From Hosanna! to Crucify him! – that was the range of reactions, caused by Emil Conrad’s debut as a writer – Things We Never Learnt At School. The book turned into the flying start of the video blogger, mostly famous among teenagers till recently.

How come he attracted such public attention? It was a precedent for Bulgaria’s book publishing above all – we had never witnessed such long queues for a book and the author’s signature. Several hundred teenagers in front of a major bookstore downtown Sofia, where the premiere of the book took place, waiting for autographs did make an impression. Moreover, latest sociological data says that 60 percent of 6^th-graders read only if they must, while 30 percent consider it a waste of time. The first book of Emil Conrad was released with the impressive number of nearly 26,000 copies, 6,000 of which were looted in the quickest manner yet before the official release. Besides that the book entered Top 5 in Bulgaria, outrunning even hit authors like Paolo Coelho, Jorge Bucay, Elif Şafak and Dan Brown.

Who is Emil Conrad? He is aged 25, a graduate majoring in the prestigious International Relations. Obviously he has opted for something that amuses him and brings revenues at the same time – and it is not diplomacy. He has been a blogger, or a video blogger for several years, i.e. he creates short videos with stories told in an attractive manner, inspired by his own life or that of his friends. Emil plays different characters for the purpose, he directs and shoots the videos on his own as well. The young fellow has more than 100 videos now, broadcast via social networks and video sharing channels – YouTube and Vbox7. Emil has obviously succeeded in tackling issues, thrilling to teenagers, since his videos have caused hysteria and he himself has turned into an idol to youngsters. His YouTube videos have registered some 10 million views over the past three years. The number of his followers in Facebook is impressive as well – more than 213,000. Emil’s videos enjoy lots of comments as well, most of them needing censorship, though. Any psychologist, therapist or so may find there the golden mine, as far as the taste and views of today’s young generation are concerned.

How did Emil Conrad go from the digital into the real world? After his online success the young man decided to opt for his luck in real life by publishing the book, named Things We Never Learnt At School. One thing is for sure – his online reputation did give him an advantage to any other debut writer. An unknown novelist would definitely find it harder to discover a publishing house, willing to get involved and with such a number of copies. Emil Conrad tells 12 stories, dedicated to subjects like the never ending race, lies, fear, drugs etc. Just like in his videos, he provokes his readers to be active. For the purpose Chapter 13, the last one has been left to them. Everyone might finish the book and send the text, as the best one will be included in the next edition. Being a young man, Emil loves the possibilities of new technologies. That is why four of the book’s illustrations contain QR codes, transferring to specially created videos. The reactions after the premiere were controversial. The book has been compared to an essay at the high school level or a short compilation of pieces of advice and Emil’s success has been referred to as a nine days’ wonder. There were supporters too, writer Kalin Terziiski being one of them. In his opinion losers criticized due to hatred. May be the truth is out there, somewhere in the middle. Emil Conrad may definitely find it best to follow a piece of his own advice, written down in the book: Don’t take yourself too seriously!

English version: Zhivko Stanchev