by Peter Midgley

There are many trade shows and book fairs every year, all with their own focus and character, but none can compete with the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF). The name alone has become synonymous with book publishing. While many other book fairs specialize in areas like rights sales, or children’s literature, the FBF seems to do everything. Authors, agents, and publishers descend on the Buchmesse in droves to sell their books, find publishers, sign international rights deals, meet an agent, or simply to listen to the latest insights on anything from the global trend towards autocracy, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, to Black feminism and freedom of expression. In a time when, increasingly, we see countries closing their borders and becoming more nationalist in their approach, the organizers of the FBF consciously embrace internationality.

Since Canada was the Guest of Honour in 2021, Alberta publishers have worked hard to continue making their presence felt in Frankfurt. Between October 16 and October 20 this year, the Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA) and several local publishers—the University of Alberta Press, Eschia Books, and Brush Educational/Freehand Books—joined the more than 4,300 exhibitors and 230,000 visitors who attended. “I have waited thirty years to attend the Frankfurt Book Fair,” says the acting director of the University of Alberta Press, Cathie Crooks, “so I am a latecomer to this amazing annual pilgrimage. The creativity that goes into many of the booths is staggering and being surrounded by so many books and their publishers was inspiring. Still, the best moments were those when I saw colleagues from around the world with whom I have worked with for many years, meeting them in person for the first time.”

Cathie talks about the booths and meeting friends and colleagues, but what really happens at a book fair and why is Frankfurt such a big deal? This is where publishers talk about international rights on books or find ways for publishers to collaborate internationally. It is that international focus that creates relevance, according to the director of the festival, Juergen Boos.

Authors who attend the book fair or who are invited to speak get the opportunity to showcase their work to an international audience or can hear some of the latest trends and prognostications in book publishing. This year for instance, several CEOs in charge of the Big Five (Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, MacMillian, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette) noted that when it comes to books, it is currently an author’s market. Where in the past, a publisher’s name could draw readers, in this time of influencers and brands, it is the authors who are the drawcard. Readers want to read everything their favourite author has written, which means their backlists are in demand as much as their new works are. And so, increasingly, publishers are turning their attention to authors, resuscitating their backlists, and figuring out how they can work with them to mutual benefit.

Of course, publishers attend the Frankfurt Book Fair to see if they can sell or buy rights to a book, or whether they can find a collaborator for a project, but it is also a place where they can explore or test out new ideas (at least ideas that seem new to the industry). This year, for instance, Madeline McIntosh, head of former PRH US, gave a provocative talk in which she talked about a publishing house that offers no advances, but offers authors a larger share of the profits. This is a model that is already embraced or explored by many small independent publishers, but suddenly the Big Five seem interested, too. This approach could upend the way publishing has run since at the least the start of the twentieth century and yet again puts the author at the heart of publishing—and the Frankfurt Book Fair is the obvious place to see how the industry responds.

For the BPAA, it is a chance to learn what other advocacy organizations are doing elsewhere in the world and an opportunity to draw international attention to key initiatives, like Alberta Books for Schools, a vast resource of school-appropriate titles that tell Alberta’s Story; the Prairie Indigenous eBook Collection, a first-of-its-kind initiative that increases access to stories by Indigenous authors, and writings about Indigenous culture; or Accessible Alberta: eBooks for Everyone Collection, which is a finalist for the Accessible Books Consortiums’ International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing. These signature programs highlight the important work Alberta publishers do over and above making books that reflect Alberta experiences. 

As Kieran Leblanc, the Director of the BPAA says about her time in Frankfurt this year, “The opportunity to connect in-person with members of the book publishing community from around the world was invaluable. Learning about industry trends, creative new ideas, and best practices helps to grow our knowledge and develop our own industry in Alberta.” And that is why Alberta writers, publishers, and advocacy organizations like the BPAA return to Frankfurt year after year.