76th Frankfurter Buchmesse begins

The book fair’s opening ceremony took place on 15 October 2024 under the motto “FBM24 is Reading – Read. Reflect. Relate.” 

With the New Adult area in Hall 1.2, FBM24 has designed a new space that reflects the growing interest young readers in particular have in meeting their preferred authors in person. The area’s 8,000 square metres will offer an additional home to the successful New Adult genre and its subgenres Romantasy and Dark College, along with many queer publishing houses. At the weekend, the numerous fans of these literary worlds can interact with authors such as Jane S. Wonda on the New Adult Stage. 

As an international platform for exploring the pressing socio-political issues of our time, Frankfurter Buchmesse 2024 has curated an extensive programme featuring international names from the worlds of academia, culture and politics. 

For the first time, the events are being brought together under a programme, especially created for that purpose: Frankfurt Calling – Perspectives on Culture and Politics. This is where global perspectives on major issues, such as democracy, human rights, artificial intelligence, climate change and education, will be explored. The panels, readings and performances will look at other topics as well, including Russia’s war against Ukraine, the Middle East conflict and reactions to it, black feminism, and the global rise of populism. 

The main venue for the events will be the iconic Frankfurt Pavilion located on the Agora of the fairgrounds. The programme has been put together by Frankfurter Buchmesse and its partners, such as the UN, Amnesty International, Memorial, PEN Berlin, CORRECTIV, SZ and Bildungsstätte Anne Frank. Thought-provoking authors such as Roberto Saviano, Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim, Eva Menasse and Omri Boehm will discuss the issues shaping public discourse. 

One of the highlights of the Frankfurt Calling series will be the encounter between Israeli historian and bestselling author Yuval Noah Harari and Japanese philosopher and capitalism sceptic Kohei Saito. On 16 October, they will discuss the question “Is a system reboot the only way to have a future worth living?” Harari became world-famous with his book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. In his new work Nexus, he addresses the danger that today’s information networks pose to the future of humanity. In his bestseller Slow Down, Saito lays out a radical critique of growth and argues from a Marxist perspective for a democratic reform of work and production. 

During its 76th edition, the Frankfurt Book Fair will once again use its trade programme to create “media neighbourhoods”, which are crucial for the book industry’s growth. In cooperation with the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Frankfurter Buchmesse will host a Games Business Centre for the first time. The centre will be the go-to space for all publishers, developers and vendors from the games industry. This is where they can network with publishers, film producers and trade visitors at the largest international book fair. 

“Books to film”, a topic of strategic importance for the licensing business, will once again receive a great deal of attention. The aim is to help film producers find material for literary adaptations while promoting interactions between publishers’ representatives and film producers. At the traditional Book-to-Screen Day (18 October), a Book-to-Screen Talk will take place in the Frankfurt Pavilion at 2.00 pm: writer Fatma Aydemir will speak with Aslı Özarslan about her adaptation of Aydemir’s novel Ellbogen (Elbow) and how good stories find their way from books to the big screen. 

This year, Frankfurter Buchmesse is once again demonstrating its indispensability as a venue for professional exchange in the global book industry, thanks to its fully booked Literary Agents & Scouts Centre (LitAg), the largest meeting place of its kind worldwide, as well as an expanded Audio area and an increase in international stages and trade events, including high-ranking CEO talks. 

With more than 90 authors travelling to Frankfurt, Italy, this year’s Guest of Honour, will be presenting the full range of its contemporary publishing portfolio. 

The new Centre of Words in Hall 4.1 will be the central meeting point when it comes to literature and translation. Jointly organised by the trade association Verband der Literaturübersetzer*innen (VdÜ), the German Literature Fund and Kunststiftung NRW, in cooperation with Frankfurter Buchmesse, the centre will have its own stage and a networking area, allowing authors and literary translators to interact with publishers, critics and agents. Trade visitors and the general public can expect a broad programme featuring guests from German-speaking countries and beyond. 

One of the new additions in the international exhibitor area will be the Asia Stage in Hall 5.1. On all five days of the fair, the stage will host readings and events on literary and cultural-political topics with authors from various Asian countries and regions. On trade visitor days, the events will focus on trends and developments in the Asian book market. Numerous networking opportunities will also allow visitors to make contact with players from Asia’s publishing community. 

India at Frankfurt Book Fair

This year, Trisha De Niyogi, COO and director, Niyogi Books, has been invited to the Frankfurt Fellowship Programme 2024.

The Frankfurt Fellowship Programme was launched in 1998 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Frankfurter Buchmesse, with the Zev Birger Fellowship (Jerusalem) serving as a model. The programme focuses on the exchange of information, professional dialogue, and the expansion of an international book industry network. Until now, almost 400 young publishers from more than 60 countries have participated in the Frankfurt Fellowship and created a long-lasting international network.

Meanwhile, Sahitya Akademi will display 100 of its titles and will engage with publishers all over the world to sell rights. The effort is a part of Sahitya Akademi’s commitment to promote Indian literature beyond the shores of India. 

More than 100 Indian publishers and book printers are attending the 76th Frankfurt Book Fair. These include Aadarsh; Academic (India); Ailaysa Technologies; Alka Publications; ASAP Global E-Books; B Jain Publishers; BK Publications; Booklover Publishing House; BPB Publications; Brijbasi Art Press; CAPEXIL; CBS Publishers & Distributors; CDC Printers; Chennai International Book Fair; Chowdhry Export House; Compro Technologies; Dreamland Publications; DrillBit SoftTech India; Eclat Engineering; Ethir Veliyeedu; Exeter Premedia; Five Morsels Press; Gita Publishing House; Goodwill Books International; Index International; Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR); Institute of Social and Cultural Studies; Integra Software Services; Jadavpur University Press; Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers; Kalachuvadu Publications; Thomson Press (India); KITABOO; Koral Books; Lapiz Digital Services; Little Pearl Books (a division of Nutech Print Services - India); Lumina Datamatics; Majestic Book Club; Mammoth World; Manipal Technologies; Manoj Publications; Mapin Publishing; Maple Press; Margdarshan Productions; Medicca Press; Motilal Banarsidass Publications; National Book Trust, India; Nutech Print Services; Offshoot Books; Om Book Shop; Om Books International; Prakash Books India; Red Ink Literary Agency; Replika Press; Repro India; Roli Books; Scientific International; Sheth Publishing House; Spring Time Software Solutions; Sterling Graphics; Tara Books; Tibetan Translation & Research Institute; Tranistics Data Technologies; Transforma; Turtie International; Vishv Books; Westland Books; and Xact Studio International.