Kurt Wolff Foundation

The Kurt Wolff Foundation (KWS), registered as a non-profit-making association, was set up in November 2000, and has been officially based in the Haus des Buches in Leipzig since 2002. Kurt Wolff (1887-1963), after whom the Foundation is named, was the most important publisher during the period of expressionism. He was also a publisher of Franz Kafka, whose books were initially unsaleable and whose universal fame did not become apparent until long after Kurt Wolff's first publishing commitment. It is a similar situation nowadays for many small independent publishing houses in Germany: they discover and promote young talent, the most promising of whom are then bought by the big publishing houses; they pioneer the translation of unknown literary works and develop locally grown or sub-cultural literary programmes. The existence of independent publishing houses is often based on the forgoing of profit and on self-exploitation. Nevertheless a diverse independent publishing scene has developed on the German literary landscape for 30 years or so, leaving its considerable mark on the literary and cultural life in Germany. Because of quickened processes of concentration in the world of publishing, in the book trade and the media, however, the very existence of many of these independent publishing houses is threatened. The one single feature still noticeably present is books that are immediately profitable in financial terms – for the publisher, sales and distribution, the low-budget bookseller, the online provider and the book trade. The Kurt Wolff Foundation seeks to counter this development. It sees itself as the lobby for independent German publishing houses. The Kurt Wolff Prize, already awarded six times by the KWS for the publishing of a complete set of works, has been won by the following publishing houses: the Merve Verlag from Berlin (in 2001), the MaroVerlag, Augsburg (in 2002), the Verlag Neue Kritik, Frankfurt a. M. (in 2003), the Edition Nautilus, Hamburg (in 2004), the Weidle Verlag, Bonn (in 2005) and the Friedenauer Presse, Berlin (in 2006).

Questions put to Manfred Metzner of the KWS in Leipzig.

What is your position at the Kurt Wolff Foundation?

I am Chairman of the KWS and also even managing partner of Das Wunderhorn, the independent publishing house which I set up in1978.

What is an independent publishing house?

As we at the KWS see it, they are publishing houses that are not group publishing houses. The criteria regarded as important for our Foundation are as follows. 1. The publishing houses should have a literary/essayistic programme and attach importance to a good book design. 2. They need to have a professional structure in their publishing work, for example, with regard to the channels of distribution.

What does that mean in financial terms? How large are independent publishing houses?

The KWS's target group is publishing houses with an annual turnover of up to 5 million euro, but in the independent scene it is, in fact, not unusual to have a turnover of less than 100 000 euro. Publishing houses with a turnover in excess of 5 million euro are no longer in need of our work.

Why can't the independent publishing houses carry on just like before? What has fundamentally changed?

Over the last ten years there has been a great structural change within the world of publishing and the book trade. It hits you in the eye if you are someone who spends any length of time in bookshops. There used to be many independent bookshops with a range of up to 30 000, even 50 000 titles in the shop or in stock. Nowadays fewer and fewer bookshops of this type still exist; they have been replaced by increasingly larger sales chains with more and more selling space. But the larger the bookshops become, the less they represent the diversity of what is on offer in terms of literature. Now hardly anything else in these chains is worth stocking except fast-selling items and staple goods. You can barely find the programmes of any independent publishing houses there. At the same time the bookshops can equally make money with these programmes.

Who first had the idea of a foundation to promote an independent publishing house and literary scene?

The Foundation was set up at the end of 2000 by the then Minister of State for Cultural Affairs, Michael Naumann, the German Book Trade Association and independent publishers.

Was there nothing of the sort in Germany?

In Germany the Film Funding Act (FFG) exists to promote the film industry, but there is no equivalent for literature. There is a glaring disparity regarding the way in which the individual areas of culture are rated.

Even independent publishing houses are companies, in other words, competitors. How can a foundation represent the interests of those in competition with each other?

Well, we do not promote the publisher's work, there are no direct donations. We carry out PR work for the books from independent publishing houses; we draw attention to dangerous changes in the book market and in public opinion for the publishing houses and highlight the great publishing achievements of these publishing houses. It is not without reason that these publishing houses are often described as 'truffle pigs' or 'treasure-hunters'.

Do the independent publishing houses encroach less on each other's territory because they all have very special programmes and authors, thus avoiding direct competition?

Of course they all compete amongst themselves. But each of these publishing houses have, in the course of their existence, developed their own image by way of very distinct programmes. This is how they are also perceived in the public eye. At our annual publishers' meetings in Leipzig and Frankfurt, there is a sense of considerate and friendly co-operation among us since we all have to stand our ground against the marked changes in the market and so we are all in the same boat. By acting as a joint front we are able to achieve more.

Which services offered by the KWS can independent publishing houses take advantage of?

None. We inform and we provide information. Just to give you an example, up until two years ago there was no detailed information on translation programmes. We have collected all the information – that is to say, which German federal state funds translations, what are the conditions, where must they be applied for, etc. – and everyone can get this on our web site. We also act directly, such as in the case of the Frankfurt Book Fair stand rents. The Fair wished to raise the rents considerably, which would have meant the end of many publishing houses being represented in Frankfurt. There was a quick reaction from us. We consulted the German Book Trade Association, mobilized the press and held talks with the Fair. The result being that there were no increases in stand rents on the scale originally planned. Otherwise we hold regular talks with Frankfurt and Leipzig about how the independent publishing houses' appearances at trade fairs might be further improved. For the first time we organized a campaign on the Thursday of the 2005 Frankfurt Book Fair, staged in hall 4.1 together with the publishing houses in aisle F/G. It was entitled "Wir tanzen aus der Reihe" (i.e. "We step out of line") and immediately proved to be a great success.

How does your PR work function?

I would like to give you a current example. This year we are issuing the first catalogue including books from independent publishing houses which will be published to coincide with the Frankfurt Book Fair. For financial reasons we were able to admit only 40 publishing houses, each one giving a two-page presentation of itself by means of its history and its programme. The catalogue will appear in a print run of 20 000 copies and is being produced in collaboration with the Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts.

What do you do in terms of international collaboration?

Right now we are working on a project jointly with the Frankfurt Book Fair's International Department and Goethe Institut, the aim of which is to facilitate the participation and presentation of independent publishing houses at trade fairs abroad so that they come into contact there with the respective independent publishing house scene.

How is the Foundation financed? Thankfully we receive 31 000 euro every year from the Minister of State for Cultural Affairs budget for the awarding of the Kurt Wolff Prizes. We have been promised extra funds of 28 000 euro for PR work for 2005 and the same for 2006. We have to rely on donations which – due to our being a non-profit-making association – can be claimed for by our donators for tax-reducing purposes. As yet we have not received all that much revenue from donations, unfortunately. In this respect the field of literature does not have it easy, in contrast to cinema, music and theatre.

What is the Kurt Wolff Prize and who can be nominated?

The Kurt Wolff Prize is a concrete move to support independent publishing houses, and besides that there is also the promotion prize worth 5 000 euro. The Kurt Wolff Prize, worth 25 000 euro, is one of the most highly endowed literary awards in Germany. Internal applications are not possible. We have a board of trustees consisting of experts from the publishing scene; each member of the board of trustees and the members of the executive board have the right to nominate, but the board of trustees stands alone in deciding the prize-winners.

What opportunities do you envisage for effective activities in the future?

It is not always that easy to keep the show running. You see, all the activities are carried out on a voluntary basis, which costs a great deal of time and energy. But it's worth the effort because the Foundation is in rather a good position and perceived in an extremely positive light by the public. We will develop other interesting projects and fight both for cultural diversity and for books as a cultural asset.