Bastei Lübbe AG: Bastei Lübbe AG is making another investment in the expansion of its digital range through stake in successful selfpublishing platform BookRix

Bastei Lübbe AG  / Key word(s): Investment22.05.2014 17:25Dissemination of an Ad hoc announcement according to § 15 WpHG, transmittedby DGAP - a company of EQS Group AG.The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.---------------------------------------------------------------------------Cologne/Munich, 22nd of May 2014. Bastei Lübbe AG, a publicly held companylisted on the Frankfurt Exchange's Prime Standard segment (ISINDE000A1X3YY0), has made another important investment in its digital range.In this case it has acquired a majority share of BookRix GmbH & Co. KG ofMunich. BookRix is already one of the leading self-publishing platforms inGermany and has recently established a foothold in the USA as well. Atpresent roughly 1,000 new eBooks are published each month on the platform.The eBooks distributed by BookRix via its proprietary platform reach itsbase of some 560,000 users. Another 4,000 new user register each month aswell. BookRix also delivers content to 60 leading online stores, includingmarket leaders like Amazon and iTunes. Demand for self-published works isenormous: Three titles from the BookRix universe climbed onto Amazon's Top10 charts in the past six months alone. The Munich-based company forecaststhat it will sell more than one million eBooks this year. More than a thirdof the downloads are made using forward-looking mobile end devices likesmartphones. All efforts will be made to maintain the company's rapidgrowth.Through its investment, Bastei Lübbe is seeking to link the classicalpublishing business to the new self-publishing concept, and in the processexpand its digital arm and embrace greater internationalisation. ThroughBookRix, Bastei Lübbe also gains access to a large and highly active bookcommunity in Germany, allowing for direct interaction with the primarilyyoung and extremely engaged readership. Both companies can now worktogether to realise their shared vision of modern self-publishing, whereauthorial independence is supplemented optimally by the classic corecompetencies of a publishing house.The operative collaboration is effective immediately. The sides have agreednot to disclose any information about the purchase price for thecontrolling stake.About Bastei Lübbe AG:Bastei Lübbe AG is a publically traded media company organised around itspublishing venture. The Cologne-based company currently has around 340employees. It publishes books, audio books, ebooks and digital products inboth the literary and popular science genres, as well as serialised novelsand puzzle magazines. Bastei Lübbe is also actively involved in brandlicensing and the development, production and distribution of gift,decoration and merchandising articles. Bastei Lübbe has for many yearsenjoyed an almost unbroken streak as the market leader in the growingsegment of hard-cover literature; in 2013 its literary eBooks division wasalso ranked number one on the market. 2013 saw the company's 60thanniversary celebration and its launch as a publicly traded company. SharesofBastei Lübbe AG are listed in the Prime Standard segment of the FrankfurtStock Exchange (WKN A1X3YY, ISIN DE000A1X3YY0).About BookRix GmbH & Co. KG:With more than 560,000 registered users, BookRix is currently one ofGermany's largest self-publishing platforms. As a shop-independentprovider, BookRix also delivers content from its authors to roughly 60different stores - including market leaders Amazon and iTunes. To date theMunich-based company has delivered some 6,500 self-published titles toretailers, including many notable successes at Amazon: in the last sixmonths alone 9 titles from BookRix have reached the Top 50 on the KindleCharts, with 5 hitting the Top 20 and 3 even claiming spots on the Top 10Amazon Best-Seller lists. BookRix forecasts selling more than one millioneBooks in 2014.Contact at Bastei Lübbe AG:Barbara FischerDirector Press andEvent MarketingTel.: +49 (0) 221 / 82 00 28 50Email: barbara.fischer@luebbe.de22.05.2014 DGAP's Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements,Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language:     EnglishCompany:      Bastei Lübbe AG              Schanzenstraße 6 - 20              51063 Köln              GermanyPhone:        02 21 / 82 00 - 0Fax:          02 21 / 82 00 - 1900E-mail:       investorrelations@luebbe.deInternet:     www.luebbe.deISIN:         DE000A1X3YY0, DE000A1K0169WKN:          A1X3YY, A1K016Listed:       Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr              in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, Stuttgart End of Announcement                             DGAP News-Service ---------------------------------------------------------------------------