Interview with science fiction author

The discussion took place on the occasion of the publication of Schuttwolf's latest work, Ion. Bert Neumeister led the discussion with specific questions that shed light on the interplay between literature and digital trends. Jo Schuttwolf (hereinafter referred to as JS), whose professional career includes stints as a creative and copywriter at renowned agencies such as Grey and Ogilvy in Düsseldorf, is now active in a variety of fields. In addition to his work as a film director and speaker, he is also a writer and freelance lecturer for media and communication sciences at various higher education institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia.

BN: Ion is your fifth title available in bookshops. Nevertheless, you are a relative newcomer to the German-language literary scene. How do you become known as a new author via analog and digital channels?

JS: It's certainly not that easy today. There are now a lot of self-publishers out there, some of whom also publish excellent books. Nevertheless, it was important to me to publish with a publishing house, because a publishing house has its own marketing contacts, which ensure that newcomers become better known. At the same time, as a relative newcomer today, you always have to be personally active in order to stand out among the many new releases that come onto the market every week. Through social media presence, of course, but also through articles in print magazines, newspapers and more and, last but not least, word of mouth should not be underestimated. Friends and acquaintances who read the book and are enthusiastic become valuable supporters by recommending it to others.

BN: What role does social media play in marketing your book? Are you also active on Instagram, TikTok and in online literature communities?

JS:    Of course, book marketing takes place on social networks. I myself am on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. However, I have found that this is effective for reach and awareness, but less so for generating sales. It is and remains a book bubble where many authors hang out, liking and celebrating each other, but hardly buying anything themselves. The readers and buyers are somewhere else, in real life. The key to success (defined by sales) remains a secret. There is not THE code for a bestseller. There are now too many books in all possible genres on the stage for that. It was different at the beginning of the big social media wave around 15 years ago. And it's the same here as with surfing: it all depends on the right time to catch the big wave. You often only recognize the right time when it's already too late.

BN:   Can you tell us something about bookfluencers, which are becoming increasingly important, especially for a younger target group like Generation Z?

JS:    Bookfluencers, book bloggers and so on are already important for authors and readers. They usually take on the role of journalists who used to write about new releases in magazines and newspapers. Bookfluencers are their own brand and some have a large fanbase. Therefore, an author should have good contacts with them or contact those bloggers who value the genre of their own book and feel at home there. Bookfluencers are often active on Instagram (for the younger target group such as GenZ) as well as on Facebook for the slightly older ones. Booktokers, the book community on TikTok, also play a major role in the scene.

BN:    Is it fair to say that modern authors need to create a brand in order to be successful in the long term?

JS:     I think you can answer that with a resounding yes. At a time when there are countless books, many of which follow genre trends, the question remains: how do I stand out as an author? What is my USP? The answer often lies in your own individuality. Staging your own personality as a brand is the logical consequence. It is then often no longer enough for an author to present the book, but to pass on personal backstage stories or completely normal everyday experiences. These create an emotional bond with the readership.

BN:   What do you think makes good marketing for books? What should marketers in this special field pay attention to when dealing with a cultural product?

JS:    It is certainly important to use and test a wide variety of tools in parallel. Nevertheless, you should be brave enough to try out new approaches. My top priority when it comes to marketing would be to find a good multiplier, someone who has a commercial interest in promoting your book. I don't mean paid advertising that you can place, as many people do that. No, I mean more unusual ways, something like crossover thinking. In the thriller anthology Anleger 511, which I wrote with two colleagues, the title of the book refers to a specific location that actually exists. It's a restaurant in Eltville am Rhein called Anleger 511, and all the stories in this collection end in this restaurant. The owner thought the idea of the same name was great and bought a whole edition from us to sell in his popular wine restaurant. That worked out good. The funny thing is that it wasn't a marketing plan from the outset, but the fun of playing with the name gave us three authors the idea at a meeting in this restaurant. So just give it a try.

BN:  How will digital marketing for literature and authors change in the future and will artificial intelligence perhaps play a role in this?

JS:   The aforementioned - let me just say - USPization is becoming increasingly important and yes ... the topic of AI. In general, AI will play an increasingly important role in all areas. Also in literary marketing and in literary production itself. And the two areas will probably merge even more. What does that mean? The fact is that literary content in many sectors is being tailored to the reading needs of the target group. In a historical romance novel, for example, there are certain elements that readers expect. It's the same with high fantasy. Also in terms of length. At least 500 pages per volume are expected in the high fantasy genre. So there are specific expectations everywhere when buying a book and an AI could collect all these insights, preferences, habits and facts much more effectively, evaluate them and provide them as a briefing for a new novel. And even write it itself. That sounds bad, of course, and the question is whether the author will now become superfluous. Well, I think we still have a little time until then, but AIs are already capable of writing not only advertising and factual texts, but also poems and stories. We all know ChatGPT by now. The results are often still not entirely satisfactory, too stereotyped, but they are getting better and better. AIs are learning. And we humans are also learning more and more how to feed the AIs with prompts so that they deliver new, truly intelligent, accurate and creative results - as if a human had thought them up. A human author using AIs for their own purposes is certainly still the big director in the background, but everything is developing rapidly at the moment. It's hard to predict what's still to come. Quite apart from all the copyright issues. Be that as it may, we will increasingly have to deal with this in literature too. That is certain.

BN:  What is Ion about?

JS:    Broadly speaking, it is about the self-discovery of a protagonist and how the world will change in 150 years. The topics of digitalization, cyborg technology and AI also play a role. It is a dystopian time travel story. Andy, who finds a diary from the future after an accident in a hospital in Sydney, sets out to find the author of this diary. The question of what is real or just fiction accompanies the reader, as does the question of what Andy himself has to do with all this. Ultimately, it is an exciting, adventurous journey of discovery. Films like Blade Runner inspired me to do this.

BN:   Thank you very much for the interview and good luck with your new book. (Ion by Jo Schuttwolf. Published as an e-book and paperback - 188 pages - by Telegonos Publishing 2024. Available from stationary and online retailers).