Five Book Fair days and a dynamic book industry
China debate dominates discussions - robust rights trade
Frankfurt, 19/10/2009 - Five Fair days, around 3,000 events and a huge visitor turn out - Director of the Frankfurt Book Fair Juergen Boos sums up this year’s Fair: "Many publishers found this Fair to be the best in a long time - the conversations were more intense, the atmosphere was concentrated and quiet." In all, there were 290.469 visitors at the Book Fair, the second highest number of visitors in the history of the Fair, and only 2.9 per cent less than record-breaking year 2008. These guests included 181.155 trade visitors - only 2.7 per cent less than the record-breaking year before.
"All in all, it was a highly optimistic trade Fair, with strong growth in licence sales," Boos said. In the Literary Agents & Scouts Centre (LitAg), the heart of the rights and licence trade, there were 14,317 visitors marking a 2.6 per cent increase compared to last year. David Miller from the literary agency Rogers, Coleridge & White said: "We’ve done more deals [at the Fair] than ever." David Roche, Group Sales and Trade Marketing Director at HarperCollins said: "Frankfurt, with its eclectic mix of people attending from all corners of the publishing world, is incredibly useful. I have found it invaluable to have the chance to meet and catch up with key international contacts over a few packed days."
Exhibitors from German-speaking countries confirm the optimism: "This year, the Frankfurt Book Fair was once again a huge and full success," said Sven Rohde of Campus Verlag. Verbrecher Verlag publisher Jörg Sundermeier said: "This Book Fair made me feel like the Fair is heaven, except you can go again and again." And Liebeskind publisher Jürgen Kill found: "More than ever, the Book Fair is an anchor in stormy times." According to a survey conducted by Gelszus Messe Marktforschung, the perception of the Frankfurt Book Fair as an important marketing measure has grown considerably.
Busy professional programme - "Hunger for information"
The Book Fair 2009 had a plethora of new offerings, including a new meeting place for photo agencies, the Centre for Photography (Hall 4.1), which was very well received by exhibitors and visitors. The professional programme was extraordinarily popular, as well: "…proof that the hunger for information and exchange in times of transition is enormous," as Book Fair Director Juergen Boos commented. The trend conference "Tools of Change for Publishing" (TOC) on Tuesday (13 October) was completely booked out. The theme of the professional programme at the Film & Media Forum was "Focus on Creative Content" and was also in high demand.
Large audiences were drawn to appearances of writers Margaret Atwood, Frank Schätzing, Cees Nooteboom and, of course, Günter Grass, who celebrated his 82nd birthday as well as the 50-year anniversary of "The Tin Drum", including a percussion performance by Günter "Baby" Sommer. The new Gourmet Gallery (Hall 5.0 B 979) was also fully booked out with star chefs like Lichter, Lafer & Wiener attracting up to 300 visitors. "The best Fair ever!" exclaimed Edouard Cointreau, founder of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.
Debate about the Guest of Honour China
The Book Fair was strongly influenced by the ongoing debate about the Guest of Honour China. Based on the conviction that real change needs direct contact and that literature can be a bridge for exchange, the Frankfurt Book Fair had been trying to win over China as Guest of Honour for more than 15 years. "It was a good thing to invite China. It was the first time that the country presented itself outside of its own boundaries in a such a comprehensive way to such a concentrated international audience - which also exposed it to political criticism," Boos explained. "The Book Fair’s role is to put a spotlight on a country’s literature and publishing scene. I think we can safely say the world has never seen such an intense discussion and focus on the details of Chinese literature and the working conditions of Chinese literary professionals. And this debate will continue."
Numerous events and comprehensive media reporting
Fair visitors were able to take part in more than 500 events and readings about the Guest of Honour and thereby get to know China from many different perspectives. All Chinese writers were thrilled at the immense interest in their readings and their works. In addition, every day there were critical discussions in the diverse Forums at the Fair, covering issues like freedom of speech, censorship and human rights in China. In total, by the fourth Fair day there over 5,000 articles discussing the Guest of Honour which were published in diverse media. The exchange with China made it clear that there is no alternative to dialogue. The Book Fair attempted to make this dialogue possible and to promote an ongoing discussion. This year’s Book Fair also proved that dialogue consists of many small steps of getting to know each other closer. "It would be great if it turns out that our focus on China at this year’s Book Fair will contribute towards real ‘Change through rapprochement’," Boos concluded.
Business success for all things China
In time for the Frankfurt Book Fair, over 400 new titles about China were published in German, including 160 translations from Chinese. Chinese publishers also reported good business. 2,019 new contracts were closed at the Fair, 1,300 of which were for Chinese works, which found their way into foreign markets via the Frankfurt Book Fair. It was not only German publishers who had in-depth discussions with China but also many from the USA, the Czech Republic, Iran, and Spain, just to name a few. All in all, China gained quite a lot from being Guest of Honour in Frankfurt: in 2004, German-Chinese literature relations were still a one-way street. That year, 660 German licences were sold to China, but only one licence from China was sold to Germany.
Print
Send the page
Top
Back
