Self-described “book nerd” and “publishing nerd” Michael Piestch, ceo of Hachette Book Group USA, opened a live gathering in New York of the Book Industry Study Group’s annual meeting on Friday morning with a keynote speech. (HBG resumes having employees back in the New York office two days a week starting next week.) Echoing Charles Dickens’ line “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” Pietsch eloquently encapsulated both the record revenues and profits and increased efficiency and flexibility publishers have enjoyed during the pandemic, alongside the “Holy Gutenberg” wave of “some of the biggest and […]
Book Fairs
Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair Postponed
The China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair (CCBF) has been moved to July 22-24, due to Shanghai’s COVID regulations. The fair had been planned for March 20-22, overlapping with the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. In 2023, the CCBF is planning to return to its schedule of hosting the fair in the fall.
SIBA, NAIBA Reimagine Trade Shows; AWP Commits to In-Person Conference
The Southern Independent Booksellers Association and New Atlantic Booksellers Association have reinvented New Voices New Rooms, the joint virtual conference the organizations developed two years ago. In a departure from fall regional bookseller shows, NVNR will hold two virtual events, in the spring and summer, which organizers say works better for booksellers’ buying schedules and doesn’t conflict with other events. The May 17-18 conference will focus on author events, and the August 8-11 conference will look similar to the past NVNR with “education, bookseller retreats, author presentations, new and upcoming titles, and publisher studios.” After pausing to reassess its plans, […]
AWP Reassessing In-Person Conference
The Association of Writers & Writing Programs is reconsidering its in-person conference and book fair, currently scheduled for March 23-26 in Philadelphia, due to rising Covid cases. While no decision has been made about canceling, the organization is working with its hotel partners and the city of Philadelphia to determine next steps, and the link to register for the event has been disabled. AWP had planned for a simultaneous virtual version of the conference, with some in-person events livestreamed and some prerecorded virtual events. In December, AWP updated its safety policy, stating that all attendees must be vaccinated, per Philadelphia’s […]
London, Bologna Children’s Book Fairs Still Plan In Person Events
We have seen this episode before — twice. As the most contagious variant of Covid-19 to date has yet to peak, and as most companies still have no formal plans to bring all employees back to the office, you are being encouraged to plan on international book fairs. Organizers of both the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and the London Book Fair and are saying, for now, that the events will be in person and are encouraging registration. In 2021, both fairs first rescheduled their in-person events, before going fully virtual. In 2020, both fairs resisted cancelling until customers made the […]
The Next London Book Fair Issue: Less Space
After being disappointed during the pandemic with stingy, conditional refunds and late cancellation decisions, London Book Fair customers face another issue for 2022: Limited space. Due to construction at the Olympia exhibition center, along with pandemic precautions, there will be less about 20 percent less space available for exhibitors — and similar constraints for rights tables. The rights center will be relocated for the year to the ground floor, with space for only “425 tables compared to just over 500 in 2019.” And “the majority of these tables have been allocated to those who rolled over their investment from 2020.” […]