Hamburg has announced a structural support programme for independent publishers, NDR reports. Cultural Senator Carsten Brosda said the city will make €700,000 available each year. According to Brosda, Hamburg is the first German state to introduce such a programme; he added that the initiative is also intended to serve as an incentive for the federal government and other states.
Eligible are publishers that have been based in Hamburg for at least three years and generate less than €2 million in annual turnover. Another requirement is that publishers must release at least three books per year and derive the majority of their revenue from literary works. Individual grants in each funding round are planned to range from €10,000 to €25,000. The city expects the programme to benefit around 40 publishers.
Brosda said the measure aims to preserve diversity within the publishing landscape. He pointed to ongoing cost pressures in the sector and the difficulties smaller publishers face in achieving visibility and funding larger marketing budgets. Brosda emphasized that much of current revenue is concentrated on a few top-selling titles, which mostly do not come from small publishers.
According to the city’s announcement, applications can be submitted online immediately. The funding is intended as structural support, acting independently of project-based subsidies.
In his statement, Brosda also criticised the Federal Ministry of the Interior over the failed search for a nationwide solution; he said Hamburg decided to act because talks with the federal government and other states have so far not produced a common regulation.
NDR’s report did not quote any reactions from publishers or other institutions. No details were provided about concrete approvals or a detailed allocation structure for the funding rounds.
Source: www.ndr.de
