a lot of independent publishers yet many of them struggle to survive—for financial reasons, as a rule, unlike in many other countries. In that respect publishers in Germany are highly privileged.
  In addition to Krug & Schadenberg, which presents itself as a publisher of lesbian literature, there is the Querverlag for gay and lesbian literature, and a few small publishers of work by and for women. No other publishers have a distinctly gay, lesbian, or queer orientation.
  Of course our books are also political tools. They are crucial to making lesbians more visible in society. The Internet and blogs likewise play a role in this.«

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