It focuses on the exchange of information and the development of a professional network. Visits to well-known publishing companies in Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg and Munich provide the Frankfurt Fellows with insight into the world of German publishing.

Applications for one of the 16 places on the Frankfurt Fellowship Programme 2009 can be submitted from 1 March to 30 April 2009.

Frankfurt Fellowship Programme

Interview with Frankfurt Fellows 2008: Deepthi Talwar (India) and Clara Capitão (Portugal)

Frankfurt Book Fair: You took part in the Frankfurt Fellowship Programme 2008. What did you expect from the Programme and did it meet your expectations?

Clara Capitão: I had great expectations about the Frankfurt Fellowship Programme from what I’d heard from former participants, but my expectations were largely surpassed, clichéd as this may sound. It was a very rewarding experience at many levels: professionally, culturally, socially and personally. We had the opportunity to experience an excellent selection of publishing houses in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin. It gave me a deeper sense of how the extremely professional German industry works besides allowing me the opportunity to have a glimpse of Germany’s vibrant cultural and literary scene. Needless to say that thanks to a wonderful group of Fellows, my expectations of connecting and bonding with all the Fellows was also largely surpassed.

Deepthi Talwar: The range of German publishing houses we were taken to - from international to independent niche - helped very much in understanding how each publisher finds a way to promote their books, to negotiate rights, to deal with industry issues.

What was the most important experience for you during the programme?

Clara Capitão: In my view nothing can rival the strong connection we Fellows developed during those two weeks and that will endure for a long time. It is a rare privilege to spend two weeks with so many inspiring people from such diverse backgrounds, who all share the same passion for books. After the Programme, a few of us (me included) have changed jobs and I think I can say that the Fellowship Programme was in a way a pivotal moment in our decision process, in that it inspired us to take risks and embrace new challenges.

Deepthi Talwar: Travelling to different parts of Germany enabled us to meet very different kinds of publishers and he question-and-answer sessions that followed each session with a publisher were also very enlightening. We could then take what we had just heard and try to relate it to our own personal experiences in the industry.

Competition is very intense in the international book industry. Did a sense of competition have a role to play among the Frankfurt Fellows as well?

Clara Capitão: Not at all! I believe I can speak for all the Fellows when I say that none of us felt anything close to a sense of competition. On the contrary, during the programme we kept exchanging suggestions and ideas and asking each other for advice, and we keep doing so. We felt that the more we shared with each other the more we would come away with after the Programme.

Deepthi Talwar: There was very much a sense that we were all there to learn and grow as publishers. Information was freely shared during the Fellowship, and - during the Fair - we informed each other of books we’d heard about that might interest that publishing house.

What will be the status of the Frankfurt Fellows in your network? Will you stay in touch?

Clara Capitão: We have been in constant contact since the programme ended. My Fellows are now some of my key advisers when I need suggestions or advice. We exchange e-mails regularly, we’ve created a group on Facebook and we frequently use the Frankfurt Community Forum - an excellent initiative, by the way - to post articles, news and exchange professional information. With all these fantastic tools in our hands I am confident that our relationship will endure and that the creative exchanges between us will continue.

Deepthi Talwar: The Frankfurt Fellows will be a very crucial part of my network - both professionally and personally. I hope to meet them every year, at least at the Frankfurt Book Fair.