Literature and business: Book market: Are independent publishers being ignored?

This week it was Shortlist announced for the awarding of the German Book Prize. Do you like it?

As a reader, I am quite happy about the shortlist; there are very good texts there, from Martina Hefter, for example, Ronya Othmann and Maren Kames. Not classically novel-like, but narrative underpinned by chat language, research mode, poetry and onomatopoeia. And with the books by Clemens Meyer and Markus Thielemann, war and violence as well as the question of ethnic delusions are in the spotlight; nothing is probably more important to examine these days – apart from love, of course. As an indie publisher, I would of course have liked at least one title from a smaller publisher.

The longlist appeared first. Among the 20 titles there were only two novels that were published by independent publishers. This caused excitement, especially among smaller publishers. Are independent publishers being ignored?

To be able to say that, one crucial piece of information is missing: How many independent publishers have actually submitted novels? There are certain requirements in order to be nominated for the German Book Prize, for example you have to be a member of the Börsenverein. I also asked how many indie publishers submitted, but they didn’t want to release the information because it probably wasn’t collected. But it’s actually not that difficult to count.

My impression is that the discussion has flared up so much because independent publishers are being threatened even more than before and are not being supported enough. Accordingly, every few months we have to watch as another independent publisher disappears or can just be saved.

That’s definitely a reason for the excitement. A nomination like this means, above all, attention and visibility. But the criteria the jury of the German Book Prize used to decide is up to them alone, and I cannot say whether economic considerations played a role. Of course, the question is legitimate as to whether Daniela Krien – a great author, by the way – absolutely had to be nominated for the longlist: her book will sell either way. But different juries will always come to different results. That’s not the problem.

And what would you say is the problem?

Oh, that’s complex. First of all, the economic situation has worsened since the pandemic. Raw material prices have risen: printing costs have become more expensive, especially for the smaller (and actually more sustainable) editions of independent publishers. Another development for publishers is poor contracts with the bar ranges, i.e. with the middlemen between publishers and retailers. They now take up to 50 percent of the retail price for a book, sometimes more if a discount is given. Anything that is not sold can then be sent back at the publisher’s expense. So the publisher bears a large part of the risk.
In addition, the overall economic situation has deteriorated, which means fewer books are being sold. Overall, people read less and literature no longer has the importance that other art forms have, such as fashion or music. An incredible amount of money is spent on concerts, for example, but books are considered too expensive. Then social behavior also plays a role: people scroll more than read. People’s favorite leisure activities are Internet, cell phone, listening to music, computer, watching TV. Of course, people have to know that themselves. But I am convinced that reading improves one’s attitude to life and brings more calm and empathy back into life.

At the same time, there is a new record flood of new releases every year. Richard Stoiber from the independent März-Verlag put it this way: Everyone writes, no one reads. Do you see it that way too?

Yes, many people think they are important authors and have several manuscripts in their drawer, but they don’t read new releases from the publishers where they want to make their big splash. That’s why I’ve now decided at mikrotext to only do four titles this year and next year, which will then get more attention instead of eight each like in previous years. And then we’ll see how it works out.

In Austria and Switzerland there is government funding for publishers. Would this be a way to keep independent publishers alive?

That would be a possibility, yes. It would also be an option to give libraries a budget exclusively for purchasing works from independent publishers. The library system is great; for ten euros a year you can get countless publications in Berlin. It is clear to me that libraries only have limited space, but they could also invest the money – warning: huge idea – in e-book licenses, that doesn’t take up space.
Another approach would be to promote reading in schools. The topic is considered unsexy, but I believe there is a great need for it. There are even budgets that teachers can tap into for this, but they often cannot manage to organize this alongside their everyday teaching routine, which I completely understand. If publishers could apply for the money here, for schools and teachers near their publishing headquarters, that would be a good change for all sides.

When I look at the traditional media, the visibility of literature is currently decreasing: book reviews are becoming increasingly rare, and public broadcasting is removing more and more literary programs from its program. Is this also a media problem?

Sure, yes. To add another aspect, the editorial teams also have a duty to decide what they recommend and what not; where they set priorities, whether they primarily present titles from the market-dominating publishers or whether they also pay attention to economic conditions in the company. When I look at the SWR best list from July/August, for example, a best list that I really like in principle, half of the titles are translations. This is not about calling for a nationalization of literature, but about something else: US publishers in particular have enormous market power and then push their titles internationally. A lot of it sells anyway, which raises the question of what role critics actually see themselves in. Many titles from smaller languages ​​are also published by independent publishers. And shouldn’t public broadcasting, which we all support, reflect diversity, not just the mainstays? Basically, we’re all in the same boat: journalism needs readers, just like the book industry. We should treat each other with respect and strengthen each other.

Your publishing house mikrotext had a real bestseller last year with Dinçer Güçyeter’s “Our Germany Fairy Tale”. Is that enough to be able to run the publishing business for a few years without any worries?

We also have other titles that are very popular, such as Elfi Conrad’s novel “Snowflakes like Fire” about a teenager in the Harz Mountains in the 1960s or Ruth Herzberg’s toxic love escapade “How to be unhappy with a man” and currently Mely Kiyak’s story of a Benedictine monastery ” This Garden,” but yes: Dinçer’s book put the publisher on a solid basis. For the first time, I was able to pay advances, for example. This shows that it works: a big book in many senses, a lot of attention, many readers – but a small structure. I am still very grateful to the jury of the Leipzig Book Fair Prize for making this courageous decision and not immediately thinking: They can’t do it economically anyway. Do we have. And it could be like this much more often!

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