Book market
October 13, 2009
Of the over 60 book fairs in the world, the Frankfurt Book Fair is by far the largest and most important. Nowhere else can so many international exhibitors be found in one place.
Director Juergen Boos calls the Frankfurt Book Fair the "industry network" - a label even more fitting since its activities are not limited to Germany. The Frankfurt fair presents German associations at other important fairs worldwide and maintains service centers in Beijing, Moscow, Bucharest, New York and New Delhi.
Around 7,000 exhibitors from 100 countries are coming to Frankfurt this year, approximately the same number as last year. But the ongoing finance crisis has not left the industry unscathed. Many of the American publishing houses represented have minimized their stands and fewer exhibitors from East Europe are participating this year.
Digital change
Digitalization continues to be the biggest change - and challenge - for the book industry worldwide. What had been just a vision a few years ago has now become routine: a novel for the cell phone, a travel guide for the portable reading device, or a movie for the smart phone.
The choice of electronic books on the market has risen rapidly. China alone - this year's guest of honor in Frankfurt - has some 400,000 e-books on offer, according to the book fair, and another 8,000 come out every day.
Digital content and the newest e-book readers are not only influencing reading patterns, but also the appearance of the book-turned-media fair with more and more areas are reserved for electronic products. Other creative industries like photo, games and design have also started presenting themselves.
Potential for conflict
Even before the start of the fair, this year's guest of honor has gotten more attention than its predecessors - in part because China has one of the largest book markets in the world and is presenting itself as a new economic superpower in Frankfurt for the first time on this scale.
About 450 events are planned; over 800 individuals are affiliated with the official delegation, and among those are representatives of the publishing industry, artists, architects, musicians - and writers, of course.
In addition to the 40 authors who received official invitations from China, there is a disproportionately high number of writers living in exile, dissidents and writers who have been invited by German publishing houses. The fair has always seen itself as a forum for dialogue and, considering the heated discussions that have already taken place ahead of the event, the potential for conflict is particularly strong this year.
An initial scandal marked the run-up to the fair when dissident Chinese authors attended a conference in Frankfurt last month against the will of the official Chinese delegation.
Food for thought
Despite the growing emphasis on new media, the traditional book won't be neglected. Most important, however, are the planned visits by prominent authors.
Guenter Grass is going to read from his early novel "The Tin Drum," which was presented for the first time at the book fair 50 years ago. Bestselling author Frank Schatzing is slated to introduce his new novel "Limit." With 320,000 copies pre-ordered, it is already one of the most successful German books of this year.
International literary stars like Margaret Atwood, Tim Parks and Leon de Winter are also expected, among others.
To fuel the intellectual literary discussions - and promote the latest cookbooks on the market - international star chefs are set to prepare food in an open kitchen in the Gourmet Gallery. The newest trends in fine dining certainly boost the indulgence factor at the book fair.
The Frankfurt Book Fair runs from October 14 - 18.
Reporter: Gabriela Schaaf (sst)
Editor: Kate Bowen