In 1966, the idea arose to publish an independent specialist magazine for the German-language book trade.

Christian von Zittwitz is now the sole shareholder and in 1997 relocated the company's headquarters from Düsseldorf to Meerbusch-Ilverich [de].

In 2009, Christian von Zittwitz was the first journalist ever to receive the golden pin of honor from the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels.

The award is a cooperation between Buchmarkt, Leipzig Book Fair, Spiegel, Die Welt and Mohn Media [de].

The BuchmarktFORUM has existed since 2000, a cooperation between Buchmarkt and HypoVereinsbank, which is intended to support an exchange of information between publishers and bookstores.