Film and TV deluge drives ‘extremely lively’ LBF 2024, despite its earlier scheduling

An early London Book Fair (LBF) exceeded expectations this year as publishers and agents from around the world gathered at Olympia for an “extremely lively” event. A strong presence of TV and film producers from the US was noted by many, as adaptations of frontlist and backlist books were in high demand.

With a revived presence of publishers and producers from the US in particular, many felt LBF was busier than it has been since the pandemic, despite running earlier this year owing to a clash with the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Stephanie Thwaites, head of Curtis Brown’s book department, said: “The fair did feel a little early but actually it has worked well and has certainly felt extremely lively, so I’d be happy with it staying around this time, particularly if it means it will be as well attended.”

Caroline Michel, c.e.o. and literary agent at Peter Fraser + Dunlop (PFD), said that she “cannot remember a busier first day” of the fair, while Rebecca Wearmouth, head of international rights at the agency, added that everyone seemed in “bright, positive spirits, more so than at LBF or [Frankfurt] last year”. Wearmouth noted the return of Asian publishers this year, while Lucy Hale, m.d. of Pan, said the publisher’s stand had returned to pre-pandemic footfall for the first time.

Hale noted high demand for romantasy, while Emily Krump, editorial director at William Morrow, highlighted a spiking interest in horror. Wearmouth said international interest in popular science remains strong, while Grace Paul, editorial director at Bloomsbury, noted an interest in influencer books and psychology titles about “internal family systems” and “polyvagal theory”.

There were a few big books of the fair, with Madeleine Milburn claiming that more than 20 UK and US publishers were chasing Elizabeth Arnott’s The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives. “It’s a truly global response to a story set in sun-baked 1960s California, following three brave-hearted ex-wives of serial killers who come together to solve a string of missing person cases in their idyllic neighbourhood,” Milburn said. Catherine Cho of Paper Literary highlighted Austin Taylor’s Notes on Infinity, acquired in a six-figure deal in the UK and a seven-figure deal in the US.

Rory Scarfe and Hattie Grünewald at The Blair Partnership spotlighted Broken Country— Clare Leslie Hall’s “love triangle with the pulse of a thriller” — which was pre-empted by John Murray in the UK and has sold in 23 territories, while John Ash of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) closed an eight-way auction for Missouri Williams’ The Vivisectors, with Kishani Widyaratna at Fourth Estate victorious.

With big books come big adaptations, and the presence of TV and film producers was noted by agents and publishers alike. Clare Alexander of Aitken Alexander said that this is a particularly “lively” market, and that there is a lot of “excitement around book content”, driving producers to LBF. Juliet Mushens of Mushens Entertainment said she met with many American TV and film producers, adding that following the writers’ strike in the US, there is a renewed sense of “ambition and enthusiasm” in acquiring and developing intellectual property. Agent Milburn concluded: “I feel truly energised by the US and film and TV presence at the fair this year. The International Rights Centre is busier than ever, and this eagerness to find new talent only benefits the book trade.”