Hachette UK joins Frankfurt absentee list but some firms may travel

Hachette has joined a growing number of UK companies that will not physically attend the Frankfurt Book Fair this year, although some firms do still plan to travel. 

The Bookseller revealed last week that HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Bloomsbury, Canongate and PFD will not go to Germany and will attend in a virtual capacity only. Although around 70 British and Irish companies are signed up to be physically present, some of these have now decided to not attend the event, running from 20th to 24th October 2021, but instead take advantage of its digital offerings. However, a number of agencies like Blake Friedmann and Andrew Nurnberg Associates are expected to make the trip.

Hachette was originally listed on the exhibitor list for this year’s fair but neither Hachette UK nor its US teams will now be present. “Amid the continued uncertainty around international travel due to Covid-19, we have made the difficult decision not to take a stand at Frankfurt this year,” a spokesperson said.

“While we’d love to gather in person once again, sadly it currently looks unlikely to be in 2021. We will look again at the situation closer to the time and reassess depending on the evolution of the pandemic. We also plan to participate in the digital programme and arrange virtual meetings of our own, as we did last year.” However Fabrice Bakhouche, deputy c.e.o. at Hachette Livre, will be delivering a global c.e.o. talk on 20th October. 

Nosy Crow, another publisher down to exhibit, has also decided to cancel its stand. “The Frankfurt Book Fair this year was always going to be a hybrid event at best for us and we have a full programme of virtual meetings booked already,” m.d. Kate Wilson said. “But we have recently decided, with real sadness, that the number of our customers attending the fair isn’t sufficient to warrant our taking a stand, so we’ve cancelled ours. This doesn’t mean that we can’t choose to attend later in some capacity: Frankfurt Book Fair is being hugely and helpfully flexible in offering daily workstations.” 

The DHH Literary Agency was also originally listed to exhibit but m.d. David Headley revealed its staff will not go after all. “Our attendance on their website is from our previous booking but we aren’t attending the fair,” he told The Bookseller. “From the conversations we have had with our colleagues abroad, there isn’t an appetite to attend physically and so we will continue with online meetings again this year.” 

Fellow literary agency David Higham Associates has also chosen not to travel to Frankfurt. Alice Howe, translation rights director told The Bookseller: “We’ve decided that Frankfurt this year will be another virtual fair for DHA. We thought long and hard about the decision — we’re missing our international contacts immensely and can’t wait to see them again in the flesh — but having spoken with many contacts it seems the majority of publishers and agencies have also opted not to travel to Frankfurt in person this year so online meetings feel the most effective." Howe predicted the agency would start making international trips again in the spring.

Literary scout Lucy Abrahams also revealed neither she nor any of her clients are physically going to the fair. She said: "When most people have already decided they’re not going, so is it worth it for a handful of meetings?” However, she added: “I am desperately missing seeing people in person of course, but we’re not out of this thing yet. I do feel terrible for the organisers and I worry about the long-term impact on the way that we all do business. It’s a miserable thing to have so little human contact.” 

Several organisations are taking a watch-and-wait approach including the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency which is still finalising its plans. 

Gordon Wise, joint m.d. of books at Curtis Brown, echoed this, saying: “Our primary and English language Curtis Brown agents are keeping an eye on who is attending from the States and considering any key in-person meetings in respect of our major translation market authors, but have not made firm plans yet. However, Jake Smith-Bosanquet, who is joint head of translation rights, confirms that we are already planning full virtual schedules for all the translation rights agents and, looking at our material and line-up, are anticipating another successful remote Frankfurt.”  

He added: “Mindful of the invaluable relationship-building nature of the in real life fairs, a focus group may well attend in person for some intensive sessions after such a long time of being apart from overseas colleagues. As ever, we fully expect the weeks around FBF to provide an exciting focal-point to the rights selling calendar.” 

Sheila Crowley, agent at Curtis Brown, is hopeful of travel picking up this month. “We are starting to receive meeting requests from Dutch and German editors, who are planning London visits in September," she said. "This is an exciting development.” 

RCW will not visit the fair but plans to travel internationally before the end of 2021. "We will not be attending the Frankfurt Book Fair this year and will focus on digital meetings in October but we have also already made plans to visit publishers in several European countries before the end of the year in order to support our international publications and discuss new projects," Laurence Laluyaux, foreign rights director and agent, said. "We look forward to seeing publishers in their offices, visiting bookshops and also hope to be able to attend some of the literary festivals that have invited our authors."

However, Blake Friedmann's James Pusey, head of translation rights, said the agency would be heading to Germany, though fewer people would go than usual.

He said: "At Blake Friedmann, we’re currently still planning to attend with a slightly smaller team than usual, and to use the opportunity of what I think will be a quietish fair to catch up with a few important contacts and perhaps to meet some independent German publishers we’ve not seen before. The prospect of meeting friends in person for the first time in 18 months is a strong draw, but our final decision on whether to travel will depend on the status of the pandemic and the feelings of our colleagues. We’ve been making digital appointments for the week or so before the fair, in case circumstances prevent us from attending."

Andrew Nurnberg Associates, listed as an exhibitor, also still intends to go and was featured as a headliner in an extensive line-up revealed on 1st September. Frankfurt organisers announced that publishers, service providers and literary agents from more than 60 countries have registered with more than 110 organisations participating in the book fair for the first time this year.  

Organisers promise a strong physical presence with up to 25,000 participants able to visit each day, saying: “Many exhibitors will be present at 41 national collective stands, including those from Argentina, Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Japan, Switzerland, Taiwan and Hungary."

Juergen Boos, president of Frankfurter Buchmesse, said: “What we’re hearing from many exhibitors is that in-person interactions cannot be replaced by digital venues. That’s why this year we’re working to bring people back together, so the industry can emerge from the crisis stronger than before. The strategies that have proven successful in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic will be one of the most frequently discussed topics at this year’s fair, along with diversity and sustainability.”  

Safety measures include an indoor air supply of 100% fresh, non-recirculated air, a “generous” layout of the exhibition halls and entrances, intensive cleaning procedures, catering that reflects current health and safety needs and the wearing of masks, organisers said. According to current planning, entrance to the fairgrounds will only be permitted to individuals who are vaccinated, who have recently tested negative or who have recovered from Covid-19. Online ticketing will ensure contact tracing will be possible, if necessary.  

Part of the trade programme will take place online before the book fair itself, in the week of 11th to 15th October. This will include the two-day Frankfurt Conference and masterclasses, intensive sessions for sharing best practices and detailed expertise.