Independent experts select featured books through a two-stage process. Throughout the year, a three-member jury selects approximately 20 newly published works of fiction, books for children and young people, and non-fiction. These works are presented in the online magazine along with translated excerpts and background material in German and English.

The members of the jury are literary critics who are known beyond Germany’s borders and who are also acquainted with practical aspects of literary translation.

The second stage involves a local jury deciding which of these titles might be suitable for translation into the language of a given key-focus region. This body consists of three people who not only live in the region but are also part and parcel of its specific culture. As professional Germanists or translators they are acquainted with the German literary scene, and are thus in a position to make an adequate assessment of new publications.

The specific composition of the two selection bodies guarantees that contemporary German literature will be read and evaluated from an international perspective.