LBF: promising a wealth of opportunities for all!

This eagerly awaited London Book Fair (LBF) promises a wealth of opportunities for all attendees, from global deal makers to booksellers, literary agents to budding authors and translators – with a lot to offer to the cohort of Indian publishers that will take part in the Fair.

What Indian exhibitors can expect?

The London Book Fair is the world’s preeminent English-language publishing industry event, with London being one of the most iconic and accessible cities in the anglo phone world. Figures shared at the 2023 Sharjah International Book Fair last November indicated that 24% of books in India are primarily English-language books, so the potential offered by The London Book Fair, coupled with the close relationship that ties the UK and India, is incredibly strong.

Ahead of the Fair, I am delighted to be visiting the New Delhi World Book Fair in early February (February 10 – 18, 2024), where I am looking forward to celebrating the 51st anniversary of the Fair and experience the vibrancy of the Indian Publishing sector first-hand.

At The London Book Fair 2024, the Indian publishing market will have a robust presence. As part of our Seminar Programme, the International Markets Theatre will hold a dedicated Indian Market session at 14.00 – 14.45 on March 12. The discussion will be focused on the opportunities offered by this growing market, and best practice to network and create business ties with Indian colleagues. We are anticipating this will be an extremely popular session, attended by publishing professionals from all over the world.

In addition, thanks to a collaboration with National Book Trust India (under the Ministry of Education, Government of India), the Fair will see the Indian National Stand return to the 2024 edition of the Fair, showcasing the best of recent and upcoming literature from the country, as well as latest trends in the Indian world of books.

For Indian visitors…

Indian visitors to the Fair will have the chance to engage with and learn from the wider offering of our Seminar Programme, a cornerstone of the Fair that tackles pressing issues for the global publishing industry, with talks and panel events joined by internationally acclaimed speakers. With the line-up having a significant focus on environmental issues, the Sustainability Hub will return for its second year. It will host a series of discussions centred around green initiatives and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, popular stages like the Main Stage, Author HQ, Tech Theatre, Focus Theatre, and the Literary Translation Centre will return to the Fair, promising enriching content for attendees. A wealth of renowned speakers will take part, from authors to CEOs, social media influencers to translators, journalists to illustrators, with highlights including: Taylor Jenkins Reid, Richard Osman, Joseph Coelho, Flavia Z Drago, Elisa Shua Dusapin, Lemn Sissay and many more.

The global nature of The London Book Fair means that the International Rights Centre will beattended by agents and rights professionals from all over the world, presenting incredible opportunities for Indian publishers to acquire rights for high-quality content from around the world. Acting as a bridge connecting conversations across various creative mediums – print, radio, TV, cinema, and digital platforms – The London Book Fair 2024 promises invaluable networking opportunities to connect Indian professionals with colleagues from all four corners of the globe, and we cannot wait to see you there.