UK's physical attendance at Frankfurt Book Fair set to be minimal

The Frankfurt Book Fair looks set to see only a very small attendance from the British publishing industry this year, as companies spoken to by The Bookseller have overwhelmingly said they are choosing not to send representatives because of the Covid-19 pandemic.  

An exception is the Publishers Association, which has confirmed it “is still organising for a small group of publishers to attend Frankfurt Book Fair”, although it has made no further details available.

Industry professionals have unanimously agreed they will be attending the virtual events put on by FBF, and scheduling online meetings with international contacts. 

Rebecca Wearmouth, international rights director at Peters Fraser + Dunlop, said: “No one from PFD will be physically in attendance in Frankfurt, it was discussed at length as an agency and decided that, whilst we love attending book fairs, the safety and health of PFD’s members of staff must take priority. We will still of course be treating the coming months very much as 'Frankfurt season' and expect it to be as busy and buzzing as ever, if not more so. We’ll still be putting out a rights guide, which we’re now working on, and we have many exciting projects and submissions lined up for the fair.”

The agency is organising a series of virtual events that will take place prior to the fair, with a #MeetTheAuthors initiative that will offer international editors the opportunity to connect with PFD and DGA authors directly.
 
“The entire rights team is also now scheduling Zoom meetings with international editors throughout October and late September, with our schedules already looking even busier than a normal fair,” Wearmouth added. 

Clare Alexander at Aitken Alexander also confirmed that no one from the agency would be going to Germany, but said it was planning “a large number of meetings” as part of the virtual fair, to begin in late September. 

Sophie Hicks confirmed she and her colleagues would not be attending for “the first time in 30 years”, but was optimistic about the outcome. “We are able to adapt to the circumstances and we will be in touch and are in touch with colleagues and partners around the world, selling rights through conversations and emails and using online tools,” she said. “I do believe that nothing is quite as productive as a face to face meeting, but ultimately it is about having the dialogue and that we can and will continue to do.”

Bridget Shine, chief executive of the International Publishers Guild, acknowledged that some publishers still hoped to visit Frankfurt, but confirmed the organisation wouldn’t be taking its two collective stands this year. She said: "We and our members will miss it—especially after the cancellation of The London Book Fair in the spring—but we plan to play an active part in Frankfurt's digital activity. We're exploring the best ways to support members' participation as the Book Fair's plans develop, and will be looking for other opportunities to connect independent publishers with the international community so they can continue their global growth.”

The IPG will be holding its autumn conference on Wednesday 21st October, and is expecting publishers from overseas to join in. 

The leading trade publishers, including Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, Pan Macmillan and Macmillan US, Bloomsbury, Simon & Schuster and Bonnier Books UK withdrew from the physical fair earlier this summer, despite fair organisers planning measures for increased cleaning and social distancing. Smaller publishers including Bluemoose Books, Orenda and Galley Beggar have also confirmed they will not be attending. 

Representatives from academic publishers including Taylor & Francis, Springer Nature and Oxford University Press have now also told The Bookseller they will not be participating in the fair physically this year, but intend to “take full advantage of the event’s virtual offering”. A spokesperson from Springer Nature said: “After careful consideration and taking into account the possible health risks and the well-being of our employees, we have decided not to participate in the physical Frankfurt Book Fair this year. We are, however, working with the organizers and exploring new ways of bringing together authors, visitors, customers, and our colleagues in a virtual concept to support the international publishing community in these unprecedented times.” 

The Frankfurt Book Fair supervisory board gave the event the go-ahead in May, following weeks of speculation. At the time, Uwe Behm, executive board member of fair organiser Messe Frankfurt, said: “Frankfurter Buchmesse is part of the DNA of this city and also an icon of the trade-fair sector. We are very pleased that the industry has decided to hold the book fair in 2020, thus sending a very positive economic signal. As is always the case at Messe Frankfurt, the safety and health of all participants are being given top priority. We have developed detailed measures for social distancing, visitor flow and hygiene and will adapt them to the latest developments and requirements."

Though many agents have expressed sadness about not being able to attend the fair, others are excited for the opportunities the virtual event presents.

Wearmouth said: “I think the flexibility of not having to cram all of our meetings into one week is really interesting. It feels like this will be a really exciting book fair season, the current circumstances are pushing everyone to come up with innovative new ways to work and connect—which is a really good and useful thing. 

“I personally am of course sad not to be seeing our friends in the international publishing community, and book fairs are also of course great fun—but I do think this book fair season will be a very special and interesting one.” 

FBF representatives have not commented to The Bookseller for this article.