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Penguin Random House UK and HarperCollins will not be physically present at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, which is running as a hybrid event, although scores of other UK firms are expected to make the trip.
Around 70 British and Irish companies are signed up to be physically present at October's Book Fair. Those listed on the fair website as taking part include the likes of Macmillan, Hachette, Blake Friedmann, DHH Literary Agency, Gardners, Nosy Crow, Publishing Ireland, The O’Brien Press and Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV and Film Agency. However, a number of big names are missing.
When contacted by The Bookseller, PRH in the UK confirmed it would not be physically attending this year’s fair. A spokesperson said: “From a UK perspective, we will be attending and supporting this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair virtually in an effort to keep our colleagues safe.” The US side of the business said it had decided to do the same, although Penguin Random House Germany will have a large stand.
The Bookseller understands that HarperCollins will only attend virtually while Bloomsbury will also not have a physical presence at the event. Kathleen Farrar, Bloomsbury's group sales and marketing director, said: “ We would very much like to see our customers, but this year we will not be attending FIBF. The various lockdowns have shown us that we can work productively remotely, and this year and are conducting our own digital roadshows. We have worked hard to pivot to digital selling and have reaped the rewards alongside our customers in international territories, but we are looking forward to a time when we can meet our customers in person.”
Canongate Books and literary agency Peters Fraser & Dunlop (PFD) have also made the decision to conduct a digital book fair this year instead of making the trip to Germany. Canongate will be holding digital meetings through October and organising a new titles showcase webinar for our sub-agents."
Head of international rights at PFD, Rebecca Wearmouth, told The Bookseller: “We thought long and hard about Frankfurt as we would love to attend a physical book fair and to see our international colleagues in the flesh again, as I’m sure everyone would.
“But having spoken to friends and colleagues within the industry and having carefully considered the health risks of attending an international conference at this moment in time, we decided that the best choice for PFD was to stay in the UK and conduct a digital book fair.
“From conversations with agencies and editors around the world, it seems this is the decision the majority of the international publishing community has made also. Besides, our schedules for October are already filling up with digital meetings and I’m not sure how, practically, one would conduct a hybrid of physical and digital meetings whilst at the fair”.
She added: “We instead plan to conduct trips to individual territories — Covid restrictions allowing — in November/December. In the meantime we’re looking forward to the digital fair. We have so much exciting stuff coming this autumn and can’t wait to start shouting about it. I am keeping everything crossed that London Book Fair next year will be a full-blown physical fair. How wonderful would that be?"
However, some publishers and agents are still intending to make the trip. Atlantic Books said its rights director Alice Latham is planning on attending “all being well”.
Frankfurt organisers told The Bookseller that there are currently 60 exhibitors from the UK and 13 from Ireland planning to be physically present at the fair.
Frankfurter Buchmesse director Juergen Boos said: “Interested exhibitors can still register — our staff will be happy to advise. Currently, exhibitors from more than 60 countries are registered in Frankfurt, including 41 national stands from countries such as the US, China, Japan, France, Norway, Hungary, Canada, Italy and many more. Our aim is to organise a safe event for all participants in accordance with the applicable hygiene regulations. All the measures we are putting in place will serve to protect the participants.”
Last month organisers said the fair will go ahead at 50% capacity and attendees will have to provide documentation showing they are fully vaccinated or that they have been tested for Covid-19 and are negative.