The story of Daria Razumovych and Klaus Willbrand is one of an astonishing success on social media, which ultimately led to the rescue of his antiquarian bookstore near Cologne University. But it is also the story of a wonderful friendship that is a little reminiscent of the movie “Book Walker”: three years ago, the then 30-year-old went to the antique book market on Neumarkt and stopped at the 80-year-old’s stand and fell in love with one Edition of Marcel Proust’s “In Search of Lost Time” in a beautiful linen binding. The young editor started talking to the old bookseller, visited him in the shop more and more regularly and over time they became friends. Sometimes the antiquarian would say to her, even if she wasn’t early, “You’re the first customer today.”
At some point, Daria Razumovych quit her job at the art book publisher Taschen and made the plan to become self-employed as a freelance editor, social media and SEO expert. Klaus Willbrand’s situation worsened dramatically: “Sometimes not a single customer came for two days,” he remembers. So he accepted her suggestion, which he was initially skeptical about: “Let’s try social media.” It was clear to him: either that – or close it.
At the end of March this year, the social media expert quickly shot a clip of herself entering the store, in which the man with long white hair hanging down the sides of a bald head, wearing reading glasses and a black jacket, sits between floor-to-ceiling bookshelves the intermediate door stands. She uploads it, goes to sleep – and the next morning it has over 10,000 views.
And that’s just a harbinger of the huge success that the bookstore’s social media presence is set to achieve in the next six months. There are now clips on TikTok that have been viewed almost two million times and will soon have 50,000 followers. Around 140,000 people already follow him on Instagram – and most of them don’t even come from the Cologne area, but from Berlin or Hamburg.
“If someone had predicted this to me a year ago, I would have called them crazy,” says Klaus Willbrand, who still can hardly believe his success in the new media, which also leads to success in the old media and new customers . “I’m actually just adding my two cents about books. It can actually only be due to Ms. Razumovych’s professionalism – and the fact that we don’t focus on new or entertainment literature, but rather world literature.” Razumovych suspects: “Perhaps there is now a longing for depth and substance in social media.”
With her professional flair, she trusted the charm of the antiquarian bookshop right from the start: two small rooms, full of books from floor to ceiling, some of which are arranged in two rows on the wooden shelves: German and international literature, books on theater, philosophy, sociology, politics, etc Art, hardcovers, paperbacks, bargains and valuable first editions – all selected by the bookseller so that he can vouch for their quality. In the videos he always sits at the one table that is his place in the store, a place for advice, research, accounting and checkout.
If you meet the 83-year-old, who ran a publishing house in Berlin at a young age and later worked as deputy managing director for the Witsch bookstore, then you suspect that his friend (and now business partner), who is 50 years younger, also edits the videos skillfully. You only need to give him a short keyword and he begins to tell the story in a very interesting but also very detailed way, always giving himself new keywords that lead to other subject areas.
In the videos there is always only one topic that concerns literature in general or specifically. Personal information can also be shared: In October, Klaus Willbrand had to stay in the hospital for a longer period of time and offered to provide an interim status of his treatment and a historical overview of his illness, dropsy, for social media. 165,000 people wanted to see it on TikTok, and 16,000 hearts were sent to him on Instagram. Normally, literary topics ensure that he gains up to 3,000 followers every day. The antiquarian doesn’t shy away from answering actually impossible questions: Which three books do you absolutely have to read? “Marcel Proust’s ‘In Search of Lost Time’, James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ and Franz Kafka’s ‘The Trial’.”
Klaus Willbrand will soon be an author himself. The Fischer publishing house approached him with the desire for a book project – no matter the topic. “Just literature. An Invitation” will now be published in June 2025 and, with a foreword and final chapter by Daria Razumovych, tells, among other things, how the antiquarian was five-year-old in a hospital in his hometown in the war-torn Ruhr area with childhood asthma. “I had to turn the makeshift oxygen device on and off myself,” he remembers. At some point, his father brought him a reading guide with which he taught himself to read – and thereby gained access to the world in which he still enjoys spending time today.
* How can independent bookstores effectively leverage personal narratives and social media strategies to compete with large online retailers while retaining their unique charm and appeal?
Here are some open-ended questions for discussion, organized thematically, based on the article:
**Section 1: The Power of Social Media**
* How do you think Daria Razumovych’s social media expertise helped to make Klaus Willbrand’s bookstore successful?
* What specific techniques or strategies do you think she used to engage viewers and build a following?
* The article suggests people may be looking for “depth and substance” on social media. Do you agree? What are your thoughts on the role of social media in sharing intellectual pursuits?
**Section 2: The Appeal of Klaus Willbrand’s Bookstore**
* What makes Klaus Willbrand’s bookstore unique compared to other bookstores?
* How does his choice of literature, focusing on world literature and classic works, contribute to its appeal?
* The article mentions the bookstore’s “charm.” What elements might contribute to this charm? Do you think physical bookstores have a specific appeal in today’s digital age?
**Section 3: The Power of Storytelling and Personal Connection**
* How does Klaus Willbrand’s willingness to share personal stories, like his health challenges, connect with audiences online?
* What role do you think authenticity and vulnerability play in building a connection with viewers?
* The article describes Klaus Willbrand’s storytelling as detailed and captivating. What elements of his storytelling style might contribute to its effectiveness?
**Section 4: The Future of Literature and Bookselling**
* How might Klaus Willbrand leveraging social media influence the future of his bookstore and the bookselling industry?
* Do you think social media can help to make classic literature more accessible to a wider audience?
* What are your thoughts on Klaus Willbrand’s upcoming book? What do you think might be the appeal of a book about his life and experiences?
**Additional Discussion Points**
* The article mentions the geographical range of Klaus Willbrand’s followers. How might social media allow bookstores to reach customers beyond their immediate location?
* What are the ethical considerations of using personal stories for marketing and promotion?
* How can independent bookstores use social media to compete with large online retailers?
