Stephan Joß from dtv: Publishing Books That Last

Mr. Joß, many people have a “book of a lifetime” that has made a deep impression on them. Do you too?

Stephan Joß: Without question: “Homo Faber” by Max Frisch. I must have read the book ten times as a teenager. The story of Walter Faber, who falls in love with a young woman without knowing that she is his daughter and then dies of stomach cancer, was extremely captivating for me because of the dramatic twists and turns; I was also fascinated by Frisch's unique writing style.

From investment bank to book publisher

Besides your passion for reading, what led you into the publishing business? Outline your career path for us.

Joß: After studying economics and law and working at the Chair of Finance and Monetary Policy at the University of Freiburg, I moved to an investment bank. After four years, I was promoted to managing director there, but the workload was so enormous that I suffered a burnout. I then set up my own business as a restructuring consultant, but this work also pushed me to my limits. Fortunately, a former client remembered me when he was looking for a managing director for his medical publishing company. It was immediately clear to me that I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. So in 1992, I took over the management of the Urban & Schwarzenberg specialist publishing house. Six years later, I moved to the management of Hanser Verlag, which was to remain my professional home for 21 years. Unfortunately, I had to retire from management in 2019 for health reasons. Then, in March 2020, coronavirus hit – and dtv, where I had been on the advisory board for 20 years, immediately needed a managing director. I was asked to temporarily manage the publishing house – and now I've been here for almost five years. Fortunately, I'm in good health again.

What are your tasks as Commercial Managing Director at dtv?

Joß: According to the organizational chart, I am responsible for production, marketing, sales, accounting, HR and IT – Barbara Laugwitz, the publishing director, is responsible for all editing, press and the contracts and licensing department. In practice, however, we work together as a team with overall responsibility. For example, I take part in cover and program rounds, while Barbara Laugwitz is heavily involved in marketing and sales. All titles are purchased jointly. I really appreciate this close, cross-departmental collaboration.

Which activity do you particularly enjoy?

Joß: I love reading new manuscripts. This allows me to satisfy my curiosity about a wide variety of material and contribute my feedback to a possible acquisition.

What are currently the biggest challenges for dtv and the publishing industry?

Joß: The increasing concentration in retail has worsened the situation for smaller bookstores and is strengthening the position of the large book retailers in relation to the publishers. Thalia is our most important customer, Amazon also plays a significant role, although digital algorithms are making our cooperation increasingly difficult. Despite these powerful players, we still generate a considerable 30 percent of our total sales in small and medium-sized bookstores. Another challenge is dealing with artificial intelligence, both internally and with our external partners, authors and translators.

Can your editors tell whether an author has used AI?

Joß: They are still very good at recognizing whether and to what extent texts or illustrations have been generated with AI.

Audio and text: AI developments are “worrying”

Will AI soon be able to write novels that rival the works of human authors?

Joß: I hope not, but the progress AI has made in the last two years is worrying from this point of view. A lot is also happening in the field of audio: to ensure accessibility, we are obliged to offer all book texts as audio versions – text to speech – and the way synthetic voices have developed recently is truly amazing.

In the demanding book market, it is crucial to position yourself clearly as a publisher. What makes dtv unique?

Joß: Many larger publishers rely on imprints, whereas we pursue an individual brand strategy. The dtv brand should speak for itself. With its history and its clear promise of quality, it carries the entire spectrum of our publications – from picture books to sophisticated non-fiction. For a few years, we also had imprints such as dtv junior, dtv premium and dtv bold, but we realized that this was the wrong approach because it complicates marketing and weakens the recognizability of the brand identity.

dtv is based in Munich. Does the publishing house benefit from an attractive local network?

Joß: The German author community is heavily concentrated in Berlin, which is why we have to be present there in terms of personnel. Nevertheless, we benefit from a well-connected environment in Munich with numerous industry experts and media professionals. Digitally oriented players with great appeal such as Amazon and Google are based in Munich, which is why we temporarily struggled to find and retain talent in the areas of online marketing and digital transformation. In the meantime, however, the tide has turned: Many young people have realized that global corporations do not guarantee excellent and stable working conditions.

Where do you look for new literary voices?

Joß: We discover authors in various ways. We work with scouts in large markets such as the USA, England and France, who regularly inform us about hotly traded manuscripts. In this way, we try to identify potential bestsellers early on and secure licenses. In the German market, we maintain close contacts with literary agents who offer us manuscripts and take recommendations from authors who have already signed contracts seriously. Our editors also attend open mic events and competitions such as the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize to find talented writers.

Haptic books are the most successful, e-books remain a niche

To what extent do external factors such as zeitgeist, thematic trends or crises play a role in the selection of book projects?

Joß: During the Ukraine war, many publishers, including us, published diaries from various places in Ukraine. After the drama in Israel on October 7, 2023, we published Philipp Peymann Engel's book about the threat to Jewish life in Germany. The non-fiction sector in particular reacts strongly to current events. In fiction, social developments play more of a role. For example, many novels about queerness are currently being published, but stories that do not resonate with the zeitgeist are also given a chance if they are convincing.

Despite its long presence on the market, the e-book has not yet established itself. Will that still change?

Joß: E-books currently have a market share of around six percent. Depending on the genre, we achieve between nine and 13 percent, with the greatest success in thrillers, young adult and women's entertainment. However, I doubt that the overall share will rise to over 15 percent in the long term. The historically evolved socialization with haptic books is here to stay. Paperback class sets of important works are still being bought in schools. The young target group, which is very keen to buy at the moment, also attaches great importance to the special presentation of printed books. I also don't see how new digital devices could improve the reading experience.

To conclude, summarize your publishing house's direction for the coming years in one sentence.

Joß: We make books that last.