A session at LitBlog 2016 in Cologne, Germany
By Ingrid Süßmann
German publishers Bastei Lübbe, DuMont Buchverlag, DuMont Kalenderverlag, Egmont Lyx/Ink and Kiepenheuer & Witsch cooperated to organize the daylong LitBlog, tailored specifically to the book-blogging scene.While book bloggers may have been overlooked by the publishing business in the past, many established publishers in Germany now recognize their importance. In an interview with Buchreport, Laura Müller of DuMont Buchverlag attests to the growing influence of book bloggers, YouTubers and tweeters: “Through their authenticity, bloggers have a closer connection to readers because they are closer to the needs of everyday people than those writing for the culture sections of newspapers.”
LitBlog was set up to build and maintain relationships with this ever-growing group of influencers. In addition to conversations about books, the program provided insights into how publishing works behind the scenes.
The crowd of 150 mostly female, under-30, digitally savvy bloggers took part in workshops and Q&A sessions. There were also interviews with authors, translators, illustrators, and many people working in publishing, from marketing managers to rights sellers. Many bloggers took the opportunity to connect with fellow literary lovers on an “offline” level after knowing each other through the respective blogs for a long time.
Heiko Harthun from the blog Teekesselchen, a frequent visitor of conferences and blogger conventions, has been quoted by the Börsenblatt as saying, “Next to learning about the basics of book publishing, today we also learned about a few new projects I didn’t know about until but which I find fascinating…”
Although a second LitBlog Convention for next year has not been officially announced yet, many bloggers already showed interest for a repetition. We’ll keep you updated!
For further information about the digital activities of the German book scene for bloggers and digitally savvy readers, check out these articles:
- German Publishers Organize LitBlog Convention (March 2015)
- Herzenstage Virtual Romance Festival a Hit with YA Readers (July 2015)
- 2015’s Best Viral Marketing Campaigns in German Media (October 2015)
- Random House Germany Courts Romance Readers (April 2016)