Frankfurt expects 1,500 exhibitors with 60 publishers from US and UK

Sixty publishers from the UK and North America are expected to attend Frankfurt Book Fair next month, organisers have said.

Taking place from 20th to 24th October, members of the international publishing industry will convene at the 73rd Frankfurter Buchmesse under the motto "Re:connect – Welcome back to Frankfurt". Roughly 1,500 exhibitors from more than 70 countries along with 200 authors will attend the physical fair, organisers told a press conference.

Nine authors are expected to attend in person from this year's guest of honour nation Canada, while Margaret Atwood will be dialling in to the event digitally. A delegation from China and India is set to arrive, though Juergen Boos, president of Frankfurter Buchmesse, noted this year would see "very little representation" from South America and the US. In the press preview, Boos noted numbers of international delegates registered to attend have fallen this year and are expected to number between 700 and 800, down on 2019's total of 4,000 people.

Commenting on the forthcoming event, he said: "We've been waiting for this moment for — well it feels like 100 years.

“The focus of this year’s Frankfurter Buchmesse will be reuniting with colleagues and authors from around the world. Books proved themselves to be particularly resilient and popular as a medium during the pandemic. Anyone who wants to comprehend the complexity of our times appreciates the creativity and expertise exhibited by writers and the editorial care required for producing books. Literature connects readers all over the world. This year, the book fair will once again bring together the global industry for one week in Frankfurt – and, naturally, people everywhere around the world will be able to follow all the action live."

North America, Latin America and Asia will all be represented in the exhibition halls with national stands, as will the major European book markets, including France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Central and Eastern Europe, organisers said. Virtually all of the major German publishing groups and a range of German-language literary and non-fiction publishers have also registered to take part.

UK publishers including Faber and Canongate have chosen to join in the digital fair instead, with large UK houses such as PRH, Hachette and HarperCollins also choosing not to send people in person.