Excitement and international buzz in the air as publishers flock to LBF

Publishers were overwhelmingly glad to be back in person at London Book Fair as the first physical fair in three years opened it doors. A spirit of international collaboration was in the air, though absences from America have been noted, with reports of last-minute cancellations due to Covid disrupting meetings for some European publishers.

"There’s no denying that it has been a trying few years for everyone in the publishing industry but feeling the excitement building in Olympia as exhibitors and attendees arrive it as though no time at all has passed," said Andy Ventris, director of London Book Fair. "The London Book Fair is a unique moment in the publishing calendar and to come together in person again for the first time since 2019 is genuinely moving, reminding us of the unbeatable experience of meeting face-to-face. We hope that attendees have a wonderful fair, learning from our expert speakers, doing business, meeting old friends and making new connections. May the return of LBF mark an exciting new chapter for publishing as we look ahead to what is next for readers and publishers alike."

Penguin Random House rights assistant Agnes Watters, attending LBF for the first time, said she was not expecting the sheer volume of people who had come "just to celebrate the book fair". "It’s quite inspiring. It’s busier and more exciting than I thought it was going to be and much more buzzy". She said PRH had experienced a few no-shows from staff because of Covid casualties, although the rights team number was at least 30. 

Nigel Wyman, sales and marketing director of Gardner’s, was celebrating the widespread re-engagement with face-to-face meetings. "I’ve got back-to-back meetings today and tomorrow, people are really keen to get back to chatting and doing business. I’m not overly concerned about any issues at the moment—the normal things the industry is facing will come out of the state of shipping but also things that are happening in Ukraine. There are going to be those concerns but I think we have to get on with what we do and do it well.

Welbeck has taken a stand at the fair, making this the first book fair a Welbeck delegation has attended in person since the pandemic began.

Executive director Marcus Leaver said: "The team have got lots of meetings going on, no cancellations so far—what’s not to like? I’ve seen publishers from all over the world—South America, South-east Asia, all parts of Europe, Australia. It does feel like good [representation] globally. It’s just nice to be here."

Bridget Shine, c.e.o. of the IPG, said it was good to be back together at the book fair after three years away. "Independent publishers have adapted brilliantly to virtual meetings but we’ve all been reminded that nothing beats getting together face-to-face," she said. "We’ve got well over 100 members on our two stands and it’s been a nice start to the event for them with lots of happy reunions and steady business getting done."

Gloria Bailey, senior international book fairs manager at the Publishers Association, said publishers seemed very glad to be back. Although it was too early to tell the general feel of the fair, people seemed very excited to be there, she said. 

Kaidi Urmet, m.d. of the Estonian Publishers Association, said she had experienced a lot of very last-minute cancellations from agents who had gone down with Covid and with some absences attributed to transport delays. 

A couple of European publishers The Bookseller spoke to have experienced late cancellations with international clients, while others have been surprised by a lack of American representation.

"I was wondering whether to cancel because I thought we were all going to get Covid but I had it two weeks ago so I feel immune," said Juliet Mabey, co-founder of Oneworld. "I’ve not had many cancellations but quite a lot of people I normally meet from America, like Penguin Random House, aren’t here".

Speaking in a panel, Kate Wilson, m.d. of children’s publisher Nosy Crow, said she was "amazingly excited" to be at LBF, after testing positive for Covid while at Bologna Children’s Fair last month. She emphasised the importance of face-to-face conversations to her business. "Sixty-six percent of Nosy Crow’s revenue came from outside the UK last year. We need to talk in order to achieve sales. Our sales are dependent on these ludicrous half-hour meetings with everyone running around. Our whole existence as a publisher is predicated on these relationships".

However, for some the buzz was bittersweet. Olha Mukha, culture ambassador of Lviv and programme director of the Ukrainian Association of Cultural Studies said she had a "marked increase" in meetings and general interest from publishers because of the Russian invasion. 

"It is pretty bitter feeling—that we’ve been discovered because of this, the war in Russia, and not just because of our culture and literature which is very rich and long-term," she told The Bookseller. "The interest is growing. Our main challenge is growing awareness of Ukrainian publishing. I have many more meetings this year but it’s funny, publishers are still a bit lost with us—they don’t know where to start. Previously, they [regarded] us as a bit exotic, now it’s like, oh, this is very traumatic. Commercial publishing houses know what they want—biographies of Zelensky—but some of the bigger publishers, they don’t know and they don’t know what we have to offer. Ukrainian culture is so rich. They’re all going to be surprised."