About Us

Founded in 2005, Kalem Agency is one of the biggest agencies in Turkey. The agency has two major roles: representing numerous esteemed Turkish authors. As of April 2023, it has signed over 3,000 contracts to promote Turkish literature abroad, covering not only major European languages such as English and French, but also languages of limited diffusion such as Georgian and Danish, reaching a list of 64 languages. The second major role of the agency is operating as a sub-agent, facilitating relationships between publishers and literary agencies on a larger scale. The agency represents fiction, nonfiction and children’s and YA titles of many prominent publishing houses and agencies by presenting their lists to Turkish publishers.

At Kalem Agency, each of us fulfils a specific role, and together, we form an integral part of a unified whole. Kalem Agency’s founder, Nermin Mollaoğlu was chosen as the young publisher entrepreneur in Turkey in 2009 by British Council and awarded with the International Excellency for The Agencies in 2017 at London Book Fair. It was announced that the reason behind this award was that “she has in one decade become a second bridge to the outside world for her writers at a point in Turkish history when this connection is more crucial than ever, and harder than ever to achieve.”

Events participation takes up a significant portion of Kalem’s work – not only book fairs, where authors are introduced to editors and deals are struck, but also literary festivals, with a view to facilitating post-production promotion. 

Kalem organises events bringing together publishers, authors, translators, and readers. Istanbul International Literature Festival (ITEF), since 2009 with the initiative of Kalem Agency, organised by the Kalem Culture Association, a non-profit institution, it is an international festival that brings together local and foreign writers and literary professionals with Turkish literature, cultural scenes in Turkey, and writers and publishers of our country, both in Istanbul and in many cities of Anatolia. ITEF-Istanbul International Literature Festival includes international events for professionals such as the Fellowship Programme where collaboration among authors, publishers, editors and translators both from Turkey and abroad is encouraged. As of 2023, ITEF has hosted almost 600 authors and 150 publishing professionals from over 60 countries. 

Kalem operationalizes professional networks that they themselves initiate and/or sustain in order to mediate between their international clients. It also stands out as one of the world’s most socially engaged agencies, particularly in its use of social media. We provide a platform for everyone to express themselves every Tuesday through the hashtag #salıbende and #kalemagencytakeover, fostering connections between publishing members and the broader community. 

In 2021, Kalem also opened Kalem House, a literary house located in the Gacık village of Yalova, to the south of Istanbul to offer residency for authors and translators when needed. 

 Services

• Translation Services / between Turkish and 53 foreign languages
• Copyright Management
• Publishing Consultancy/ International Relations
• Literary Events Organization / Professional Programs management / Translation workshops
• Union European Cultural Projects Consultance

Kalem Agency Team

Ayda Konez

Literary Agent (Children - Young Adult)

Ayda Konez was born in Bursa in 1995. She has graduated from

Aylin Efe

Literary Agent (Fiction) / ITEF Coordinator

Aylin Efe was born in 1999, Istanbul. She joined Kalem Agency right

Bahar Albayrak

Literary Agent (Non Fiction Agent)

Bahar Albayrak was born in İstanbul in 1989. She graduated from Istanbul

Beril Albayrak

Cook

Born in 1970 in Ankara, she started working at Kalem Agency in

Beril Alpaslan

Contract Coordinator (Fiction - Non Fiction)

Beril Alpaslan was born in Antalya in 2001. She graduated from Yeditepe

Doğa Aydın

Royalty Coordinator

Doğa Aydın was born in Istanbul in 2000. She graduated from the

Elif Nur Şafak

Literary Agent (Turkish Children's - Young Adult)

Graduated from Translation Studies department at Yeditepe University, Elif started working in

Hüma Nur Çalışkan

Intern

Hüma Nur Çalışkan was born in Samsun in 1999. She graduated from

Kitty Blain

Intern

Kitty Blain was born in London in 2000. After graduating from Oxford

Nermin Mollaoğlu

Literary Agent and Founder

Nermin Mollaoğlu is a graduate of Trakya University, with B.A. degrees in

Özlem Kurubal

Royalty Coordinator

Özlem Kurubal was born in Istanbul in 2001. She graduated from Istanbul

Songül Çakmak

Director of Finance

Yasemin Kaya

Contract Coordinator (Children - Young Adult)

Yasemin Kaya was born in Istanbul in 2000. She graduated from Istanbul

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