German book system

Post photo: Books | © Shutterstock

In Germany, structures have solidified over the decades, which have been tried again and again and from different sides to break up, so that our society has the chance for independent further development and is not only dependent on external impulses.

A prominent example, namely to eliminate the rigidity between banks, insurance companies and industrial companies, was associated with the term “Deutschland AG” in the 1990s. Ultimately, it was probably external factors that brought a little movement into play.

Other such structures that still exist today, are at least backwards, but in any case very expensive for us citizens, include pharmacies, the "cultural scene" and the book trade.

All these deadlocked and for parts of our society very lucrative "connections" can probably only be broken up from outside our community and modernized for the benefit of all.

Today's blog post is about one of those incrustations, the one that has settled around our books. I describe my experiences that I have had since the completion of my first book in 2019.

The corresponding German narrative is that Amazon, among other things, is destroying the book trade.

I claim the opposite, namely that Amazon is currently making sure that there is still something like an independent book trade in Germany and also that we continue to have the opportunity to get to know as many books as possible and also to buy them — I want from reading not speak here.

publishers

At the latest when you have finished your first book, the question of a publisher arises. At least it is often rumored that as an author you need something like a publisher.

That's why, even when I was writing my book, I kept thinking about which publisher I would like to have for my book. Other authors have also repeatedly assured me how important it is not only to have a publisher, but also one with the best reputation, if possible.

I was amazed from the start that some very well-known specialist authors distribute their books as PDFs in the specialist world, appear as self-publishers or publish their books straight away on Amazon.

For my first book, however, I had something bigger in mind and believed that Europa-Verlag, which was associated with our European movement when it was founded, would be exactly the right publisher. And so it happened that I offered my book to this publisher.

Until I finally published my book myself, I had the opportunity to get to know three types of publishing.

The non-professionals

Since there are countless new authors every year, and myriads of them reaching out to a publisher with hope, it's very common for them to turn to publishers who don't even get a response from them — no matter how hard they try.

I claim this is the vast majority of German publishers and shows very well how oversaturated our publishing industry is.

Even as honorary club chairman, I respond to inquiries — even if the sender is highly suspicious to me. It has something to do with decency and professionalism.

Obviously, these publishers no longer need to respond to inquiries themselves. I strongly suspect that these publishers live in the system without much effort and are simply kept alive by it.

The professionals

When nothing came of my “desired publisher”, I did some more research and found out that every publisher has its own preferences and, depending on the subject or type of book, you should offer your works to the appropriate publisher.

Some professional authors let me know through the flower that these publishers actively choose their authors, but that didn't stop me from taking the initiative myself.

In fact, some of these publishers are so professional that they know before they even read the manuscript that it doesn't meet their own standards of quality. Even I tip my hat to so much professionalism and I'm glad that I got at least one rejection notice. In any case, these publishers also know what good form and decency is.

The very active ones

I assume that this is a small minority. These publishers probably think every manuscript is good - including mine - and still see a small improvement here and there. But then they usually want up to 20 euros in advance from the author for the beginning of a “successful” collaboration in order to be able to ensure joint success. My very personal recommendation: you can do it, but you don't have to.

The Bookstore

Almost all of us have been to a bookstore at some point and many of us may even have bought a book there. Because bookstores were at least once a wonderful, fascinating and limitless world - also here in Germany.

I've already written blog posts about this from a customer's perspective (e.g. "bookstores"Or"book purchase") written. In the meantime, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to distinguish between a drugstore and a bookstore.

What feels increasingly disturbing from the customer's point of view is already taking on Kafkaesque traits from the author's point of view. And again no, it's not Amazon that's destroying our bookstores!

First and foremost, a bookshop needs a good bookseller — the emphasis here is on the book — and immediately afterwards a group of buyers who not only appreciate good books, but also appreciate the ambience and expertise of a bookshop.

If you now also take into account the normal radius of movement of us humans and know who buys good books, you have to assume that only university towns with more than 500 inhabitants will be able to afford an independent bookshop. In all other cities, discounters — some even with a bit of bookstore flair — are taking over the market. The rest is covered by antique shops, catering to the usual bargain hunters and the occasional book lover, as well as tourists in larger cities who need to kill time.

But back to the author who wants to sell his book. This is more than regulated in Germany. The buyer should be aware of the fixed book prices. But you will probably only notice everything else if you want to sell your own books.

buchhandel.de

Everything starts well for the first time. You buy an ISBN number for your book. Then you are made aware that you not only have to deposit your book in the German National Library and should deposit it in the respective state library, but that it would be good if you also register your book at buchhandel.de for a fee and this "subscription" every year renewed for a fee.

Until then, everything is going very well, and people are also happy when their own work can be seen in the corresponding database can be seen.

Wholesalers

What you probably don't know is that there are about three wholesalers in Germany who dominate the book trade because they store the books centrally and supply the bookshops from there.

They not only determine what books are available in most bookstores, but also which books can be found in the online search of the respective bookstores.

And anyone who thinks they are using the database mentioned above is very wrong. The wholesalers have their own databases and thus already regulate what books can be found at all.

And as is usual in drugstores and other markets, they probably also regulate which books are available where in the bookstores.

If one wants to know if the local bookseller relies on such a wholesaler, all one has to do is look in the "online search" for specific books, the absence of which is a good indication of one of the wholesalers.

These booksellers then, if at all, take books from e.g. B. Self-publishers are very reluctant to ask for commission in their bookstore. And they will probably also be very limited in the further development of their own bookstore.

And if you, as a freelance author, are more likely to try to get to these bookstores straight away via a wholesaler, then good luck - at least I got rebuffed one after the other.

These wholesaler-based bookstores seem to me more and more like the many "Knack & Back branches" that only have to warm up and distribute rolls.

book chains

These are well known and every book buyer will also have their own specific preferences.

As a book seller, I have in turn experienced three types of book chains. The first kind automatically had my book in the online range — employees obviously put a lot of effort into that.

With the second type, a phone call and the clarification of the question of how much percentage I can give, and my book also ended up in the corresponding online range - I can live with that very well.

The third kind, however, behaves very much like the wholesalers and will probably be more like that — you will probably never find my books there.

But anyone who now believes that if they can be found in the online range of the corresponding book chain, they also have a chance of at least being able to deposit their book in a corresponding store in this chain, has reckoned without the innkeeper.

When I tried to deposit my book in a book chain store in Heilbronn, I failed within less than two minutes because of the “managing director”, who was far too good for small stuff and small margins — although I still wonder today how how much money can be made from the sale of postcards?

bookseller

They still exist, but, as mentioned at the beginning, they have it pretty hard and, with very few exceptions, have to howl with the wolves to be able to survive.

Your online offer also corresponds to the database of buchhandel.de. This makes it very easy to view all the books that have been registered there by publishers and self-publishers and to order them from the bookseller.

In my case, these booksellers email me and the customer receives the book in five days at most. Admittedly, there are always booksellers who don't have my book in their online range, but who go to the trouble of looking for my book for their customers.

But very few booksellers are willing to take my book in their window. But what I can now fully understand, because leaving books lying around doesn't make any money.

So I'm always very happy when this is the case — mostly in smaller bookstores — and even more so when I get feedback that my book is actually selling.

In the process, I was able to learn what a remission is, since my book has apparently been a slow seller. That's why I now have one of my own Booksellers Returns Policy.

direct sale

Even if I would prefer it if a reader found my books in a bookshop, maybe even saw them in the window there, or if the bookseller even recommended my book, I have to live with the fact that this is the German book system does not provide.

The good thing about it is that I don't have to give a percentage to a wholesaler or a bookseller if I sell my book directly to the reader. What's even better is that my readers can't price me down because, as a seller, I'm subject to fixed book prices.

Amazon

After failing to find a publisher, I initially published my book - like a few authors I know well - simply as an HTML document (some use PDF), only to be asked why I didn't, like others I knew Authors before, also use Amazon?

And so it happened that I became a self-publisher and learned a lot in a short time.

The good thing about Amazon is not only that they print my books for me, but also sell these books for me.

This opened up three sales channels for me and I think that so far — at least for the first 15 months — things have gone really well for me.

So I can only draw the conclusion that it would probably be better for the German book trade as a whole if there were more deregulation. In any case, the bookshops would gain more individuality and thus perhaps also completely new groups of buyers.

"Do you ever read any of the books you burn?” 

Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 (2008: 8)

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