The London Book Fair – an update

The London Book Fair is the global marketplace for rights negotiation and the sale and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film and digital channels. Taking place every spring in the world’s premier publishing and cultural capital, it is a unique opportunity to explore, understand and capitalise on the innovations shaping the publishing world of the future. The London Book Fair 2014, the 43rd Fair, will take place from April 8-10, 2014. The London Book Fair’s Digital Minds Conference will take place the day before LBF opens, on April 7. Korea is market focus country in 2014, following Turkey in 2013.

Market Focus Author of the Day

The London Book Fair (LBF) has announced international bestselling and award-winning author Sun-mi Hwang as ‘Market Focus Author of the Day’ on April 9, in honour of Korea as The London Book Fair’s Market Focus 2014. The ‘Author of the Day’ programme showcases one author across each of the three days of the fair, through a programme including events, book signings, photo calls and meetings with international publishing contacts.

Sun-mi Hwang made her debut in 1995, and has published more than forty books enjoyed by adults and children alike. Upon its publication in 2,000, her novel The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly became an instant classic and no.1 bestseller in Korea, remaining on the bestseller list there for ten years, selling over a million copies. This critically acclaimed novel was produced into a comic book, play, and musical, and has been translated into eighteen languages and has sold over two million copies worldwide. In 2011, an animated film based on the story became the highest grossing animated film in Korean history. The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly is being published as Sun-mi Hwang’s world English language debut this November by Viking Penguin.

Amy Webster, international and market focus manager, The London Book Fair, said: “The market focus puts Korean writing in the spotlight, and the ‘Author of the Day’ programme is one of the key strands of the fair, so our ‘Market Focus Author of the Day’ nicely links together two different sections of the fair. We are very excited that Sun-mi Hwang joins the list of esteemed writers who have taken part in the ‘Author of the Day’ programme, and we are very much looking forward to hearing Hwang talk about her work.”

International awards for the book industry

London Book Fair has introduced international awards for the book industry – The London Book Fair International Book Industry Excellence Awards, which is being launched in association with The UK Publishers Association (The PA). The awards will cover all aspects of the business of publishing, including academic publishing, the supply chain, education, children’s publishing and digital innovation. A panel of UK judges, with international or discipline-specific expertise, will judge 12 individual award categories, which will include: The LBF Lifetime Achievement Award in International Publishing; The PA Award for International Copyright Protection, sponsored by awards partner, The UK Publishers Association; The British Council International New Publishing Entrepreneur of the Year Award and The LBF, The PA and the British Council Award for ‘Market Focus Innovation.’

Jacks Thomas, director, The London Book Fair, said, “Whilst there are various awards in many markets that include an international category, these awards will fill a gap by celebrating international achievement across the whole business of publishing. The awards will provide a truly global view of the book world, and provide an opportunity for the UK publishing industry to recognise, and celebrate, the excellent achievements of their international book industry colleagues.”

While, Richard Mollet, chief executive, The UK Publishers Association, said, “An award recognising the important international dimension of our industry feels long overdue, and it is right to have an occasion in the year to acknowledge it. Overseas markets continue to play a key role for UK publishers, with 41 percent of revenue coming from exports. There are numerous innovative companies and talented individuals who contribute to the continued success of British publishing internationally and we look forward to applauding their achievements.”

The London Book Fair International Book Industry Excellence Awards will be an evening event, and will take place on April 8, the first day of LBF 2014. The awards ceremony will be held in The Conference Centre, Earls Court, London.

Submissions will close in December, and the announcement of the shortlist will be issued in February 2014.

The children’s hub and the Faculty Hub@LBF 2014

The Children’s and Young Adult (YA) area of The London Book Fair (LBF) will once again have its own dedicated theatre on the show floor, which for 2014 has been re-launched as the Children’s Hub@LBF. It will showcase the new and exciting developments taking place within Children’s and YA publishing, and provide a platform for exhibitors to highlight individual successes and achievements, as well as discuss the big ideas that are changing the sector. This series of free-to-attend show floor events will be an open forum for case studies, demonstrations, discussions and networking events – all tailored to a Children’s and YA publishing audience.

The Faculty@LBF: The London Book Fair (LBF) is delighted to announce a brand new academic theatre which will feature in its Academic & Scholarly zone in 2014. The theatre, called The Faculty@LBF, will be located on the show floor. The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) is announced as official partner of The Faculty@LBF, which will also be fully supported by LBF strategic partners, The Publishers Association (The PA).