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Frankfurt 'concentrated and quiet', says Boos

01.01.70 | Philip Jones

This year's Frankfurt Book Fair was the second busiest in its 61-year history, according to the final numbers released by the organiser. The figures belie the quiet mood in the international Hall 8, where estimates suggested numbers were down as much as 20%, with fewer editors and fewer American publishers in attendance.

But Frankfurt Book Fair director Juergen Boos said "many publishers found this fair to be the best in a long time". He added: "The conversations were more intense, the atmosphere was concentrated and quiet." In all, there were 290,469 visitors to the fair, 2.9% less than the record-breaking year 2008. These guests included 181,155 trade visitors, 2.7% less than the record-breaking year before.

In the Literary Agents & Scouts Centre, the heart of the rights and licence trade, there were 14,317 visitors marking a 2.6% increase compared to last year. “All in all, it was a highly optimistic trade Fair, with strong growth in licence sales,” Boos said.

Echoing his quote from Friday's Bookseller Daily at the fair, David Miller from the literary agency Rogers, Coleridge & White said: "We’ve done more deals [at the fair] than ever." Miller also questioned the absence of editors. But David Roche, group sales and trade marketing director at HarperCollins, said the fair remained "incredibly useful". He said: "I have found it invaluable to have the chance to meet and catch up with key international contacts over a few packed days.”

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By stephen bateman

Juergen Boos would say this. Nonetheless, anyone seriously watching consumer behaviour knows that things must change. My forecast is another downturn in numbers. Communications, broadband, electronic catalogs and FTP sites and file transfer will change the way we do business. Let's see how attendance goes next year. Conversations in corridors, booths and restaurants were largely about digital initiatives and how to get more from less. I doubt very much publishers were there with open shopping trolleys. Overstocks and saturation is a reality of most markets. There was too much same old same old and not nearly enough remarkable product. Read more here http://digitalbookworld.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/frankfurt-the-baby-and-...

Thu, 27/01/2011 - 11:43
By stephen bateman

Juergen Boos would say this. Nonetheless, anyone seriously watching consumer behaviour knows that things must change. My forecast is another downturn in numbers. Communications, broadband, electronic catalogs and FTP sites and file transfer will change the way we do business. Let's see how attendance goes next year. Conversations in corridors, booths and restaurants were largely about digital initiatives and how to get more from less. I doubt very much publishers were there with open shopping trolleys. Overstocks and saturation is a reality of most markets. There was too much same old same old and not nearly enough remarkable product. Read more here http://digitalbookworld.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/frankfurt-the-baby-and-...

Thu, 27/01/2011 - 11:43

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