“People respect each other in the Cologne art scene”

In 2009, you started your own art-book publishing firm, Strzelecki Books. How did that come about?

I moved to Cologne in 1996 after studying sociology in the south of Germany. In Cologne, I worked as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer for large publishing houses. I was earning quite a good income and gradually built a strong network. Over time, I developed this idea that I’d like to publish books myself one day. In 2007, I started doing the graphic design for a series of books for Museum Ludwig. My contacts there told me they were still looking for a publisher for the books. That was the nudge in the right direction that I needed. Two days later, I took myself off to register my publishing firm, which then actually published the books. At the time, I felt scared but somehow I knew I had to go for it.

What does a move like that take apart from a great deal of courage?

I think you have to really love the genre. Now my day-to-day work involves a medium that really ignites a passion in me. I just get a lot out of the different textures, finishes, papers and, above all of course, all the different people I deal with. People and the things born of their creativity simply never cease to fascinate me.

How do you choose what you’re going to publish?

There are various factors. Lots of people approach us with a project and we look to see whether it’s suitable. But I’m also very active myself, I keep close track of what’s happening on social media. If I notice something I think is special or exciting, I usually get in touch pretty quickly. Sometimes I meet someone who’s doing something exciting when I’m at an exhibition. And sometimes it just happens by chance.

How important are economic factors when you’re considering whether to publish something?

Obviously, they do play a role. Nowadays, I don’t have a problem saying that. For many years, I was very inexperienced and didn’t know how the book market actually worked. Today, I’m a lot more realistic. We give a great deal of thought to the cost and effort involved in production and how much we can expect to sell in the following few years. If it’s a product we’ve initiated ourselves, we develop strategies in advance to enhance visibility. We use social media for that quite a bit, often in the form of video clips. We don’t have the budget for conventional advertising.

Do you earn a profit from the book sales?

Not really. A large number of our publications are financed through numerous grants. And we also sell a range of non-book products like bags, T-shirts and calendars. The readings and other events we hold generate a little money too. The publishing firm has been running for 15 years and I’m proud of that. But it’ll certainly never make me rich.

Why did you set up your publishing company in Cologne?

Primarily because I live here. But also because Cologne has a very exciting, multifaceted art scene. At the beginning of the noughties, lots of people went to Berlin because – apparently – everything’s much cooler there. A lot of things were changing in Cologne at that time. The Kunsthalle gallery had gone and it felt like the city was all about commercial television. That was a turn-off for a lot of young artists and they decided to move to Berlin instead. But that in turn freed up space for new creative potential. I thought it was a good moment for a publishing firm that would promote that new potential.

What makes the Cologne art scene special?

In Berlin, everything’s a bit hipper but there’s more anonymity. Cologne is smaller but there’s more connectivity. There’s a very good sense of community in the cultural scene here. No one thinks they’re better than anyone else. People tend not to see alternative spaces as separate from galleries and museums. Established galleries still treat someone who exhibits in a local art space as an equal.

One of your publications is a series of “how to…” books with tongue-in-cheek advice on things like becoming an unsuccessful musician, whiling away one’s time in cafés and making art books (as explained by your good self). What can people learn from your book?

Oh yes, I can definitely recommend that one (laughs). Actually, the idea came to me when I was feeling frustrated by client questions. In it, I explain various print production terms – which people probably don’t know or need. But the main theme is just what it takes to make a good book: lots of talking at the start, asking if you don’t understand something and thinking about how much you can pay and how much it’s going to cost. We run “HOW TO… MAKE ART Books” workshops at our studio, as well as at Cologne Academy of Media Arts and, just recently, at Dresden University of Fine Arts. I often tell students they should think hard about where they actually are in the process and whether it’s possible to make a book out of what they’ve got. Sometimes, a postcard is enough to get started instead.

Have you got a favourite among the artists you’ve published so far?

Julius Vapiano, without a doubt. I had a look at a new manuscript of his just this morning and it made me want to laugh and cry all at the same time. It was so beautiful I ended up with a lump in my throat.