What Actually Happens at Book Fairs
What Actually Happens at Book Fairs
The not-so-glamorous (and actually quite boring) truth about book fairs
Hi lovelies,
I am back from the Frankfurt Book Fair and have (more or less) caught up on my inbox so, as threatened, I thought I'd talk about book fairs! I think there are a lot of misconceptions about book fairs and what publishing professionals actually do there, so here's the lowdown.
Book Fairs aren't really for authors
I know, sounds weird, but most book fairs aren't for authors. They're *about* authors but not for them. Mostly because they're places where industry professionals talk about the industry1 and pitch books to each other2 in a way that's very industry/sales focused. Of course we talk about the writing during the pitch, but there's also a lot of chat about markets and trends.
The Frankfurt Book Fair opens to the public at the weekend, but during the week it's industry-only. The London Book Fair is open to everyone each day, which is why it can give the impression to writers that we're an unfriendly bunch — which is really unfortunate.
A book fair is incredibly costly, and for those of us not working for big companies, it's probably our biggest expense of the year (between table/stand costs, travel, hotels, etc a book fair can cost up to one thousand pound if not more). That means that to justify the cost of even going, we need to be making deals and meeting publishers with a view to selling books. I don't go to a book fair to meet prospective authors, I do that in other ways throughout the year. I'm at a fair to sell/pitch existing authors.
That's not to say that authors shouldn't attend, as I know the London Book Fair has a great programme for writers, and there are some dedicated networking events — but it is not primarily designed for them to meet agents and editors.
Book Fairs are planned with military precision
While everyone is open to new things and being surprised, you go into a Book Fair with intent. As an agent, I go in with specific books I want to pitch (the same goes for colleagues in other areas of publishing). An editor will go in with specific books they want to buy or talk about. The Book Fair itself is just the tip of the iceberg of the work that has started several months before.
For Frankfurt in October, you start scheduling meetings before June. By the start of the summer you know roughly the majority of what you will pitch (though there are always “crashes”3). The summer is when I finish editing what will go out on submission pre-Fair and post-Fair. It’s also when I have catch-ups with UK editors in advance of the autumn to build submission lists. It's also where I test my pitches and refine them.
I know, you hear a lot about ‘books of the fair’ but these books have usually been bought a few months before (if not a year) and the prep work has already been done. It was decided that announcing the book during the fair would be a good moment for it (for Sales, Rights, PR, etc) and so it gets announced *at* the fair, but it has rarely been bought the day before. People always think we're wrapping up deals at the fair itself and sure every now and then we do, but these days most editors need approval from their teams before they're allowed to offer for books and there are a lot of moving parts.
My schedule is also not random, I target people I need to meet from every territory I sell into — it may be they've recently moved jobs and I want to hear more about what they're looking for, or it's an editor I don't know / haven't seen in a while and I have a book I want to pitch to them. I also see my foreign co-agents4 around the world.
Book fairs aren't all about parties
Most people will start their meetings at 9am and finish at 18.30 and have a meeting every half hour with, if lucky, a half hour lunch break. Then they'll go out for drinks (which are actually meetings, just nicer) and dinners (which are also meetings, but tastier), and then maybe to some parties for networking. Many people make valuable contacts during these informal moments and it’s good to connect with editors/agents outside of the pitching space.
I tend not to stay out too late at book fairs. With the unpredictability of my disability and having to plan for fatigue and pain, I want to streamline everything so that my body has the best chance to get through three days packed with meetings. I need to conserve my energy for the day. In the same way that I have to choreograph in my head most of my movements every day so I don't dislocate anything, I have choreographed every movement to, from and at the fair.
Book Fairs aren't glamorous
Most book fairs are held in big hangar type buildings or convention centres. It's not comfortable and usually the lighting, noise and randomness of location make for an intense time. London Book Fair famously has pigeons flying above you. Frankfurt is so massive that getting around the halls if you don't know the shortcuts takes ages.
To be totally honest, my main preoccupation during a book fair is the question of when I can go to the loo — and, more importantly, whether the queue is too long for me to get back in time for my next meeting (spoiler: it is always too long).
Book fairs are gruelling. By day three we all look exactly how we feel, any hints of glamour have thoroughly worn off. My most striking memory is a 9am meeting on the last day of the fair: the editor was so badly hungover and exhausted, they asked me if they could just sit there in silence for the entire 30-minute meeting. Which was quite nice, actually! (The real crime at book fairs is scheduling an early meeting and not bothering to show up.)
Book Fairs aren't the only way to sell books
Prior to the pandemic, everyone would have told you that nothing could replace book fairs. And I do think that the Fairs do something that can't really be replicated in any other way. After the initial lockdowns, especially the 2020 and 2021 Fairs, publishers switched to online meetings. It worked because we had all chosen as an industry to move towards online meetings, and you had a sense that we had created something different and comparable (though not a perfect replacement). Instead of hugs and seeing people physically, we bonded over children and pets intruding on our Zoom calls and our overflowing bookshelves.
In a similar way, we think of the Frankfurt Book Fair in October and the London Book Fair in March/April (and Bologna Book Fair in March/April for children's books) as the "best” book fairs to attend. This is not because of the locations, but rather because as an industry, we have unofficially agreed these are the most important book fairs to attend. Other fairs are comparable in terms of what goes on there, but different in terms of international scale and reach. The level of osmosis you get from gathering everyone in one location is what makes the big book fairs so unique.
With growing concerns in terms of space, cost, accessibility and environment, it is right to question whether we still need them. To a certain extent we do, but it doesn't mean we can't — as an industry — think of ways to replicate the spirit of a book fair without the disadvantages.
What would I do? I don't think bringing people together in a location is the way forward. I think we could schedule weeks online dedicate to a certain genre where people who sell/commission books in that specific genre or side of the industry meet up. That would mean you only gather a portion of the whole publishing ecosystem (making it manageable), get a real snapshot of the strengths and weaknesses in that genre, get a real feel for the market. You can schedule specific workshops and events, and also get to know people from the most junior to the most senior. I would do it digitally because that's just cheaper and more democratic (though the time difference is an issue). Imagine if, peppered throughout the calendar year, there were industry-focused mini digital Book Fairs such as a Literary Fiction Fair, a Digital-First Fair or a Memoir Fair? Anyway, that's my suggestion!
This year was my tenth year attending book fairs, so clearly, no matter how much I enjoy moaning about them, I can't stay away!
Let me know in the comments if you got a better picture of Book Fairs and if you have any questions!
The Company of Owls by Polly Atkin book launch
Polly Atkin will be launching her new book The Company of Owls in conversation with little old me on Wednesday 6th November at 7pm at the Portobello Bookshop!
The Company of Owls is a nocturnal love song to the owls that surround her Lake District home and a stunning meditation on learning to listen in a world full of noise. It’s also the perfect Christmas present if you need to get started on your shopping list so don't hesitate to get a signed and dedicated edition!
Tickets are available to come in person if you're in Scotland or to watch on livestream. Join us if you can!
If you’ve enjoyed reading this post and found it useful, please do consider supporting me in two ways:
* By donating to a cause that’s important to me:
I have set up a monthly donation with Medical Aid for Palestinians in their appeal for donations for Palestine and Lebanon and encourage you to do the same. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) works for the health and dignity of Palestinians living under occupation and as refugees. They provide immediate medical aid to those in great need, while also developing local capacity and skills to ensure the long-term development of the Palestinian healthcare system.
* By buying one of my authors’ books:
Non-Fiction
Moving Mountains: Writing Nature Through Illness and Disability, edited by Louise Kenward
Some of Us Just Fall: On Nature and Not Getting Better by Polly Atkin
The Ghost Lake: A Memoir of Grief, Nature and Ancestry in Rural Yorkshire by Wendy Pratt
Poetry
Them! by Harry Josephine Giles
At Least This I Know by Andrés N. Ordorica
Another Way to Split Water by Alycia Pirmohamed
Too Hot to Sleep by Elspeth Wilson
Fiction
Bucket List by Russell Jones
How We Named The Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica
Until next time, keep reading!
Caro
Sharing all kinds of gossip (“Oh my god, did you see what that book sold for?” “Did you hear the story behind this iconic cover design?” “Did you see the article about …?” “Oh I heard they left to go freelance”).
And believe me, there is nothing more cringe for everyone involved than having an author listening in to you pitching their book…
Industry term for a book that ‘crashes’ into your schedule/catalogue last minute.
A co-agent or sub-agent is someone based in a different country who handles this country's / region's specific rights.