Volker Neumann (Manager)

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Volker Neumann (born August 11, 1942 in Berlin ) is a former manager and managing director of the Bertelsmann publishing group and director of the Frankfurt Book Fair .

Live and act

Volker Neumann was born in Berlin in 1942. Even during the Second World War , he was from an engineer and his wife adopted . The stepfather fell in the final phase of the war as a fighter of the Volkssturm ; During the flight of the fatherless family from the Giant Mountains , the stepsister was also a victim of the acts of war. At the end of the war, Neumann and his stepmother initially lived in Soviet- occupied East Berlin , but four years later they fled to the western Allied- controlled western part of the four-sector city , which did not improve them financially, as the Neumanns still lived in one in 1949 Air raid shelters and were starving. The stepmother then decided to return to the eastern part of Berlin, where she and her stepson were arrested by Soviet soldiers and subjected to a trial for so-called “escape from the republic ”, which was only punished with a fine. Volker Neumann suffered from rickets with suspected tuberculosis and so the stepmother's application was granted to go to the West for a spa vacation . This time the hull family stayed. The stay in Bremerhaven was followed by numerous moves, due to the stepmother's job search.

After a school career that went more badly than right and was broken off, Neumann completed an apprenticeship in typesetter and attended the advertising school in Munich, where he graduated as an advertising specialist. He then worked as a typesetting manager in a Munich printing company . In addition to his job, the conscientious objector Neumann was the federal chairman of the German Reform Youth. From 1974 to 1978 he worked, now the father of three sons, as head of advertising at the Deutsches Taschenbuch Verlag in Munich. This was followed by a brief engagement as sales manager for the book publishers of the Süddeutsche Zeitung .

In 1980, Neumann moved to the Bertelsmann Group, where he was very successful as sales manager at Goldmann Taschenbuch Verlag : in 1982 he first became Head of Marketing at Goldmann and in 1987 he was promoted to Marketing Manager at the Bertelsmann publishing group. Together with publisher Klaus Eck , Neumann made Goldmann Verlag number one among German-language paperback publishers in the 1990s. The two crime writers from the English-speaking area Elizabeth George and Minette Walters or the German entertainment writer Charlotte Link were among the draft horses.

Neumann, who recommended himself for his successful work, became managing director and spokesman for Bertelsmann Buch AG in 1992. The marketing concept developed by him and Eck was continuously expanded to include all publishing programs. In 1996, again in cooperation with Eck, the Bertelsmann Taschenbuch, Btb Verlag , was also created, whose graphic appearance and market launch strategy were admired in the industry .

Bertelsmann took over the US group Random House in 1998 and has now also become the largest English-language publishing house. From the Bertelsmann publishing group, in which the company's German-language publishing activities were bundled, the new Random House publishing group with offices in Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt and Vienna developed. Bertelsmann Buch AG no longer existed, and all Bertelsmann publishing activities worldwide were brought together under the umbrella of Random House. Under Klaus Eck, the new board member and president, Neumann continued to work as sales and marketing manager.

In spring 2002, after a total of 22 years, the longest of which as the top group marketing strategist, he was suddenly fired by the new Random House boss Peter Olson. In the same year, in July, Neumann took over the position of director of the Frankfurt Book Fair, which he held with great success. Above all, he contributed to securing the Frankfurt location through his tactical skills, although he was also bitterly criticized by the previously threatened migration of the trade fair to Munich because of the overpriced stand and hotel prices in Frankfurt. Neumann's merits as head of the book fair also included the appearance of the Arab League as a guest of honor, the lack of attendance in Frankfurt, and the popularization of the fair through a supplementary program not tailored to the specialist audience, but to the public, which was referred to as “booth magic”, was controversial . Since his contract was limited in time and he had also reached the age limit, the trade fair supervisory board of the organizer Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels ended Neumann's term of office on December 31, 2005. Neumann expressed his disappointment and bitterness because he had previously offered the supervisory board a contract extension . On May 1, 2006, he joined the Pendo Verlag Munich / Zurich management team, where he was responsible for marketing and sales.

About Volker Neumann

“Volker Neumann impresses with its physical presence. Not a quiet step, rather one who exudes a good mood with a sonorous voice and prefers to make people laugh. His bonhomie never slips into joviality . He listens well, is always well informed, and has well-founded opinions. […] The man exudes authority and charisma […]. He doesn't shy away from power or responsibility. "

- Viktor Niemann : Börsenblatt for the German book trade 63/2002

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Thomas Grasberger : An American story. How Volker Neumann went from typesetter to millionaire manager at Bertelsmann. In: welt.de. Oliver Michalsky, March 4, 2000, accessed September 23, 2018 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Viktor Niemann: For the 60th birthday of Volker Neumann. Horoscope: Leo. He went from success to success, and disappointments were inevitable: Volker Neumann, long-time managing director of the Bertelsmann publishing group and designated head of the book fair, will be 60 on August 11. Piper publisher Viktor Niemann congratulates him . In: Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels eV (Hrsg.): Börsenblatt for the German book trade . No. 63/2002 , August 9, 2002, ISSN  0940-0044 , magazine, p. 14th f .
  3. ^ History of Goldmann Verlag. In: randomhouse.de. Verlagsgruppe Random House GmbH, accessed on September 23, 2018 .
  4. ↑ dpa / afx: With "Random House" Bertelsmann already owns the largest English-language publishing house. Bertelsmann reorganizes book publishing group. Bertelsmann will in future run its book publishing group in Germany under the name “Random House”. In: handelsblatt.com. Sven Afhüppe, March 15, 2001, accessed on September 23, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Klaus Eck: Volker Neumann (70), Volker Neumann is 70 years old today. 70 Shades of Gray. In: buchmarkt.de. BuchMarkt Verlag K. Werner GmbH, August 11, 2012, accessed on September 23, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Gregor Dotzauer : "I am dismayed". In: tagesspiegel.de. September 16, 2004, accessed September 23, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Bertelsmann manager Neumann becomes the new head of the book fair. Three months before it starts, the Frankfurt Book Fair has a new boss. Former Bertelsmann manager Volker Neumann will succeed Lorenzo Rudolf, who was surprisingly fired at the beginning of July. In: spiegel.de. July 19, 2002. Retrieved September 23, 2018 .
  8. ↑ a b c d e Frankfurt Book Fair. New boss wanted. The managing director of the Frankfurt Book Fair, Volker Neumann, has to hand over responsibility for the world's largest book show at the end of 2005. The existing contract was not extended. In: sueddeutsche.de. May 17, 2010, accessed September 23, 2018 .
  9. ↑ a b c d faz.net with material from dpa: Neumann Succession. Book fair is looking for a new boss. The Frankfurt Book Fair is looking for a new director for 2006: The contract with Volker Neumann ends on December 31, 2005, announced the German Book Trade Association. In: faz.net. Carsten Knop, September 14, 2004, accessed on September 23, 2018 .
  10. ↑ a b c d Gerrit Bartels: Much booth magic. Successes, faults, rumors: Book fair boss Volker Neumann has to leave at the end of next year. In: taz.de. September 16, 2004, accessed September 23, 2018 .
  11. ↑ (vg): Volker Neumann goes to Pendo. In: dnv-news.de. Presse Fachverlag GmBH & Co. KG, April 21, 2006, accessed on September 23, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Neumann, Volker
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German publishing manager
DATE OF BIRTH August 11, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin