More than 7,300 exhibitors from 100 countries, 299,000 visitors, and over 10,000 journalists: these numbers give you an idea about the size of one of the most important marketplaces for books, media, rights, and licenses worldwide. Once a year, publishers, booksellers, agents, film producers and authors come together in the German city of Frankfurt to exchange ideas, cultivate social networking and create new trends.
This year, the Fair is taking place from October 12-16. Whereas the first three days are reserved to trade visitors, the last two are open to the general public. The motto is “Sagenhaftes Island” (mythical Iceland), since this country is Guest of Honor, a tradition introduced in 1976. A special literary program and an exhibition hall are set up to celebrate and promote the guest country’s culture. Another important feature is the Frankfurt SPARKS. This digital initiative provides a platform for all creative industries and digital suppliers by launching projects, conferences, and events related to the future of media and storytelling.
As in the past few years, North Atlantic Books will have a stand at the “Frankfurter Buchmesse.” This time, the NAB team includes Sarah Serafimidis, Janet Levin, and Doug Reil. For Sarah Serafimidis, Foreign Rights Manager in charge of licensing, this is a great opportunity not only to talk to many of her international partners in person, but also to make new contacts. Even though her schedule is tight, Sarah says she really enjoys these meetings. It is particularly gratifying for her to get a chance to see people she has been in touch with via e-mail for a long time, because this makes the contacts real. Some of the titles she will be featuring are: Unlock Your Muscle Gene, Journey to Joyful, Manifesto for the Noosphere, and The Pocket Book of Stones. Janet Levin, Director of Sales & Distribution, will also be present at the stand to meet with international partners. She is especially excited about finding new digital avenues to pursue in the future. Doug Reil, Associate Publisher and Managing Director who is responsible for acquisitions, also appreciates this occasion to refresh old connections and to set up new ones. Apart from meeting with other publishers and attending seminars on new digital technologies, he says this is the perfect spot to take the “pulse of the publishing industry.”
The tradition of the Frankfurt Book Fair goes back as far as the 15th century, when Johannes Gutenberg introduced modern book printing in Mainz, near Frankfurt. Frankfurt became the central European book fair city, until Leipzig took over in the 18th century. Since its new start in 1949, however, the Frankfurt Book Fair has regained its pre-eminent position and become the unique meeting place it is today.
Learn more about the Frankfurt Book Fair here:
http://www.buchmesse.de/en/fbf/
