As a little girl, I loved to read. I read everywhere—with the flashlight under the covers, under the table at dinner, at school under the desk, on the trains, in the car, at the bus stop—wherever and whenever there was an opportunity. In those days we didn’t have electronic gadgets and books were the media that opened the world for us kids. They allowed us to escape into fantasy land, live out adventures, and make the impossible real. Books taught us that we could change the world.

It felt natural that my first job was as a librarian at the Bavarian State University Library. I was surrounded by books and by people who cherished books, who lived with them and from them. After 8 years as a law librarian at one of the most prestigious attorney associations in Munich, Germany (which gave me a glimpse into the world of arts and antiquities as well), I decided it was time to focus on raising my son. Together we read hundreds of picture books; we frequented libraries around the city and enjoyed reading beautiful books together.

After running my bookshop for 15 years, I decided to sell my business and move to America with my husband. I started working for Beyond Words Publishing in Portland, and to this day I represent their books internationally. As a rights agent, I specialize in the licensing of international translation rights of books and DVDs. I provide scouting services and I advise publishers and authors on international licensing. I helped acquire the English translation rights of New York Times bestsellers such as The Hidden Messages of Water by Masaru Emoto (Japan, Sunmark), The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Australia, Atria Books), The Microbe Factor, and Rejuvenation Enzyme by Hiromi Shinya (Japan, Sunmark), and many more.