The Frankfurt Book Fair successfully staged a live event, which is a victory in and of itself in this Covid era. Whatever the unstated expectations might have been, organizers were quick to declare they had exceeded them. President and ceo Juergen Boos says in the press release, “After 18 months, Frankfurter Buchmesse represented a new start and, considering the travel restrictions in place around the world, it far exceeded our expectations. It just shows how resilient and creative our industry is.” By the numbers, the show was far smaller than usual, and smaller than the regulations would have allowed. This […]
Book Fairs
Follett to Leave the School Book Fair Business
Follett School Solutions, the K-12 division sold by parent Follett Corporation to Francisco Partners at the beginning of September, announced that it will close its school book fair business: “Due to the pandemic, Follett School Solutions has made the difficult decision to exit the Follett Book Fair business, effective November 15, 2021,” the company said in a brief statement. They added, “On this date, we will also pause our eFair business and will reevaluate this offering in the future.” CEO Britten Follett indicated to SLJ they have been getting as many as 50 cancellations a week and “there was no real […]
Winter Institute Will Require Vaccination, Limit Visitors
The American Booksellers Association is planning on convening a live Winter Institute 17 (aka Wi2022) in Cincinnati, from February 13 to February 16, and will open to registration on September 20. Vaccination will be required for attendance, though the organization is still determining “an appropriate screening method.” Along with that policy, “Due to COVID-related issues such as government mandates and social distancing, ABA has made the difficult decision to limit our attendance to North American attendees.” Attendees will need to pay careful attention to hotel and travel cancellation policies; as for the ABA’s attendance fees, refunds “will only be offered […]
Beijing Book Fair Reschedules for September
After an abrupt postponement right before its planned start on August 25, the Beijing International Book Fair announced that it will proceed, running from September 14 through September 18. As previously planned, they will run a digital edition in parallel with the live fair. The BIBF International Publishing Forum is set to open on September 12, with much of the focus on technology and the education and STM professional publishing sectors.
Beijing Book Fair Is Postponed
The world is not ready for big indoor gatherings yet. The Beijing Book Fair is the latest event to reckon with reality. Scheduled to begin tomorrow, August 25, the organizers posted a cancellation notice: “Due to strict pandemic prevention and control measures adopted currently, the organizing committee of the Beijing International Book Fair announces that the 28th BIBF originally scheduled on 25th to 29th August will be postponed to a later date. The organizing committee will closely follow the progress of pandemic prevention and control in Beijing and release the latest information regarding the 28th BIBF as soon as possible.”
Bouchercon Cancels Planned Late August Event
Bouchercon, the annual crime fiction event, had planned on convening live again in New Orleans from August 25 through August 29. But with the spread of the Delta variant, and high infection rates in Louisiana in particular, organizers announced by email that the event has been cancelled. The show, which travels every year, will revisit New Orleans in 2025. The Anthony Awards will still be held, with more information to follow “in the next few weeks.” But there will be no broader pivot to a full virtual conference, since “the planning and cost is prohibitive.” The organization will provide full […]