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Claire Tomalin, Boris Akunin and Julia Donaldson along with illustrator Axel Scheffler have been chose as authors of the day at this year's London Book Fair.
Each author will spend a day at the fair, which runs from 11th-13th April, showcasing their work across seminars, book signings, events and photo opportunities.
Tomalin, the author of biographies of the likes of Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Samuel Pepys, Mary Wollstonecraft and Katherine Mansfield, will appear at the fair on the 11th. Her forthcoming biography of Charles Dickens will be published by Viking in October 2011, ahead of the 200th anniversary of his birth.
Market focus for this year's fair is Russia with crime author Boris Akunin appearing on 12th April. His Erast Fandorin series of novels have sold more than 18m copies in Russia alone.
The final day will host Gruffalo creators Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Since publication in 1999, The Gruffalo has sold more than four million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 30 languages.
Alistair Burtenshaw, group exhibition director of the London Book Fair, said: “The Author of the Day programme is one of the key linchpins of the fair, and we are delighted to welcome authors of such huge national and international acclaim. Claire, Boris, Julia and Axel represent a wonderful breadth of publishing genres and we are very fortunate to be able to showcase authors who command such tremendous respect on the global publishing stage. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate The London Book Fair’s 40th anniversary year!”