Frankfurter Buchmesse 2024: Positive report from midway through the fair

More than 4,300 exhibitors and an expected 114,000 trade visitors from 131 countries / Elif Shafak about the power of storytelling / A platform for democratic discourse / Tickets for Saturday sold out

During the first three days (16-18 October 2024) of the 76th Frankfurter Buchmesse, 9 percent more trade visitors from 131 countries have attended the fair. Thus, the total number of trade visitors is expected to amount to 114,000 by the last day of the book fair (2023: 105,000 trade visitors from 130 countries). This year, more than 4,300 exhibitors have been presenting their books, products and services at the fair, which presents a 7.5 percent increase in comparison to 2023 (4,000 exhibitors). The Saturday of the fair (19 October) is already sold out. The fair continues to run till Sunday evening (20 October), with book fair tickets for Sunday still available.

This year, the sold-out Literary Agents & Scouts Centre (LitAg) hosted 320 agencies from 31 countries; in the LitAg and the Publishers Rights Centre 593 tables were sold in total (2023: 588 tables). Some of the significant rights deals at the fair were a memoir by formerly imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, the global acquisition of three historical novels from Philippa Gregory, and “The Rainshadow Orphans” fantasy trilogy by British writer Naomi Ishiguro. 

 Literature can and must be “an act of hope”

At the fair’s Opening Press Conference on Tuesday, 15 October, British-Turkish bestselling novelist Elif Shafak emphasized the importance of literature for our society. She said that literature can and must be “an act of hope. An act of resistance. Not resistance through violence, but through the ability to remind us of our common humanity”. Literature can give a voice to the unheard: “The art and craft of storytelling is universal. Literature brings the periphery to the centre, to rehumanise people who have been dehumanised”, Elif Shafak further elaborated.

At today’s event on storytelling and human rights, organised by the United Nations in cooperation with Frankfurter Buchmesse, author Corinna Kulenkamp said: “Storytelling is a human right, yes, but in these times storytelling becomes a human obligation.” 

Frankfurter Buchmesse’s Director Juergen Boos pointed out at the Opening Ceremony that the fair is not only a place to do business, but also a platform for democratic discourse: “It is not about who raises the voice the loudest. It is about listening to each other. It is about discussions and conversations that lead to openness, exchange and respectful perception of different perspectives. This is the idea of Frankfurt. The book fair as a platform for peaceful and democratic discourse. For authors, thinkers, illustrators, translators, publishers, journalists and culture fans from all over the world.”

Key international writers appearing at the book fair this week include bestselling author of "Sapiens" Yuval Noah Harari, Filipina author and documentary filmmaker Patricia Evangelista, and this year’s recipient of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, Anne Applebaum.
From this year’s Guest of Honour country, Italy, more than 90 authors are attending the fair, including writers Roberto Saviano, Donatella di Pietrantonio, Antonio Scurati, Francesca Melandri, Igiaba Scego and many more. The Italian Publishers Association AIE also organised a comprehensive trade programme. 

Well-attended trade programme: From a big book business to a ‘big authors business’

In front of packed audiences, on stages across the fairgrounds, the top speakers of the professional programme discussed the changing publishing industry. CEO of Hachette UK and Hachette Book Group US David Shelley’s key message was that publishing has shifted from being a big book business to a ‘big authors business’ with publishers increasingly pushing backlist titles. CEO of Copyright Clearance Center Tracey Armstrong focused on the importance of creating responsible solutions and policies for the use of AI to better protect copyright and intellectual property. And bestselling children’s and YA books author Cornelia Funke talked about the responsibility we all have to tell international stories that talk about love and tolerance in a world with crises and rising polarisation.

Further hot topics discussed on the book fair’s stages included sustainability, translation and audio. Some of these topics even collided, as famous actor, audiobook narrator, and audio-original author Richard Armitage highlighted how important the human element is for audiobook narration and how it brings the story to life in a way that an AI narrator could not. 

#BookTok, which has also been buzzed about on panels throughout the fair, has ushered in a new era of author fandom, which manifested itself at the fair in opening a new hall focussed on New Adult, where numerous events about creative writing and self-publishing took place and where fan-driven events with authors will be taking place at the weekend.

Tickets for the book fair Sunday can still be purchased online: https://www.buchmesse.de/en/visit/tickets(opens in a new window)
The number of tickets for the book fair weekend is limited.