This study examines how literature and its interlingual circulation changed under the conditions of international legal agreements. Until the 19th century, translation into other languages was dominated by the so-called target culture and took place independently of the source culture (freedom of translation). By contrast, modern authors can influence the international distribution of their works through copyright law. Not only has an extensive licensing system emerged – with agencies, publishers and scouts specializing in the interlingual dissemination of literature – the author’s awareness of writing books for countries other than their own has also increased. The development of transnational authorship is traced through the history of German literature since the 19th century and the interaction of writers with translators, publishers and agencies.