Internationaal Literatuur Bureau
Linda Kohn
About ILB
The literary agency, Internationaal Literatuur Bureau (ILB) is a modern and accurate agency with more than 55 years of experience. ILB is based in the city centre of Amsterdam. Linda Kohn, the third generation of the Kohn family, is the director of the company. ILB has a prestigious national and international client list.
Mission Statement
As a literary agent, Linda describes herself as a ‘matchmaker’. The agency fulfils an important role in the (Dutch) book industry. It is specialized in negotiations so the clients can be sure that they get the best deal possible. The agency also brings out advice to its clients about the Dutch market, it prepares the contracts and takes care for the payments.
Most of its clients are based in Germany, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Canada. With most of its clients, the agency has had a long and strong working relation which is combined with the personal approach of doing business. An example of this is Linda’s Literary Lunch. During these lunches, publishers, authors, journalists and booksellers come together to discuss important matters in the literary industry.
ILB keeps a sharp eye on novelties in the way ILB takes care for business.
History
Internationaal Literatuur Bureau has been founded by Hein Kohn. In 1933 the Jewish Hein left Nazi Germany. After the Second World War, Hein started his agency in the Netherlands, Hilversum. He was well connected and had friends like Thomas Mann, Bertolt Brecht and Peter Suhrkamp. Hein Kohn worked very hard to re-introduce the German literature in the Netherlands.
In the seventies, his son Menno took over the agency. Menno mainly focused on ‘new’ markets like the United States of America, the United Kingdom as well as South-American markets. Menno introduced authors like Jorge Borgez, Julio Cortázar, John Fowles en Stephen King to the Netherlands.
In 2003, Linda Kohn, was Menno’s successor. Linda moved the agency from Hilversum to Amsterdam, introduced Linda’s Literary Lunch and made a website for ILB. It is her wish to further professionalize and develop the family business.
In 2006 the book Cross-Over Literature, 55 jaar Internationaal Literatuur Bureau (Aspekt) was published.
1.c Team
Linda Kohn
Linda Kohn works as a literary agent. She has a degree in Public Relations (Academy for Journalism) in Tilburg (Voorlichting en Public Relations). In addition, she got her PhD. at the University of Amsterdam where she studied Book- and Information Sciences. She also gained experience as content manager at ElmarReizen.nl and as childrensbookassistent at publishing house Gottmer. In 2003 she started to work as a literary agent.
Anne Thiele
Anne Thiele grew up in Germany and moved in 1997 to the Netherlands to study Creative Therapy. She holds a BA in Graphic Design which she received at the art academy in Arnhem. Ever since she has worked for different companies in both countries, Germany and the Netherlands and joined the team of ILB in June 2009.
Janne de Vries
Janne de Vries has studied Comparative Literature at the Humboldt University Berlin and at the University of Amsterdam. She teaches German at the Barlaeus Gymnasium and works as a translator. For the ILB she works freelance.
Why do you need Linda Kohn?
Especially in this digital era, a local agent is essential. Internet and e-mail make the communication very impersonal. It’s one of the tasks of the agent to bring publishers and books together.
ILB is well contacted and capable to join new developments. By talking and listening to the Dutch publishers, ILB knows which new books or projects it can offer them.
Knowledge of the market is of big importance because the several international literary markets can be very different. The Dutch and German book markets for example, differ quite a lot. Because of all the long during relationships, ILB has a good nose for these literary differences.
Business ILB
A local agents knows the publishers, knows what the trends are and who is working where. For these reasons, an agent can give good advise to the foreign clients, takes care of the negotiations, prepares the contracts etc.
But because the times are changing, agents need to be more inventive. We need to look for new ways to promote and sell the rights from our books. People like to get something extra, so it is important to talk with people and bring them together.
It is an art to find new ways to run the business. But there are plenty of possibilities! Dutch authors call me more often. In two weeks. The Foreign Media Group published ‘Tussen wal en schip’ from my client Emilie van Outeren.
I currently may be the youngest agent in the Netherlands, but I am proud to work for the oldest agency in our country.