tredition
Family-run self-publishing platform from Ahrensburg near Hamburg, free for the whole life of a book, with a quality check and commissions that favour its own shop
Quick Overview
| Company | tredition GmbH |
|---|---|
| Category | Self-Publishing Platforms |
| Headquarters | Ahrensburg, Germany |
| Founded | 2006 |
| EU Presence | Yes - Germany (EU) |
| Data Location | Printing at German printers; web hosting location not stated |
| Open Source | No |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes |
| Self-Hosting | No |
| Main Features | Free publishing, quality check, listing with wholesalers, e-book creation, cover designer, multiple editions, price changes at any time, marketing tools, paid upgrade services |
| Pricing | Publishing free over the book's lifetime; paid upgrade services optional; commission example 3.52 euro in bookshops and 10.50 euro in own shop for a 24.99 euro hardcover |
| Best For | Authors with non-fiction or illustrated books who want a human review and a high margin on direct sales |
| Replaces | Amazon KDP, Lulu |
Detailed Review
tredition says it began in 2006 as a two-person team and still calls itself a family business. The imprint gives tredition GmbH, Heinz-Beusen-Stieg 5 in Ahrensburg, registered at the Lübeck court as HRB 23037 HL, with Sandra Latußeck and Sönke Schulz as managing directors.
The homepage claims more than 200,000 books and over 20,000 authors, and promises that authors keep all rights without a contractual commitment.
Commission Depends on the Channel
The commission page shows how much the sales channel changes the outcome. For a hardcover non-fiction title priced at 24.99 euro with 200 pages, the author earns 3.52 euro, or 15% of the net price, in the bookshop trade and 10.50 euro, or 45%, in the tredition shop.
The page adds that booksellers take 50 to 55% of the price, and that authors average a 22% commission on bookshop sales. Prices can be changed at any time, and tredition suggests small gaps between hardcover, paperback and e-book.
Quality Check and Updates
Each book is checked by the team before publication for obvious, avoidable errors, and tredition sends individual tips. After release the author can revise the book as often as wanted, and the page says the change is mostly live within hours with star ratings kept.
Several editions and special editions can be managed in one book project, which helps plan staggered releases.
Reach and Printing
The service says titles are connected to all wholesalers, which lets booksellers order them. Print on demand takes place at printers in Germany, and selected titles are offered to booksellers outside the German-speaking area and printed at regional partners.
E-books are prepared for every reader device, with sale, lending or subscription models available. Paid upgrade services such as design are listed separately.
Limitations to Consider
The commission differs strongly between channels, and the bookshop figure is low. Extras beyond the free core service are paid. The page counts and satisfaction figures on the homepage are the vendor's own claims. This review rests on the vendor's pages, not a hands-on test.
Who Should Use tredition
Authors who want a reviewed, polished book, plan to sell mostly through their own audience and the tredition shop, and need updates after release.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free publishing over the book's lifetime
- Human quality check before release
- Price can be changed at any time
- 45% commission on own-shop sales in the example
- Revisions live within hours
Cons
- 15% commission in the bookshop example
- Paid upgrade services for design and extras
- Mainly German-speaking market
- Quality check is advisory, not editing
Alternatives to tredition
Other European self-publishing platforms worth comparing before you decide:
BoD Books on Demand
Germany · Hamburg print-on-demand house with fixed one-off publishing packages
tolino media
Germany · Self-publishing arm of the German tolino bookseller alliance
epubli
Germany · Berlin platform that publishes books free and keeps 30% of net
Bookmundo
Netherlands · Rotterdam print-on-demand platform without exclusivity or setup fees
See all European self-publishing platforms or compare them directly against Amazon KDP on our alternatives page.
Frequently Asked Questions
The homepage says all tools are free over the whole lifetime of the book and that there is no contractual commitment. Extra services such as design upgrades are paid separately.
In the page example, a 24.99 euro hardcover earns 3.52 euro (15%) when sold through the bookshop trade and 10.50 euro (45%) when sold in the tredition shop. Authors can change the price at any time.
Every book gets a check for obvious avoidable errors before release, with individual tips. This is a quality review, and the page lists editing and design as separate paid services.