Häufig gestellte Fragen
What does VLB connectivity mean in an ERP for the book trade?
The Verzeichnis Lieferbarer Bücher (VLB, the German-language books-in-print directory) is the central metadata service of the German-language book trade and is operated by MVB GmbH, part of the Börsenverein group; according to MVB, it comprises around 2.9 million titles from more than 22,000 publishers (as of 2026). A VLB connection allows the ERP to automatically synchronise master data such as ISBN-13, title, author, publisher, fixed retail price and availability instead of maintaining them manually. The ISBN-13 is the central identifier of every product. In practice, the scope and currency of the synchronisation depend on the chosen ERP, the VLB tariff and the specific interface configuration.
Which return (remission) deadlines apply, and how does an ERP handle returns?
Remission means that unsold books go back to the publisher; the right of return and the respective deadline are set by the publisher in its terms and usually stated on the invoice, with the deadline under the Verkehrsordnung (trading rules) for the book trade generally not below two months. Late, incomplete or faulty returns can, depending on the publisher, be charged a processing fee or a credit deduction, the amount of which varies considerably from house to house. A book trade ERP should run remission as a standard workflow: deadline checking, generation of the return note, posting of the stock removal and reconciliation of the publisher credit. The specific deadlines, quotas and fees vary by publisher and wholesaler, so the system must be able to map flexible terms rules.
Which ordering channels and wholesalers must a book trade ERP support?
Booksellers source goods either via the wholesalers (KNV Zeitfracht, Libri, Umbreit) or directly from the publisher, with each channel having its own discounts, cash discounts, delivery times and minimum order values. A capable ERP supports electronic ordering via the formats established in the German-language book trade: the BWA format recommended by the Börsenverein is widespread and processed by most merchandise management systems, larger suppliers also use the EDIFACT subset EANCOM, while for metadata the XML standard ONIX developed by EDItEUR is customary. A function that determines the most favourable ordering channel per title and quantity and takes publisher scale terms into account is sensible. Which interfaces can actually be used depends on the ERP vendor and the contractual agreements with the respective suppliers.
Does an ERP for the book trade have to support fixed book pricing?
The German Book Price Fixing Act (Buchpreisbindungsgesetz, BuchPrG) obliges publishers to set binding retail prices for new books, which must be observed when selling to end customers; since the second amendment act of 1 September 2016, price fixing explicitly also applies to e-books. Violations can result in warnings, damages claims and delivery blocks, and compliance is monitored by price-fixing trustees. A book trade ERP should adopt the fixed price from the VLB, safeguard against impermissible deviations and at the same time correctly process legally permitted exceptions such as volume, subscription or series prices. The exact implementation should always be checked against the current legal situation and publisher terms.
Which VAT rates apply to books, and how does the ERP handle them?
Printed books have been subject to the reduced VAT rate of 7 per cent in Germany since 1983, and since 18 December 2019 this reduced rate also applies to e-books and other electronic publishing products. Physical audiobooks have been taxed at 7 per cent since 1 January 2015, and digitally distributed audiobooks since the reform at the end of 2019. An ERP must map these rates precisely per product, since bookshops may also carry items at the standard rate of 19 per cent, such as non-book merchandise or digitally distributed audio dramas. As tax classifications are complex in detail, the specific assignment should be coordinated with the tax adviser and the legal situation applicable at the time.
Which ERP solutions are suitable for online bookselling and multi-channel?
For online and multi-channel bookselling, systems are advisable that synchronise branch, web shop and marketplace stock (for example booklooker or ZVAB) centrally and, as far as possible, in real time. Many independent bookshops use the book trade's Genialokal platform for this; industry systems with their own shop integration or generalists with multi-channel functionality are also options. Important are end-to-end VLB and wholesaler connectivity as well as clean stock and terms management across all channels. Which solution fits depends on range size, branch structure, online share and the desired depth of integration, and should be evaluated against the specific business processes.