Several times, we’ve touched on the struggle of major publishing trade shows in trying to accommodate and serve the needs and interests of authors. Most recently, we looked at the issue ahead of BookExpo America (BEA) last May. The effort at the Chicago BEA was again primarily aimed at having authors buy small tables in a special area on the show floor.
To update you from Germany—Frankfurt Book Fair (Buchmesse) has opened and runs through Sunday (October 23)—the largest publishing trade show has again made a two-pronged approach. For German authors, a special associated program runs for several days of the fair. Then the International Author & Self-Publishing Programme will be conducted in English on Saturday (October 22) by Porter.
Unlike the BEA program, which requires authors to buy table space for close to $2,000, the Frankfurt program is free to writers who buy a public-entry ticket to Buchmesse. Frankfurt’s programming is one-day-only, however, while London Book Fair’s Author HQ series of events goes all week.
This year, the Saturday program will open with Orna Ross of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) joining Porter for an overview of current author concerns. The sponsor, IngramSpark, will then present an hour of instructional information for authors. Later discussions include Reedsy, Wattpad, Jellybooks, and the LitFire platform. And Amazon KDP is sponsoring a drinks reception at the end of the day.
Bottom line: While publishing’s great trade shows are created by and for the industry, with rights transactions at their cores, we support the Frankfurt approach—like London’s—because it provides guidance, actionable info, and exposure to the issues of being an author without extra charge to writers. As at all trade shows, traditionally published authors are brought by publishers into Frankfurt to promote their key books. But at Frankfurt the sessions provided for independent authors are essentially free, and at this point in trade shows’ relationship with writers, we think this makes the most sense.
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.
