One of the most important rights fairs for global publishers, London Book Fair is typically held every year in March, but organizers just announced it will be moved to June 29–July 1 and remain at the Olympia. The organizers said the new dates “provide the best possible opportunity of creating a live event where the publishing industry can reconnect and do business.” However, realizing that any kind of event planning for 2021 remains precarious, LBF leadership says they will continue to closely monitor the pandemic and make a final decision on the event’s feasibility by March 2021 at the latest. In 2022, the fair will move back to springtime—or that’s the plan as of today.
The latest figures from NPD BookScan on print sales through retail show that, for the full year, book sales are up by 7 percent versus 2019.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
