Thinking outside the box, telling good stories, sparking the imagination, broadening horizons, or explaining the diversity of the world. Books can do all these things and many, many more. Because good books help us to grow better.

With nearly 50 new German-language titles for all age groups from very young children to young adults, the Frankfurter Buchmesse’s Children’s Books on Tour Collection will be travelling the world again this year.

German children’s and young adult books are very much in demand among international licensees and a real export hit for German publishers, being the top selling foreign rights category.

Kafka was undoubtedly one of the most important writers of the 20th century. His work is characterized by a unique combination of surreal elements, psychological depths and a profound exploration of existential themes. His stories and novels have fascinated and influenced a multitude of readers around the world.

Kafka's life's work comprises a large number of works, including his famous novels "The Trial", "The Castle" and "The Missing Man". These works are characterized by their complex narrative structure and profound characters. Kafka managed to capture the human condition in all its facets, raising existential questions about identity, power, bureaucracy and isolation.

As it is the 100th anniversary of his death, many new editions of Kafka's works have been published by various publishers. These publications have helped to keep his legacy alive and to inspire new generations of readers with his work. At the same time, his classics remain popular and are considered by many to be milestones in modern literature.

The Kafka collection is our way to honor Kafka's work and celebrate his importance as a writer. 

Current comics from Germany, Austria and Switzerland artfully tell of life crises, contemporary history and social challenges: They show the effects of historical events on people's lives. They analyze the relationship between the individual and their environment. And they find artistic images for the dramas of everyday life. Instead of fictional material, new German-language comic publications are increasingly focusing on factual themes, which are dealt with in the form of biographies, autobiographies, comic reportages or autofictional stories.

The current comic collection provides a comprehensive overview of the market. The 28 titles from different publishers not only show the whole range of topics, but also give a good impression of the different styles and approaches of the authors from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

stiftung buchkunst awards the best german book design of a year, offers a platform for rethinking the medium of the book with the sponsorship prize for young book design, and networks international book design competitions under the umbrella of best book design from all over the world.

The German Book Prize is presented to the best German-language novel just before the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair as an annual award from the Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung des Börsenvereins des Deutschen Buchhandels – the Foundation for Book Culture and the Promotion of Reading of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association. The Prize is intended to draw attention beyond national borders to authors writing in German, to reading and to the keynote medium of the book. Publishing companies can apply for the award by direct nomination of their titles. Unusually, titles still in production when applications are first invited can also be included in the selection process. Furthermore, the German Book Prize represents the guarantee of independent and competent prize judgement: the seven jurors will personally assess all the books that are submitted and that meet the criteria for consideration.

To ensure the greatest possible independence and transparency for the choice of the award-winner, the Börsenverein board has appointed the German Book Prize Academy with representatives of the book and media industry. Their most important task is the selection every year of the jury members who will choose the winner over the course of several selection stages. Organised by the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, the German Book Prize is also backed by partners from outside the industry. The main partner of the Book Prize is the Deutsche Bank Foundation. A further partner is the city of Frankfurt am Main.

This year, for the third time, the Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung des Börsenvereins des Deutschen Buchhandels (Foundation for Book Culture and the Promotion of Reading of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association) will award this prize, worth a total of 42,500 euros, to the original German-language edition of an outstanding non-fiction book that inspires social debate.

From the eight nominated titles, the jury will select the best non-fiction book of the year, which will be announced in Hamburg on 1 June 2023. The winner will receive 25,000 euros, the seven nominees 2,500 euros each. The awards ceremony will be held in the Small Hall of the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg.

The Deutsche Bank Stiftung (Deutsche Bank Foundation) is the main supporter of the prize, which is also backed by the city of Hamburg and the foundation ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius. Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth is patron of the prize.

The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has now been going on for more than two years. Last year, we presented the 'Living in Words' collection, which mainly presents titles from the year 2022. It consists partly of works by Ukrainian authors that have been translated into German and partly of books by German authors who write about Ukraine.

This year, the collection is entering a second round and aims to draw more attention to Ukrainian authors once again. Furthermore, German authors are represented with titles about Ukraine. Even though Russia's invasion is the subject of many of the books, there are also other titles - children's books, art books and a literary rediscovery. The collection shows the diversity, complexity and beauty of Ukrainian books on the German book market, as well as the many different ways in which German authors deal with Ukraine.

In Germany and around the world, there is a worrying trend towards societies becoming polarised. The supposed other, whose skin colour, name, religion or origin is perceived as foreign, is subjected to discrimination and stigmatised by populist politicians.

With “The Beauty of Difference”, we present a selection of German-language authors whose roots lie outside Germany. The novels, often written by young authors,  tell the stories of people from immigrant families living and growing up in Germany. They speak of the pain caused by experiences of racism and exclusion, but also of the enrichment that comes from havinga dual culture, of challenges, fighting spirit, empowerment, resilience and, ultimately, the feeling of belonging.

In the non-fiction segment, contemporary German-language authors examine topics that are increasingly central to a constructive social and political debate. The selected titles invite readers to change their perspective and see difference in a more sensitive, positive way. They point the way to a society based on solidarity and show the beauty that lies in our differences.

Great stories travel and translate well. Promoting literary translation fosters cultural exchange and enriches the global literary landscape. There are several tools to help books travel across linguistic borders. These include recognition and awards for translators and translated fiction and non-fiction books; educational initiatives that bring literary translation to schools and universities; translation grants and fellowships; book festivals, books fairs – especially those with Guest of Honour programmes - and literary events; collaborations between publishers in different countries; government-funded translation programmes; translators residencies; translators associations and initiatives; book clubs that focus on translated literature. Perhaps you can think of a few more. 

New Books in German promotes German-language literature for translation into English. We feature recommendations of the best new fiction and non-fiction titles from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Books which we recommend benefit from guaranteed financial support for their translation into English. 
Great stories and ideas travel and translate well. New Books in German provides trusted, expert, independent recommendations of excellent German-language books that will suit anglophone readers. Twice a year we convene expert juries in the UK and US to select books submitted to us by German-language publishers.

DAM Architectural Book Award for the ten best architectural books in 2023 bestowed The Frankfurt Book Fair and Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) are presenting the jointly initiated international DAM Architectural Book Award for the fifteenth time. The DAM would like to thank the Society of Friends of the DAM for its generous support of the prize.

The prize, unique in its kind and now highly regarded, honors the best architectural books of a year. 102 architectural and art book publishers from all over the world accepted the joint invitation to participate. A jury made up of external experts and representatives of DAM met to select the year’s ten best architectural books from 245 entries. They based their decision on criteria such as design, content, quality of material and finishing, innovation, and topicality. The jury meeting took place on September 12th 2023 at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM).