Publishing

Articles on the subject of publishing. This is about book publishing, e-books, print-on-demand and practical experience from setting up your own publishing house.

From content to substance: how digital systems are created that cannot be copied

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System instead of individual content

When you move around in the digital space today, you very quickly get a certain impression: if you are visible, you are successful. If you have reach, you have influence. And if you produce a lot of content, you automatically build up something. This equation seems plausible at first glance - but it is deceptive. Because visibility is not ownership. Reach is not ownership. And content is by no means a foundation.

A post can be read thousands of times and yet practically disappear after a few days. A social media post can go viral - and at the same time have no lasting effect. Even well-placed content in search engines is not automatically stable. They depend on algorithms, platform rules and developments that you have no control over.

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Apple in transition: Early devices, personal experiences and an exhibition at the OCM

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Apple Macintosh Classic and Color Classic

If you are interested in computer history, a visit to the Oldenburg Computer Museum is particularly worthwhile. The museum is one of those places that doesn't have to be loud to make an impression and will be hosting a special exhibition from April under the motto „50 years of the Apple computer“. For many years, technology has not only been exhibited there, but kept alive. Devices are not behind glass, but often ready for use on tables - just as they were actually used in the past.

That's what makes the difference. You don't just see old computers, you get a feeling for what it was like to work, play and think with these machines. From early home computers to classic office computers and special one-offs, everything is represented - carefully collected, maintained and, above all, clearly arranged.

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From Commodore C16 to WordPress: A journey through the early years of the internet

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From modem to Internet and magazine

When you pick up a smartphone today, it contains more computing power than entire computer rooms used to. In the 1980s, things were completely different. Computers were rare, expensive and, for many people, a mysterious machine. Back then, if you had your own home computer, you belonged to a small group of tinkerers, inventors and curious people. The exciting thing was that you didn't just consume computers. You had to understand them. Many programs were not available to buy ready-made. Instead, computer magazines contained pages of listings with BASIC code that you had to type out line by line. Only then could you see whether the program worked at all.

That sounds tedious today, but it had one big advantage. You automatically learned how computers work. If you made a mistake, you immediately got an error message - and had to find out for yourself where the error was. In this way, many young computer fans developed a very natural approach to technology and programming.

It was at this time that I began my own journey into the world of computers.

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Digital ownership explained - How sustainable online assets are created

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What is digital property

For centuries, property was something very tangible. You could touch it, walk on it or hold it in your hand. A house, a piece of land, a workshop, books on a shelf or tools in a drawer - these were all things that could be clearly assigned. They belonged to someone, were visibly present and generally remained so even when political, economic or social circumstances changed.

This article explains what digital property is, what forms it takes and how digital property can be created, especially in today's AI age.

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The Affinity graphics suite becomes free: What professional users need to know now

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Affinity graphics suite free of charge

If, like me, you have been working with layout and typesetting programs for decades, you usually notice such changes more clearly than those who have only recently entered this world. I have seen many things come and go over the years: In the early nineties, I worked on the Atari ST with Calamus SL and later, under Windows, with CorelDraw! Later came QuarkXPress, then iCalamus, Adobe InDesign - and finally, a few years ago, Affinity Publisher. Since then, the Affinity suite has accompanied me through almost all my book projects. Over the years, it has been a reliable tool, pleasantly straightforward, clearly structured and free of the ballast that many large software houses have added to themselves over the years.

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How I wrote five books in two languages in four months

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Writing books with Affinity and BoD

...and why this is not a miracle, but the result of a clear strategy

For a long time, writing books was seen as something tedious - a lonely project that drags on for months or even years. But what if you let go of this image? What if you rethink writing - with a clear focus, well thought-out processes and targeted use of AI?

In my new book "Writing books 2.0 - a practical guide for authors in the age of AI" I describe exactly this path. A path that has enabled me to write five books in just four months, publish them in two languages - and not accept any loss of quality compared to traditional publishing.

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Writing books 2.0 - practical guide for authors in the age of AI

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Cover: Writing books 2.0 - a practical guide for authors in the age of AI

This book does not provide speculative visions of the future, but a well-founded, practical answer from the everyday life of an author who writes with AI himself - and deliberately focuses not on automation, but on autonomy. "Writing books 2.0" is aimed at anyone who is thinking about writing their own book - or is already in the process of doing so - and is wondering how modern tools such as ChatGPT, AI image generators or translation aids can be put to good use. The focus is not on "finished AI products", but on a holistic approach: AI as a tool, humans as authors.

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SEO: Why a blog is always an asset.

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Wordpress guide: How to set up a new blogI am often asked by entrepreneurs: "Do we need a blog?". People also often ask me: "Do I need a blog?". My answer is almost always: "Of course!" - I am happy to explain why I think so at this point. But first there is the banal question: What is a blog anyway and what functions does it perform? To a large extent, this question already contains the answer to the first question. This is because a blog usually performs several functions and is much more than just a platform on which articles can be written. From the perspective of an SEO (search engine optimizer), a blog is a valuable tool for making content available and bundling it from several channels. So what does a blog have to do with search engine optimization? I would like to explain this in more detail in this article.

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