Germany's 'Buchreport' for Sale, 'Spiegel' Lists at Risk

Update: Buchreport has ceased publication, and the Spiegel bestseller lists have moved to BuchMarkt.

Harenberg Kommunikation, the parent company that owns German book trade magazine Buchreport, has filed for bankruptcy and put the magazine up for sale.

Buchreport is best known in Germany as the company that compiles the bestseller lists published in Spiegel magazine, the most widely read and respected book trade bestseller lists in the country. Several news reports in Germany noted the trade's concern that the Spiegel lists may be at risk of ending should the magazine not find a buyer.

Harenberg Kommunikation was acquired in 2021 from Spiegel by Cologne publisher Timo Busch and his partners, owners of the BuschGlatz Group. The company had, in recent years, acquired several additional media companies, including S&L Medien Group and the magazines Blickpunkt:Film, MusikWoche, and Gamesmarkt—several of which were included in a bankruptcy filing earlier this year.