In 2002, "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" (often shortened as "DSDS"), the German version of "Pop Idol" and "American Idol", was launched with Bohlen as one of the judges. While the other judges are changed regularly, he has been a judge each season. He has produced most of the winners, yielding several hits such as "We Have a Dream". That same year, he published his first book, an autobiography titled "Nichts als die Wahrheit", written in collaboration with "Bild" journalist Katja Kessler, which sold over a million copies in Germany and got a Goldene Feder. A second autobiography written with Kessler, "Hinter den Kulissen", was published the next year. It was criticised for its unfairness and charges were pressed by his former bandmate Thomas Anders. Frank Farian published the book "Stupid Dieser Bohlen: Die Wahrheit und nichts als die Wahrheit über den Pop-Hochstapler" as a response, in which he tried to expose Bohlen as a fraud. Both "Nichts als die Wahrheit" and "Hinter den Kulissen" were also released as audiobooks read by Bohlen. In 2004, he won the ECHO for Producer of the Year, while "We Have a Dream" earned the ECHO for Rock/Pop Single of the Year (National).