What are book fairs?
Book fairs are trade fairs where publishers and agents gather to
sell and buy rights. As well as the advantages of meeting and
negotiating face-to-face, book fairs offer opportunities to meet
other industry professionals and find out the latest publishing
developments at talks and seminars. The time and costs preparing
for and attending a book fair require a considerable investment for
any publisher but particularly for smaller publishers. It can also
be daunting for a first timer.
Where are the main book fairs?
Frankfurt, London, Bologna and BookExpo are the most popular
with our members but there are book fairs all over the world. See
our List of Book Trade Fairs.
Publishers from Scotland stand
By hosting a Publishers from Scotland
collective stand, Publishing Scotland provides the most efficient
and cost-effective way for its publisher members to have a space at
the main book fairs: London (every April) and Frankfurt (every
October). We offer space at a subsidised rate so they can hold
meetings in a professional setting, exhibit their titles,
distribute their catalogues and display new covers on the stand at
a less expensive rate than if they went individually.
Preparation and planning
For members exhibiting on the Publishers from
Scotland stand, our role in the run up to the fair is to
assist with all the administration and preparation. For example, we
deal with booking and stand set up, we register our publishers as
exhibitors, organise their freight, and manage their passes. We are
also able to put together rights listings for our attending
publishers, to support with sales and marketing and offer advice on
travel and accommodation. During the fair itself we are on hand to
take messages, field enquiries and generally be as supportive as we
can to ensure our members have a successful fair.
Go-See funding to visit fairs from London to Beijing
The most important book fairs for Scottish publishers are the London Book Fair and
the Frankfurt Book
Fair (the largest of all the fairs). Bologna Children's Book
Fair is the main fair for children's publishers.
Publishing Scotland administers a fund to support publishers
making a first time visit to a book fair. For experienced London
and Frankfurt exhibitors, this could enable them to explore new
markets in the Far East or Scandinavia. For others, this allows
them to test the waters in London. See more about the Go-See Fund
on the Funding page.