Sessions and business opportunities cater to both traditional and self-publishing authors
Since changes in leadership and emphasis at Book Expo (formerly BookExpo America) were introduced a couple of years ago, London Book Fair has solidified its stance as the friendliest of the major trade shows to independent authors.
Trade authors, of course, have always been golden at these major industry events, and they remain so. Publishing houses work hard to get their marquee authors into speaking and signing events, primarily so that booksellers can meet them, bond with them, and order their books for their stores.
The role of trade shows with respect to indie authors is still in flux. Frankfurt Book Fair produces both a German-language program and an international event for indie authors in English in October, but London Book Fair remains the most committed to providing an array of instructional sessions as part of its huge (200-event) Insights Seminars program.
Next week will see 23 such sessions rolled out in the Author HQ program. Writers can gain access to all these sessions by purchasing a standard visitor ticket for £45. This ticket price also grants access to the show’s floor at the Olympia London complex and to all the other presentations, panel discussions, trade author appearances, and so on.
To see how successful the Author HQ program is, consider its two sponsors: IngramSpark and Kindle Direct Publishing. These are the two of the largest self-publishing programs, and they’re head-to-head in their sponsorships to reach the hundreds of authors who attend the seminar programs, which include opportunities to meet with agents.
London’s slogan for its Author HQ programs is “Central to Our Business.” We’re impressed with how seriously the fair’s administration takes this point. You can see it in the show’s range of programming for both trade and indie authors—this year including poets and illustrators. The indie events highlight practical sessions, as in the Society of Authors’ discussion of privacy, defamation, and character rights and Nielsen’s Jo Henry on understanding consumer book-buying behavior. We like the business-focused nature of sessions such as Introduction to Brand Licensing and one in which publishers explain Why We Commissioned These Debuts.
Bottom line: London Book Fair has created an affordable and accessible conference for writers. If you’re at the fair, we urge you to explore the main floor, with its stands from publishers and other service providers, as well as the issue-driven stages, such as English PEN’s programs on freedom of speech. This year’s BookExpo in New York (May 31–June 2) is being “re-imagined” to focus on and upgrade the experience of booksellers, so London and Frankfurt are now providing the main benefits to indie authors in the trade show setting
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.
