Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi, I’m Swetlana. I currently live in Berlin, Germany. I’ve actually written a lot of books, for most of which I used a few pseudonyms – to test the process, so to say. Now I’m starting to publish under my own name. I have two books out, “Modern Sculptures: Art Ideas Book” and “Growing Earth Theory”. Both are “picture books”, in a way. I’m now working on my next book.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “Modern Sculptures: Art Ideas Book”. One morning I woke up thinking that I would like to have my own art exhibition.
I came up with the idea of a (cooling) fan blowing on a wig. I also wanted to make a whole gallery wall plastered with post-it notes. Before I even started thinking about what gallery to ask, I thought: Why don’t I keep it theoretical and make a book about art exhibition ideas? Since I’ve never heard of anything like that available on the market, it occurred to me that some people might be surprised by this kind of topic.
I still want to exhibit a few art ideas. You may steal the ones in the book as well.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I pre-write everything in my Notes app and switch back and forth between my computer and my iPad. This is not really unusual, perhaps.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
A lot. Let’s start with the bible. Throughout the last years I’ve been inspired by people such as Jonathan Safran Foer, Joan Didion, Murakami. I’ve read a lot of non-fiction. Since I studied philosophy, I’ve also enjoyed a lot of Nietzsche, Foucault, Derrida, Wittgenstein and so on.
What are you working on now?
I’m preparing a series of drawings for a book called “People with Tattoos”. This book was inspired by me seeing people with a whole sentence tattooed on their arm. You know, I mean statements such as “Life Is Short”, or “Only God Can Judge Me”. I find it funny that people would have such tattoos.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve been using a lot of social media (primarily Instagram) recently to promote my book.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Invest time to understand related disciplines: desktop publishing and graphic design. It’s nice not to depend on other people with this one. At least in my case, I like to be involved in every part of the process, even if it means that my book formatting is sometimes a little off.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Everything that Gary Vaynerchuk has ever said.
What are you reading now?
My old M.A. thesis. I might turn a part of it into a book – maybe next year.
What’s next for you as a writer?
More books. A profile on Goodreads.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The ones I own that I haven’t yet read. For example Henry Ford – My Life and Work.
Author Websites and Profiles
Swetlana Isstgeschichte Amazon Profile