Blanvalet is a German

publishing Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

house, based in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, which was founded in 1935 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

and is now part of the

Bertelsmann Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA () is a German private multinational conglomerate corporation based in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is one of the world's largest media conglomerates, and is also active in the service sector and ...

's Random House publishing group. Blanvalet publishes entertainment literature and non-fiction, first in

hardcover A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as case-bound) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or occa ...

, and as

paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...

s since 1998. The publisher became well known with the novel series " Angélique". More recent authors include

Charlotte Link Charlotte Link (born 5 October 1963 in Frankfurt am Main) is a German writer. She is among the most successful contemporary authors writing in German. Life Charlotte Link is the daughter of well-known German writer and journalist Almuth Link. ...

, Marc Elsberg,

Karin Slaughter Karin Slaughter (born January 6, 1971) is an American Crime fiction, crime writer. She has written 21 novels, which have sold more than 40 million copies and have been published in 120 countries. Her first novel, ''Blindsighted'' (2001), was pub ...

Diana Gabaldon Diana J. Gabaldon (; born January 11, 1952) is an American author, known for the ''Outlander'' series of novels. Her books merge multiple genres, featuring elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and science fiction/fantasy. ...

and

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...

History

Lothar Blanvalet founded, on 1 April 1935 in Berlin, the "Buchwarte publishing Lothar Blanvalet", which was named after him and its publications included humorous works. The operation was registered as a private company in the

commercial register This is a list of official business registers around the world. There are many types of official business registers, usually maintained for various purposes by a state authority, such as a government agency, or a court of law. In some cases, ...

and established in 1937. After the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, in January 1946, the publisher received the license to continue publishing activity. The program focused on fiction - mainly criminal and adventure novels – as well as art books and

graphics Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of data, as in design and manufacture ...

. The first titles published by Blanvalet were, "Hinein!" from

soccer player A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

Hanne Sobek, "Nueces und Shorty", "Spuren im Cañon", "Die goldene Hölle", "Die schwarzen Berge" from

Clarence E. Mulford Clarence Edward Mulford (3 February 1883 – 10 May 1956) was an American writer, best known as the creator of the character Hopalong Cassidy. Biography Mulford was born in Streator, Illinois. He created Hopalong Cassidy Hopalon ...

and "Land ohne Frau" from Armin Otto Huber. In addition to German authors such as

Albrecht Haushofer Albrecht Georg Haushofer (7 January 1903 – 23 April 1945) was a German geographer, diplomat, author and member of the German Resistance to Nazism. Life Haushofer was born in Munich, the son of the retired World War I general and geographer K ...

("Moabiter Sonette") Lothar Blanvalet also published

American literature American literature is literature written or produced in the United States of America and in the colonies that preceded it. The American literary tradition thus is part of the broader tradition of English-language literature, but also inc ...

, for example, William Keepers Maxwell Jr.'s "Junges Blatt am Baum" or

Ben Lucien Burman Ben Lucien Burman (December 12, 1895 – November 12, 1984) was an American author and journalist born in Covington, Kentucky. He also fought in both World War I and World War II, and graduated from Harvard University. He was married to Alice Cad ...

's "Der große Strom". 1954 Blanvalet launched, under the name "Blanvalet-Sport-Taschenbücher" (Blanvalet sport paperbacks), a program that was terminated without success after only two issues. Larger demand was received for the book "Der Weltraum rückt uns näher" by Donald E. Keyhouse. Commercial success was recorded by Blanvalet Publishers in 1956 with the Angélique novels. The German edition of the novels was published by Blanvalet even before the French original. By the end of 1963, the first four novels of the series reached a circulation of over 680,000 copies. In 1965 a controversy developed around the Angélique series between Blanvalet and

. The company had offered the novel as an advertising premium for new members of the ''Bertelsmann Lesering'', which Blanvalet criticized as a surprising offer. The publisher refused to cooperate with Bertelsmann since the late 1950s and sold licenses for novels by Anne Golon to competitors of the ''Bertelsmann Lesering''. Starting in 1973, Blanvalet began awarding other publishers the rights to publish

editions of its successful books, including the

Rowohlt Verlag Rowohlt Verlag is a German publishing house based in Hamburg, with offices in Reinbek and Berlin. It has been part of the Georg von Holtzbrinck Group since 1982. The company was created in 1908 in Leipzig by Ernst Rowohlt. Divisions * Kinder * ...

. In 1974, Lothar Blanvalet sold his company, for reasons of age, to the Bertelsmann publishing group to which he stated that they would ensure continuity in his lifework. Before this, the publisher had already been relocated from Berlin to Munich. Lothar Blanvalet died on January 17, 1979, in Berlin. Blanvalet founded with publishers Penhaligon and Limes, a common corporate part of

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

publishing group which is led by Nicola Bartels.

Program

Among the better-known authors of the 1980s and 1990s include

Sidney Sheldon Sidney Sheldon (February 11, 1917 – January 30, 2007) was an American writer. He was prominent in the 1930s, first working on Broadway plays, and then in motion pictures, notably writing the successful comedy ''The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer ...

Ruth Rendell Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, (; 17 February 1930 – 2 May 2015) was an English author of thrillers and psychological murder mysteries. Rendell is best known for creating Chief Inspector Wexford.The Oxford Companion ...

Elizabeth George Susan Elizabeth George (born February 26, 1949) is an American writer of mystery novels set in Great Britain. She is best known for a series of novels featuring Inspector Thomas Lynley. The 21st book in the series appeared in January 2022. T ...

and

. Blanvalet initially published mainly

s. In 1996 the publisher was involved alongside Albrecht Knaus,

Goldmann Goldmann is the surname of several people: * Erich Goldmann, German ice hockey player * Friedrich Goldmann (1941–2009), German composer and conductor * Hans Goldmann (1899–1991), Swiss ophthalmologist * Lucien Goldmann, French philosopher and so ...

and Siedler in the paperback publisher btb, since 1998 Blanvalet also publishes paperbacks. In bookshops, the Blanvalet Publishing and the Blanvalet Paperback Publisher are run as independent publishers. In 2014 Blanvalet was the third largest German-language publisher. Today, the Blanvalet program covers all areas of fiction and entertaining nonfiction. The program is divided in the areas of "tension", "most Popular women entertainment", "Historical novels", "nonfiction" and" Fantasy and Science Fiction". Blanvalet became famous in recent years especially with

bestseller A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...

s by authors such as

, Marc Elsberg or

. Also included are

Joanne K. Rowling Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and Philanthropy, philanthropist. She wrote ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to ...

Nora Roberts Nora Roberts (born Eleanor Marie Robertson on October 10, 1950) is an American author of more than 225 romance novels. She writes as J. D. Robb for the ''in Death'' series and has also written under the pseudonyms Jill March and for publication ...

George RR Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels '' A So ...

and

Susan Elizabeth Phillips Susan Elizabeth Phillips (born December 11, 1944 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a romance novelist from the United States. She is the creator of the sports romance and has been called the “Queen of Romantic Comedy.” Biography Phillips was born o ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanvalet Publishing companies established in 1935 Mass media in Berlin Mass media in Munich Book publishing companies of Germany Random House 1935 establishments in Germany