Despite all the tendencies towards persistence, German-language literature formed and reorganised itself in many areas in the years between 1450 and 1520. While some genres and registers reached the end of their tradition or their productivity, others changed and developed innovative formats and re-castings, sometimes with recourse to older models. Some genres are completely new. The change in media from manuscript to print, which began with vehemence in all areas in the second half of the 15th century, can hardly be overestimated. Using examples from various genres, such as song poetry, novels, chronicles, travel literature, humanist translation literature, sacred poetry, but also drafts of the future, some of which have survived in manuscript and some in print, the processes occurring during this period are described and analysed. The aim is not least to take a few steps towards a more precise mapping and systematisation of a field that at first glance may appear confusing.