Interview - LiteraturCafé

Tischer: Welcome to the fourth episode of the Literaturcafé podcast on the Internet www.literaturcafé.de. My name is Wolfgang Tischer and today there’s no music in the background, because this episode focuses exclusively on an interview I’ve just conducted with Christian Heinke. So there will be more Theodor Storm next time, as well as the solution to our acoustic film snippet puzzle (what a word) All next time, today just the interview. Christian Heinke is the author of the thriller »Die Haut« (The Skin), which is not available to buy in bookshops, as Christian Heinke has not yet published a book. However, he uses the podcast format to draw attention to himself and his thriller »Die Haut« (The Skin). At regular intervals, the whole thing is available as an audio book and podcast on the Internet for free download. The whole thing has been very successful, and I had a chat with Christian about other things. Now we’ve switched to a different setup, so there might be a bit more noise and I’d now like to welcome Christian Heinke via Skype. Hello!

Heinke: Hello!

Tischer: Christian, without giving too much away, what is “Die Haut” about?

Heinke: »The Skin« is a podcast thriller that describes the adventures of former supermodel Katherine Williams, who loses 60 percent of the surface of her skin in a tragic accident. After undergoing a new procedure, she regains her former beauty as a model, but then gets drawn into a somewhat sinister story when a serial killer starts murdering her former catwalk colleagues one by one.

Tischer: The current count is two episodes and an intro, are there any additional episodes in the works?

Heinke: There are currently three episodes, a prologue and the first two parts of the first chapter and the series is set to run to around 60 parts, I’ve made a rough estimate. I’ve been positively surprised by the acceptance of the podcast on the net, as I’ve received several thousand downloads in just a few days and am naturally very pleased with its success.

Tischer: 60 parts is a lot. Are the episodes released monthly or every two months? Is the text complete or still being worked on? Will it be a podcast with music?

Heinke: I might touch upon the background. “Die Haut” is the third novel manuscript I’m currently writing. The second one is just about to be finished, and I had already started the third manuscript on a whim. Then I had the idea to expand the possibilities of offering the manuscript. I started reading the manuscript for my personal use in order to check by listening to it, by analyzing the melody of the language, whether it would meet my literary standards, which of course might not be that high. On another whim, when I heard about podcasts, I put it online and now I absolutely intend to continue with it. I’ve now reached the end of the prepared text, so it really is a work in progress. Since I write the episodes and design the individual episodes and, above all, add music and sounds, this requires a certain amount of work. As this is not my sole activity, it takes a certain amount of time.

Tischer: It’s a very elaborate production when you listen to it. The author reads the audio book, which also features voice effects, sounds, and music. How long does the realization take and where does this, yes I would say, professionalism of the staged soundtrack come from?

Heinke: To the first question. I am also delighted at how easy the production is. At the moment we’re talking in my kitchen and that’s where my workplace is and where I have my microphone and mixing desk. All ancient equipment. I write, correct, and record the text in one take. So, of course, we also cut out noise, slips of the tongue, and other errors, so that I speak fluently and you can tell that when I speak freely in an interview. As far as the second point is concerned: I actually come more from film, i.e. I made a short film for my media studies degree and learned editing techniques through it. All the audio technology that is still available to me. I cut it with a film editing program and now only use the soundtrack.

Tischer: About your writing itself. I looked around a bit on the homepage, which is also very well done, and read that you haven’t published a book yet.

Heinke: That’s right, I have to count myself among the large group of unpublished authors. And that means that you’re only ever one step away from social failure, which is something I’m experiencing first-hand. That’s why the podcast and my intricately designed website are a way of enticing potential readers to read my stories and then listen to the podcast.

Tischer: Even though you say it’s not a literary style, it’s a gripping thriller style, which is also very enjoyable as an audio book and podcast. Have there been, or are there in fact, more promising contacts in this direction through the podcast? Did people perhaps realize it this way?

Heinke: That was the spark for me to amplify my internet presence. My website has been around in this form since November 2004, which was also the time when I finished my first manuscript. I then posted in various literary forums and hoped for feedback. And a small publishing house in Switzerland responded immediately and one evening my phone rang and a friendly Swiss lady from this publishing house got in touch and requested the manuscript. That was my first introduction. At the moment, the requests are similar. I’ve received a few concrete offers through the podcast, but I have to check them out first. The problem is that this story is still a work in progress, so of course I can’t offer a complete manuscript yet. But I have to say that interest is rather high.

Tischer: That’s very pleasing and also on iTunes. It was among the top podcasts there, ranking as the fourth or fifth most listened to. How do you explain this success?

Heinke: Well, I would be modest enough to say that it is certainly not due to the high literary quality, but precisely because I have come up with a relatively lurid entertainment story that is a certain crowd puller. So first, the choice of this genre, the thriller, and also the choice of a straightforward literary style, which I deeply appreciate and also try to implement. There are enough role models in the thriller genre. The author himself narrates, enhanced by modern technology like background music and sound effects. I think this combination is what makes it so interesting. Of course, I hadn’t expected the reaction to be so great and that I would suddenly find myself in such hallowed heights together with the esteemed Annik Rubens, for example.

Tischer: Thank you very much for the interview and I wish you every success with »Die Haut« (The Skin). And who knows, maybe you’ll publish the whole thing as a book or perhaps as a commercial audio book. I wish you all the best and thank you very much for the interview.

Heinke: Thank you very much.