Booknomics

Book Fairs Around the World – II (April-July 2011)

If you’re interested in participating in important book fairs around the world, it’s helpful to know the schedule of fairs. Here’s our final listing of international book fairs planned from August to December 2011.

1. Bogotá International Book Fair, Bogotá, Colombia: 4—16 May 2011

   This is said to be the largest and most important cultural and industrial event in the Latin American region. Started in 1988, the fair sees visitors and participants from the Andean region, Central America, the Caribbean region and the United States. Last year, there were 90 exhibitors and 4,00,000 visitors. The fair is open to trade visitors as well as the general public. Website: http://www.feriadellibro.com (in Spanish, no English option available)

2. Beijing International Book Fair, Beijing, China: 31 August—4 September 2011

   Started in 1986, the principle of the Beijing International Book Fair is to introduce “excellent books from around the world into China and leading Chinese books to the world”. The previous event was held in an area spread across 43,000 square metres and had 1840 exhibitors. This year, its 18th event will be held in a new venue, China International Exhibition, which is said to be more advanced, modern and user-friendly and covers 53,600 square meters. The Netherlands will be the Country of Honour. The fair is open to trade visitors and the general public. Website: http://www.bibf.net

3. Rio de Janeiro International Book Fair, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 1—11 September 2011

   The Rio de Janeiro International Book Fair, called Bienal Do Livero Rio in Spanish, is the most important literary event in Brazil. It is held every alternate year, so the 28-year-old fair will hold its 15th event this year. The venue is the huge Riocentro, with a total floor area of 5,71,000 square metres. There are several regular events. ‘Literary Café’ conducts informal and intimate chats with international as well as Brazilian authors, where they discuss the creative process, ideas, books, genres and more. In ‘Books on the Scene,’ famous people from cinema, theatre and television are invited to read selected excerpts from the works of important Brazilian writers. The ‘Book Forest’ is set up in an imaginative setting that covers 800 square metres and offers children the opportunity of being immersed and transported by books and narratives. Another interesting and unique section is called ‘Women Only,’ where women writers, journalists and literary celebrities gather to discuss a wide variety of topics (new topics each day) from the female perspective. Unlike many other book fairs, which are formal, the Rio de Janeiro International Book Fair exudes a warm, lively and cheerful atmosphere. It is open to trade as well as the general public. Website: http://www.bienaldolivro.com.br/

4. Göteborg Book Fair, Göteborg, Sweden: 22—25 September 2011

   The Göteborg Book Fair is said to be the biggest meeting place for the book trade in the Nordic countries. This 27th edition of the fair will be held at the Swedish Exhibition Centre with a total exhibition area of 13,257 square metres. The German language, with countries Germany, Austria and Switzerland, will be in focus. Thirty authors have been invited to participate in seminars and other programmes related to the German language theme, including Nobel Prize winner Herta Müller, Felicitas Hoppe, award-winning member of the German Academy for Language and Literature, and Austrian Doron Rabinovici. The fair will conduct activities in three sections simultaneously: a programme of seminars and events, numerous exhibition halls with related activities and special stages, and the International Rights Centre for professionals buying and selling rights. Last year, the fair saw 97,053 visitors. There were 920 exhibitors and 441 seminars. The balance is 30% trade and 70% general public. Website: http://www.bok-bibliotek.se/en/

5. Nairobi International Book Fair, Nairobi, Kenya: 28 September—2 October 2011

   The 14th Nairobi International Book Fair, organized by the Kenya Publishers Association, will be held at the Sarit Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. The theme for the fair this year is ‘Read for Empowerment’. The website explains the theme thus: “Books, whether creative works or factual texts, serve as a reflection of the society from which the writers are drawn. It is therefore our duty to ensure that society is able to communicate effectively on issues that confront it and do so through books.” The Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature Award will be presented at the fair. Workshops and seminars are planned, as are activities for children and new writers. There will be a big book sale with heavy discounts. The fair will showcase books in various genres in their book exhibition and is open to the general public as well as to trade visitors. Website: http://www.kenyapublishers.org/nairobi_bookfair.html

6. LIBER Madrid International Book Fair, Madrid, Spain: 5—7 October 2011

   LIBER is said to be the leading professional event of the publishing industry in Spain and Latin America and one of the most important in the world. Started in 1983, the fair is held every year, in Madrid and Barcelona alternately, so the 2010 LIBER was in Barcelona and the previous LIBER Madrid was in 2009. The Reading Promotion Awards, given to the communications media in the categories of Radio, Television and Press, is “the Liber Tribute to an institution or person in recognition of their work in favour of books”. The other awards given during the fair are the Boixareu Ginesta Award to the bookseller of the year and the Award for Promoting Reading in Public Libraries. The fair is open to trade visitors only. In 2009, there were 257 exhibitors and 20,325 visitors. The 2010 edition saw about 15,000 business visitors. Website: http://www.ifema.es/web/ferias/liber/default.html

7. Frankfurt Book Fair, Frankfurt, Germany: 12—16 October 2011 

   The Frankfurt Book Fair, held annually in October, is the most important marketplace for books, media, rights and licences worldwide. The history of the fair dates back to the 15th century. Every year the fair sees about 7,300 exhibitors from 100 countries, and 2,99,000 visitors. The guest of honour this year is Iceland. Frankfurt SPARKS is a new section that focuses on digital publishing and looks at the union of publishing with technology and the associated opportunities, partnerships and ideas. In the outdoor area is the traditional Spiegel marquee, where readers get to spend some time with their favourite authors through readings and book signings. Apart from all the offerings at the indoor fair, the 30-year-old Art & Creativity Market outside offers visitors handicraft products like jewellery, leather goods and books made of stone from about 100 stands. The Frankfurt Book Fair is open to trade visitors as well as the general public. Website: http://www.buchmesse.de/en/fbf/

Read Part I here.

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Continuing our listing of international book fairs, here are the most important international book fairs planned from April to July 2011. Another, final, list will include the fairs planned for the rest of the year.

London Book Fair, London, UK: 11—13 April 2011

Conducted every spring, the London Book Fair will conduct its 40^th event in the Earls Court Exhibition Centre, Kensington, London, this year. Bestselling authors Claire Tomalin, Boris Akunin and Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler are ‘Authors of the Day’ this time and will each spend a day at the fair offering seminars, book signings, events and photo opportunities. This year, the market focus will be Russia. In the ‘Digital Zone Theatre’ section, e-books and digital content-related products will be showcased, with 50 companies participating. Every year, the Lifetime Achievement Award in International Publishing is given during this fair and this year the recipient is Sonny Mehta, Editor-in-Chief of Alfred A Knopf publishers. The ‘Film and TV’ section will bring together film and television producers, with over 300 literary agencies and publishers offering content with screen adaptation potential, as well as a full seminar programme and networking events. In all, around 2000 companies are participating in the fair this year. The website says, “Over 23,000 publishing professionals from every point in the publishing supply chain attend The London Book Fair annually”. Website: http://www.londonbookfair.co.uk.

Budapest International Book Festival, Budapest, Hungary: 14—17 April 2011

This trade show, in its 18^th edition in 2011, is said to be “one of the largest book fairs in Central and Eastern Europe” and is held at the end of April every year. Rather than a book fair alone, it is a festival of combined arts with literary evenings, book premières, talks, film screenings, theatre performances and exhibitions being conducted over the four days. The Budapest Grand Prize is given each year during the festival. The European Union is the guest of honour this year. The European First Novel Festival will be held for the 11^th time within the frame of the festival, to introduce talented young authors from the European Union, a joint effort of 19 EU-member countries. Trade meetings, conferences and lectures are held on the key issues of the book market and of reading habits. Librarians’ Club, the professional event of librarians, is one of the special features of the festival. The fair gets about 50,000 visitors annually, with 50,000 titles and hundreds of new publications. It is open to trade visitors as well as the general public. Website: http://www.bookfestival.hu/angol.html

International Book Fair of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina: 20 April—9 May 2011

This long established fair will conduct its 37^th event at La Rural Trade Centre, Buenos Aires. It is said to be one of the top five book expositions in the world. Open to trade visitors and the general public, the International Book Fair of Buenos Aires is the largest book fair in the Spanish-speaking world. The Professional Conference and National Meeting of Librarians will be held on 19, 20 and 21 April. The International Education Conference will be conducted on 19 and 20 April. Foreign guests invited include Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa, Zambian author Wilbur Smith, Uruguayan artist Carlos Paez Vilaro, French sociologist François Dubet, Spanish Rosa Montero, Juan Jose Millas and Antonio Muñoz Molina, among others. The International Poetry Festival will be held from 29 April to 3 May. Free courses are offered. Some of the topics for discussion and exposition are flash fiction, art shows, copyrights and translation rights. Website: http://www.el-libro.org.ar

Geneva International Book and Press Fair, Geneva, Switzerland: April 29—3 May 2011

The 2011 edition of the Geneva International Book and Press Fair will mark its silver jubilee year. The fair is said to be the largest cultural and educational meeting place organised each year in Switzerland. Some of the features of the fair include the Grand Exhibition, presenting “Art of freemasonry” with exhibits made available by collectors, never before been shown in public; special exhibitions, which include “100 years of Gallimard” and Etienne Delessert with 80 original drawings; the Village de la BD (Graphic Novel Village) and events like the Book Kitchen, the Treasure Hunt and a book-aid charity. The guest of honour this year is Armenia. Two new innovations this year will be the Laboratoire Des Nouvelles Lectures (Laboratory of New Reading) and the Le Temps De Le Dire (Time to Speak Out) Festival. Following the principle of social networks, the laboratory of new reading offers a platform to editors, authors and inventors to present their ideas or prototypes on a web platform where readers can review and react to them. The Time to Speak Out festival, led by Patrick Ferla, the new president of the fair, aims to meet the expectations of publishers and the public by providing a global forum for reading and editing. In an area exclusively set aside for it, the festival will offer debates, meetings and discussions on various themes, as well as public readings given by authors, actors and theatre groups. This festival brings together 100,000 professionals each year and is open to trade and the general public. Webite: http://www.salondulivre.ch/en/

Thessaloniki Book Fair, Thessaloniki, Greece: 5—8 May 2011

The 7^th Thessaloniki Book Fair presents Greek and international books to an audience of publishing professionals, the media, schools and the public. About 250 Greek and foreign exhibitors will participate this year. More than 100 events, with writers from Greece and abroad, are organised in this fair that is held every spring. Attractions include an exhibition, guests of honour and dedicated areas for children, teenagers, parents and teachers. The guest of honour is the Middle East. This year’s theme is ‘Education and Books.’ The New Technologies Corner will bring news of the latest trends. The fair is open to trade visitors as well as the general public. Website: http://www.thessalonikibookfair.com/2011/index_en.asp

Prague International Book Fair, Prague, Czech Republic: 12—15 May 2011

The 17^th International Book Fair and Literary Festival, also called ‘Book World Prague’ will be held in 2011. The guest of honour will be the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the focus will be the literature of the Arab world, along with different categories of books such as fiction, non-fiction, scientific journals, children’s books, and so on, from international and domestic literature. The fair would be a place to find large numbers of rare prints and old books at one place. It is open to trade as well as visitors of the general public. Website: http://www.bookworld.cz/en/menu/general-info/

Warsaw International Book Fair, Warsaw, Poland: 19—22 May 2011

The 56^th Warsaw International Book Fair will be conducted in in the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw in 2011. For authors, publishers, booksellers, agents and editors from around the world, the fair is an annual interface between Western and Eastern European publishers. The last show had representatives from around 30 countries and nearly 600 exhibitors. It is open to trade alone on one day and to the general public on other days. Website: http://arspolona.com.pl/index.php/lg/1

BookExpo America, New York City, USA: 23—26 May 2011

Book Expo America, commonly known as BEA, is the largest annual book trade fair in the United States and is held in a different place in the US each year. Special to this year’s fair are breakfast events (each of which requires a ticket to be purchased). On 24 May is the Children’s Book Author Breakfast with Brian Selznick, Sarah Dessen and Kevin Henkes. The next day is the Adult Book Author Breakfast with Diane Keaton, Jeffrey Eugenides, and Charlaine Harris. On 26 May is another Adult Book Author Breakfast with Anne Enright and Erik Larson. The 2011 Audio Publishers Association Conference (APAC), the premier event in the audiobook industry, will be held on Monday, 23 May at the Javits Center. In ‘Insight Stage’ influential authors and publishing figures will discuss the latest books, and hot topics that will move the industry forward in the coming year. BEA boasts the largest author autographing program in the US. During BEA 2011, visitors can meet authors like Dave Barry, Mary Higgins Clark, Eoin Colfer, Gail Carson Levine, R L Stine and Rick Riordan. Italy is the guest of honour at the Global Market Forum. Last year’s BEA saw 11,538 visitors and had 1,253 exhibitors. The BEA is a trade-only fair. Website: http://www.bookexpoamerica.com

Cape Town Book Fair, Cape Town, South Africa: June 2011

The Cape Town Book Fair organisers announce that the fair will not be held in 2011, but will be conducted in a new, remodelled format in 2012. In 2010, the fair had the participation of 273 exhibitors, with about 33,500 visitors, of which 4700 were professionals. Started in 2005, the Cape Town Book Fair conducts seminars and provides opportunities for meeting and discussions between industry professionals. Last year, the first day was open to trade visitors alone while the other days had author events and readings with famous writers from around the world. Website: http://www.capetownbookfair.com

Seoul International Book Fair, Seoul, Korea: 15—19 June 2011

While the Seoul Book Fair started in 1954, the first Seoul International Book Fair was held in 1995. Organised by the Organizing Committee for the Seoul International Book Fair, the event is held every spring. The Seoul International Book Fair is the only large-scale exhibition held at the COEX that is free and open to the public. It draws over 200,000 visitors and gets extensive media coverage. The book fair has a vast collection of books from around the world on display, and offers consultation on copyright and trading. There are special exhibits and events for visitors. Readers get to meet and speak with book authors. There is also a photograph-taking event with authors at certain scheduled times, in which the first 100 visitors are given a personally signed book and a framed souvenir photo of themselves and their favourite author. The Seoul International Book Fair is open to trade and public visitors. Website: http://www.sibf.or.kr/eng/

Tokyo International Book Fair, Tokyo, Japan: 7—10 July 2011

In its 18^th year, Asia’s leading publishing trade fair, the Tokyo International Book Fair is an important venue to negotiate publication rights, book imports and exports, and other related businesses with publishing professionals in Japan and Asia. Its special exhibit zones include the Children’s Book Fair, Natural Sciences Book Fair, Humanities & Social Sciences Book Fair, Editorial Production Fair, Lifestyle, Hobby & How to Books Zone, Book’s Accessories Zone, Solutions for Publication Distribution Zone and the International Printing Zone. Last year, 984 exhibitors participated and the fair saw about 87,450 publishing professionals visiting. Concurrent exhibitions are conducted at this time, including the ‘15^th e-book Expo Tokyo’ that focuses on digital publishing; ‘Licensing Japan,’ a comprehensive trade show for the global licensing community industry interested in developing business in Japan and East Asia; and ‘IT Educational Solutions Expo,’ an educational industry trade show for educational content, technologies and services for schools. Website: http://www.bookfair.jp/en/