Dibya’s colloquy: From Author HQ to Shakespeare at LBF 2016

The LBF is the global marketplace for rights negotiation and the sale and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film and digital channels. The Fair offers a unique opportunity to explore, understand and capitalise on the innovations shaping the publishing world of the future.

The LBF Shakesperience
From multi-lingual performances of some of Shakespeare’s most-loved works, to retellings of his plays by esteemed authors Howard Jacobson, Jeanette Winterson and Tracey Chevalier, The London Book Fair is hosting a raft of celebrations at this year’s Fair to mark the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death.

Honouring Shakespeare’s enduring impact on the global publishing industry and wider creative arts, LBF – which marks its own 45th anniversary this year – is launching The Shakesperience, with events taking place throughout The London Book Fair (12-14 April) and London Book & Screen Week (11-17 April).

Act I: Inside the Fair

A mini ‘Globe’ performance space will be erected inside Kensington Olympia during the Fair, where authors and Shakespearian actors from around the world will perform sonnets and extracts in six languages – Chinese, Spanish, Polish, Hindi, Arabic and English – in recognition of the bard’s influence around the world.

Visitors will have the chance to have their picture taken with Shakespeare in a hologram photo booth, or they can visit the Bard Tavern where Shakespeare-themed cocktails (taken from Shakespeare Not Stirred) will be on offer.

LBF will host a countdown to Shakespeare’s birthday on its social channels, as well as a social media competition to find the world’s favourite Shakespeare passage. Meanwhile, a brand showcase will display everything from Shakespeare magnets to the Booksellers Association’s ‘Bard is My Bag’ tote bags and t-shirts available for wholesale or limited purchase.

Act II: Tracey Chevalier, Howard Jacobson and Jeanette Winterson

As well as daily events at The London Book Fair, and across the capital as part of London Book and Screen Week, authors Tracy Chevalier, Howard Jacobson and Jeanette Winterson will lead Shakesperience celebrations on the second day of the Fair (Wednesday 13 April). Day two will see the Fair’s annual Author of the Day programme being dedicated solely to the bard, with various celebrations and photo calls taking place, including retellings of Shakespeare’s Othello, The Merchant of Venice, and The Winter’s Tale by Chevalier, Jacobson and Winterson respectively.

Act III: London Book & Screen Week

London Book & Screen Week – the capital’s largest celebration of books and the creative worlds they inspire – will be hosting a Shakespeare Special with Howard Jacobson among other panellists with more details to follow.

Act IV: An aside from LBF

Jacks Thomas, director, The London Book Fair, said, “As the UK’s bestselling author of all time, and one of the most widely studied authors in the world, Shakespeare’s legacy continues to be one of huge significance in our global industry. It is fitting that we will be celebrating his legacy alongside other 400 year commemorations of Cervantes and Tang Xianzhu. The London Book Fair is the perfect place to mark these celebrations and to see the full array of these great writers’ works on offer to a contemporary audience in a variety of languages and formats.”

Act V: Shakespeare’s impact around the globe  

• Shakespeare’s book sales are estimated at four billion
• If commercially owned, the Shakespeare brand is estimated to be worth £1 billion
• Shakespeare's works have been translated into more than 100 languages
• Research by the RSC and British Council in 2012 found that 50% of the world's schoolchildren study Shakespeare
• Since 1960, there have been publications and productions of Hamlet in more than 75 languages, including Klingon, Esperanto and Interlingua
• Since 2000, there have been Shakespeare movies or TV shows made in Japan, India, France, Argentina, Germany, Thailand, Italy, China, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Tibet, The Netherlands, Japan, Vietnam, Israel, Chile, Estonia, and Brazil. To these, we can add English-speaking countries Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US and the UK.
• Romeo and Juliet has been performed in 24 countries in the last ten years. These performances include musicals, ballets and puppet shows
• From 2005 to 2014, there were seven professional productions of Shakespeare and Shakespearean adaptations in Arabic
• Gdańsk in Poland has a Shakespeare Theatre, opened on the site of a historic 17th century theatre where English travelling players originally performed works of English Renaissance theatre

For details visit http://www.londonbookfair.co.uk/Shakesperience

Special LBF report on the evolution of new business models  
The report “How the new business models in the digital age have evolved” is definitely the most informative discussion of new business models on the internet that you will read. It has been written specifically to help professionals in book-related industries (publishers, libraries, universities, bookstores, agents or distribution platforms) to design the best mix of business models to meet the needs of their customers (print and digital).

No one today has a roadmap with a clear outline on which business models will last, which ones are just pure marketing, which ones are the most sustainable, etc. The evolution of the publishing business models in the digital age will become increasingly more complex. Selling single unit eBooks on online stores like Amazon, Apple, Kobo or Google is a relatively simple business model. Determining the most appropriate business conditions and pricing for a public library license is a little more complicated. Fragmenting the contents of an ebook by chapters or pages to allow later remix in the sales process is a bit more difficult to manage. Licensing content to upcoming platforms with a “pay for what you read” model entails a degree of management a bit trickier.

The aim of this report is to give book industry professionals a broader view of the many opportunities offered by new business models in the digital age and clear up some doubts or prejudices about them. The key to success in selecting a business model or another will depend on the peculiarities of each publisher, their specialisation, size, catalogue, among other things.

Dosdoce.com first published the report, sponsored by Cedro (Spanish Reproduction Rights Centre), in November 2015 in Spanish. The distribution of the paper has been a huge success with over 5,000 downloads from all over the world. As a result, the paper is now being released in English just in time for the London Book Fair and the Quantum Conference.

You can download the pdf version of the “How the new business models in the digital age have evolved” report, at the LBF site.

For writers and aspiring writers
Leading publishers, star agents and bestselling authors will be sharing their expertise in this year’s Author HQ seminar programme, which has been especially designed for writers and aspiring writers.

A fantastic line up of industry experts and bestselling authors will be on hand at the LBF to share their expertise and experience on how to get published successfully, as they take part in LBF’s Author HQ seminar programme, with Kindle Direct Publishing.

Speakers in this year’s programme include bestselling authors Peter James, Mark Dawson and Andrew Crofts, in addition to representatives from a whole range of associations, publishers and literary agencies, including the Alliance of Independent Authors, Bonnier Publishing, Conville & Walsh, Furniss Lawton, Harlequin, LAW, Nosy Crow, Pan Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Sheil Land Associates, the Society of Authors and Triskele Books.

This is the fifth year that Author HQ, LBF’s dedicated theatre for established and aspiring writers, has hosted a three-day programme of seminars especially curated to provide the knowledge, tools and insights to help writers make informed decisions about getting their work published.

This year’s Author HQ seminar programme includes:

• Independent Publishing with Amazon: This will feature the writing and publishing experience of some bestselling authors using Amazon’s independent publishing programmes: Kindle Direct Publishing, Createspace and ACX for audiobooks
• Sunday Times bestselling author, Peter James: He will talk about character and plot development and will offer a unique insight into the writing methods and creative approach of a ten-times Sunday Times No 1, international best-selling author
• Sell more books, in more formats, in more territories: This will be about how more established authors could broaden their markets 
• Successful PR and marketing strategies: This will discuss the principles of good PR and marketing, opportunities available and what can authors do to PR and market their books more effectively
• Why we commissioned these debuts: This will discuss what publishers and agents are looking for when signing up new talent
• Author collectives: What are they, how do they work, how best to set up your own, and what are the benefits/disadvantages
• Introduction to publishing: This will feature the roles of publisher and literary agent, a quick fire publishing industry overview looking at how authors, agents and publishers work together, plus top tips on how best to approach a literary agent
• Everything you need to know about today’s publishing landscape: This will offer valuable guidance on a range of topics including what you need to consider when deciding to go with a publisher or self-publish; from getting funding and evaluating offers, to navigating the legal issues of an evolving industry
• Successful social media strategies: The social media gives authors the power and ability to connect directly with their readers in a way that is fundamentally changing the way they buy books. But how can authors make the best of the opportunity? This seminar will also focus on the dos and don’ts of good website design
• Genre spotlights: Two sessions in the 2016 programme will take a more in-depth look in to the worlds of both non-fiction and children’s publishing

All Author HQ events are free-to-attend with the purchase of a three-day LBF pass, which also includes access to LBF’s extensive Insights Seminar programme of 200+ events covering all aspects of the publishing industry.

Author HQ attendees can also visit the English PEN Literary Salon where a host of writers will be in conversation about their work. This year’s English PEN Literary Salon line-up includes Marian Keyes, Howard Jacobson and Judith Kerr, who are LBF’s Authors of the Day, as well as Jeffrey Archer, Tracy Chevalier, Peter Pomerantzev, Meg Rosoff and more.

For details, visit www.londonbookfair.co.uk/visitlbf.