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Jordan T.A. Wegberg

(c) Hartmut Gräfenhahn

Please introduce yourself in two or three sentences.
Ever since finishing my studies thirty years ago, I’ve made a living with books. I edit them, translate them, and have written a few myself. Reading and writing shape my life; the rest of my time I devote to photography.

What career experience do you have in your field of consultation?
As both an author and a freelance translator and editor, I am familiar with the publishing industry from various angles, including from behind the scenes. I’ve taught the tools of the trade in seminars and workshops for many years, as well as the practical aspects of literary writing – for instance, how to put together a proposal, reach out to agencies and publishers, and organize readings.

What are typical questions that participants might ask you in a consultation session?
How do I find the right publisher for my project? What should I keep in mind when selecting a publisher? Should I look for an agent instead? Will it cost me anything? How can I make my project attractive to publishers? How can I motivate myself to write regularly? How can I reconcile my day job with my literary ambitions?

What are some of your professional achievements?
I have a portfolio of more than 30 published novels and stories, which have been awarded numerous prizes, including the Brandenburgische Literaturpreis and the Goldene Leslie from the State of Rhineland-Palatinate. I’m currently working on a series of crime novels for Aufbau Verlag, which is slated to have six volumes.

At the same time, every semester I teach a 14 week ‘novel lab’, in which I accompany authors on their way to publication, and coach people one-on-one.

I’ve been called on to serve on an array of literature juries: among others, the Berlin Senate, the Freier Deutscher Autorenverband (FDA), the Union Sozialer Einrichtungen, and the Syndikat authors’ alliance.

I was chair of the FDA Berlin and a founder of the authors’ groups Berliner Heldenreise and Textremisten. I’m a member of Syndikat e.V. and a founding member of a promotion circle of a literary foundation. In this capacity I have organized countless readings, but also writers’ conventions, workshops and literature prizes.

What languages do you offer consultation sessions in?
Primarily in German. As a translator my English is very good, but I don’t want to grapple with semantic nuances in my in advising sessions – they’re too important to me.

Where can you be found in the internet/on social media?
www.tawegberg.de

What piece of advice would you offer anyone interested in working in your professional field?
Get informed, network, stay tenacious – and meet others with the enthusiasm you yourself wish to receive!

What were your greatest challenges in the early years of your career?
I always took on new projects without having any experience in the task. I can still remember the first time I received a translation request for a book. After saying yes, I felt a bit weak in the knees.

Twenty years later, I asked a new client how he found me. His answer: ‘I just looked up who had translated the most bestsellers in the field.’ The point being: plunging into cold water is worth it.