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The Frankfurter Buchmesse’s Frankfurt Fellowship Programme is an intensive training and networking programme for publishers, editors, rights & licensing managers, and literary agents from all over the world.

The Frankfurt Fellowship Programme was launched in 1998 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Frankfurter Buchmesse, with the Zev Birger Fellowship (Jerusalem) serving as a model. The programme focuses on the exchange of information, professional dialogue, and the expansion of an international book industry network. Until now, almost 400 young publishers from more than 60 countries have participated in the Frankfurt Fellowship and created a long-lasting international network.

The Frankfurt Fellowship Programme includes visits to publishers, agencies and bookstores, market presentations, matchmaking events, and numerous networking opportunities in Frankfurt and Berlin as well as at the Frankfurter Buchmesse. The programme will take place from 6 - 20 October 2024. 

The requirements for participation include several years of work in the publishing industry, a good command of English, and three letters of recommendation from international business partners.

Subject to funding by the German Federal Foreign Office. 

 The call for applications for the 2024 Frankfurt Fellowship Programme starts at the beginning of March and ends on 30 April 2024. 

Application requirements

  • Several years of experience in publishing
  • Good knowledge of English
  • Three letters of recommendation from international business partners
  • Letter of recommendation by the candidate’s employer

Frankfurt Fellowship FAQ

Publishers, editors, rights and licence directors and managers, and literary agents from all over the world can apply for the Frankfurt Fellowship.

  • Several years of experience in publishing (at least three)
  • Good English language skills 

There is no official age limit for the Frankfurt Fellowship, but the programme is aimed at the younger generations of the publishing business. Most of the Frankfurt Fellows are between 30 and 40 years old when they participate in the programme.

  • The filled-out application form (online from February on)
  • Three letters of recommendation from international business partners
  • Recommendation by your company's management

The letters of recommendation should be written by international publishers, editors, rights managers and literary agents with whom the applicant has worked. Letters of recommendation from authors cannot be considered. The international letters of recommendation should not originate from the applicant's own country.

Frankfurter Buchmesse will cover costs for travel and accommdation within Germany, as well as some meals (2021 for the first time also with federal funding support). Participants will be required to meet the costs of travel to and from Germany, as well as some meals.

During the actual Buchmesse week, evening events are planned within the Fellowship programme on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Otherwise, participants are free to arrange their own business appointments from Monday to Sunday.

Apply now until 30 April 2024 for the Frankfurt Fellowship Programme!

The Frankfurt Fellowship 2024 is now open for application. For submissions, you need three letters of recommendation from international partners, one letter of recommendation from your own management and this form. Please enter your personal data here and upload your complete application documents as a pdf. Our FAQs on the Frankfurt Fellowship can also be found on this page. If you have any further questions, please contact Niki Théron: theron@buchmesse.de.

  • Current Personal details
  • Information about your company
  • Angaben zu Ihrer aktuellen Position im Verlag
  • Herausforderungen & Erfahrungen
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Personal details:

Our Frankfurt Fellows 2023

Nick Tapper

Giramondo Publishing, Associate Publisher

Giramondo Publishing, Associate Publisher

Giramondo is an Australian publisher of award-winning literary fiction, non-fiction and poetry, renowned for the quality of its writing and its work with writers from diverse backgrounds, including young writers, Indigenous writers, writers of migrant background, writers who cross genre boundaries, and writing in translation. Giramondo titles have won every major literary award in Australia. Giramondo is also the publisher of the acclaimed international literary magazine HEAT.

https://www.giramondopublishing.com/

Camila, Berto Tescarollo

Companhia das Letras, Executive editor

Companhia das Letras, Executive editor

Companhia das Letras was founded in 1986 by Luiz and Lilia Schwarcz with an original focus on literature and humanities. In addition to the homonymous imprint dedicated to literary fiction and narrative nonfiction, there are 15+ imprints specialized in several audiences and genres (classics, YA, children’s books etc.). Throughout its history, Companhia das Letras has published 5,000+ titles and 30+ Nobel Prize winners. Since 2018, Penguin Random House holds a 70% stake in the company.

https://www.companhiadasletras.com.br/

Antje Röttgers

Rowohlt Verlag, Nonfiction Editor

Rowohlt Verlag, Nonfiction Editor

Rowohlt Verlag, based in Hamburg, is one of Germany's largest trade publishers, with more than 300 new releases a year and a backlist of nearly 5,000 titles. Since its founding in 1908, the publisher's goal has remained the same: to make good, beautifully designed and sophisticated books accessible to a large reading public. Among its greatest successes: Daniel Kehlmann's "Die Vermessung der Welt," Wolfgang Herrndorf's "Tschick," Rutger Bregman's "Im Grunde gut" and Margarete Stokowski's "Untenrum frei." Rowohlt Verlag has been part of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group since 1982.

https://www.rowohlt.de/

Sophie Kucoyanis

Gallimard, Editor

Gallimard, Editor

Gallimard is known for publishing Marcel Proust, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus and many Nobel Prizes in Literature but we publish also children’s book, travel books or art books. Gallimard’s social science collections are central in the French nonfiction market, dealing with philosophy, history, sociology, anthropology, psychoanalysis, economy and all kind of essays, academic or not. Our authors aim to influence the intellectual debate in France and abroad.

https://www.gallimard.fr/

Ishita, Gupta

Yoda Press, Commissioning Editor

Yoda Press, Commissioning Editor

Founded in 2004 with an alternative vision, Yoda Press publishes subjects which are not a priority for most Indian publishers, despite having a critical presence in contemporary discourse. Yoda Press publishes on areas such as sexuality, popular culture, cities, urbanism, and new perspectives in history. Their Sexualities list has been the home for cutting-edge writing in alternative sexuality since 2005. In 2020, they began a joint imprint for their trade titles with Simon & Schuster India.

https://www.yodapress.co.in/

Talia Marcos

Modan Publishing House, Acquisitions Manager

Modan Publishing House, Acquisitions Manager

Keter and Modan, two of the biggest commercial publishing houses in Israel, both owned by The Modan Group, publish a variety of genres, including fiction (literary and commercial, translated and Israeli), nonfiction, children and YA and cookbooks.

https://www.modan.co.il/

Liza Candidi

Bollati Boringhieri, Editor

Bollati Boringhieri, Editor

Bollati Boringhieri was founded in 1957 focusing on scientific studies and humanities. Its catalogue has no equivalent in Italy. Classic scholars of philosophy, anthropology, and psychology (such as Freud and Jung) are to be found side by side with the great contemporary names in scientific knowledge. Since 1987 BB shaped its catalogue around the idea of cultural integration, beyond disciplinary boundaries. New editorial series developed, opening up to contemporary history, narrative, and literary essays.

https://www.bollatiboringhieri.it/

Saulina Kochanskaité

Baltos Lankos publishing, Editor in Chief

Baltos Lankos publishing, Editor in Chief

Baltos lankos was established in 1992 and since then has become one of the leading publishing houses in Lithuania. Baltos lankos publishes contemporary and classic fiction written by some of the most prominent foreign and Lithuanian authors, as well as engaging non-fiction, children’s, MG, and YA books. Baltos lankos releases over 120 titles per year and is proud to have published works by Annie Ernaux, Kazuo Ishiguro, Margaret Atwood, K. O. Knausgård, W. G. Sebald, Albert Camus, and James Joyce among others.

https://baltoslankos.lt

Kate, Stephenson

Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand, Senior Publisher

Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand, Senior Publisher

Moa Press is a dynamic new list, championing home-grown talents and voices with a meaningful connection to New Zealand as well as international stories. Based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Moa Press is a truly broad-ranging list, publishing everything from commercial to literary fiction, and quality non-fiction from memoir to natural history. We are proud to represent a diverse range of writers, showcasing a multitude of cultures and perspectives from within Aotearoa New Zealand. We are a local imprint, but keeping an international mindset is integral to our ethos, and we are excited to champion diverse voices around the world.
Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand is part of Hachette Book Group, one of the world’s leading trade publishers. With sister companies in Australia, the UK and the US, we are thrilled to work with some of the biggest names in the industry. We're also proud of our celebrated list of local authors and brands.

https://www.moabooks.co.nz/

Antonia Girmacea

Livia Stoia Literary Agency, Literary Agent

Livia Stoia Literary Agency, Literary Agent

Livia Stoia Literary Agency was established in 2003, firstly operating under the name of Sun Literary Agency and since 2008 under the current brand. Today, Livia Stoia Literary Agency operates in 21 territories from Central and East Europe, dealing on regular basis with more than 270 customers. Since 2018, after acquiring Ilustrata Agency, the agency has expanded, selling rights also in the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America.

https://www.liviastoiaagency.ro/

Neva Saravija

Čigoja Štampa, Editor in Chief

Čigoja Štampa, Editor in Chief

Čigoja štampa is a respected publishing and printing house in Serbia, with a portfolio of over a three thousand titles spanning various genres. The company is known for its prestigious magazine, Poetika, and its commitment to supporting female and young authors. Čigoja štampa has also made significant contributions to the translation and publication of titles from China, Spain, Portugal and Turkey. The company's partnerships and collaborations with various institutions have earned it numerous national awards and recognition.

https://cigoja.rs

Ferran Muñoz Jofre

Editorial Anagrama, Editor

Editorial Anagrama, Editor

Editorial Anagrama has published many of the most recognised and celebrated international authors since 1969. It is worth emphasizing a constant throughout these five decades: the search for new voices; the recovery of forgotten classics; the exploration around the most significant political, moral and cultural debates of our time. Focusing on Spanish and Latin American markets, Anagrama’s list takes on tradition in a critical and even insolent way and reveals the tensions of our time through language.

https://www.anagrama-ed.es/

Beyza Becerikli

Can Publishing, Chief of Rights and Acquisitions

Can Publishing, Chief of Rights and Acquisitions

Since its foundation in 1981 by Erdal Öz, author and leading Turkish literary figure, CAN Publishing has become the quintessential home of world literature in Turkey. With the launch of two imprints in 2018, Mundi and Tellekt, the company's publications have expanded from commercial fiction to picture books, and graphic novels to academic non-fiction. As the largest independent publisher in Turkey, CAN takes great care to build and maintain a backlist that defies the boundaries of time and geographical location.

https://www.canyayinlari.com/about-us

Madeline Jones

Algonquin Books/Hachette Book Group, Editor

Algonquin Books/Hachette Book Group, Editor

Founded in 1983, Algonquin Books is an imprint of Workman Publishing, now part of Hachette Book Group, that publishes a diverse range of titles across adult fiction and nonfiction categories, including Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's The Mountains Sing, Ross Gay’s The Book of Delights, Gabrielle Zevin’s The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, Bonnie Tsui's Why We Swim, Julia Alvarez's Afterlife, Jaquira Díaz's Ordinary Girls, and Peace Adzo Medie's Nightbloom.

https://www.algonquin.com

Stella Sabin

Peirene Press, Co-Director

Peirene Press, Co-Director

Peirene Press is an award-winning independent publisher of international literature. We bring great books from around the world to English-language readers. Founded in 2008, we’ve been a key player in the UK independent publishing scene for over a decade, publishing books from 25 countries, translated from 20 different languages. Traditionally a publisher of European novellas, we have been expanding our list to publish literary fiction of all forms from every hemisphere.

https://www.peirenepress.com/

Why participate?

The Frankfurt Fellowship Programme offers participants from 16 countries the opportunity to discover the special features of various book markets and, above all, to make new contacts within the German book industry.