Highlights at London Book Fair

The London Book Fair is back for its first in-person event since 2019! We hope you enjoyed the first day at the Fair, which included a keynote from Louise Moore, MD of Penguin Michael Joseph UK, the Market Focus Sharjah Opening Ceremony and Author of the Day, Maggie O’Farrell. There’s still plenty to look forward to with expert panels, author talks and inspiring seminar sessions over the next two days. Tomorrow’s (Wednesday 6 April) highlights include:

·       The Future of Book Supply

What is next for international book printing and supply? Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman of Sharjah Book Authority, and David Taylor from Ingram Content talk about the future of the supply chain and print on demand with examples of what is being showcased at Sharjah Publishing City. 

10:00 – 10:45, Main Stage

·       Ben Okri: Art in a time of crisis 

Ben Okri is a Booker Prize winning novelist, poet, essayist, short story writer, anthologist, aphorist, and playwright. Here he will discuss the importance and role of art in a time of crisis, in conversation with Sarah Shaffi, journalist and editor.

11:00-11:45, Main Stage

·       The UK book market: Pandemic effects and the picture in 2022

Hazel Kenyon, Director of Research, Nielsen Book reviews the past couple of years; what are the standout impacts observed in our book buying and publishing? What genres did consumers turn to in the difficult times and of these what appear to be newly embedded trends? As life becomes somewhat more stable and elements such as commuting and classroom work returns, we report on the market: what have we been buying, where have we bought it, in what format and why?

12:00-12:45, Main Stage

·       Dialogues on War: Live conversation on Ukraine with Andrei Kurkov and Georgina Godwin

In partnership with English PEN, PEN International & PEN Ukraine

12:00-12:45, English PEN Literary Salon

·       Independent Women: The Tale of Three Start-ups

Magic Cat Publishing, Guppy Books and Hashtag Press are three independent small presses, all run by award-winning women, and all recent additions to the Children’s publishing world. Having had different experiences and with different motivations and approaches to setting up by themselves, the panel will look at what it means and what it takes to set up a company in the current Children’s environment, and what they’ve learned from this experience.    

12:30-13:15, Olympia Theatre

·         From Book to Screen: Crime and Thrillers      

Capturing the gripping nature of a crime novel and transferring to the big screen is an art form. In this session, the names behind some of the best crime series of recent times share how they keep the audience gripped – on page and screen. Moderated by crime fiction reviewer Ayo Onatade, the panel includes Peter James, Kate Ruby and Louise Candlish.

12:45-13:30, Author HQ

·       Author of the Day: Dr. Afra Atiq in conversation with Joelle Taylor

Market Focus ‘Author of the Day’ Dr. Afra Atiq is an Emirati poet, spoken word artist, and PhD candidate. She will be appearing in conversation with poet, playwright and author Joelle Taylor.

13:30-14:15, English PEN Literary Salon

·       Sustainability keynote: Planetary health and the SDGs: time for exceptional action

Keynote session with Richard Horton, Editor- in-Chief of the Lancet, the world’s most renowned medical journal, and Bodour Al Qasimi, President of the International Publishers Association. The session will explore the link between climate and health through the concept of Planetary Health, and the opportunities presented by the 17 Global Goals for action. 

13:30-14:30, Main Stage

·       Illustrator of the Fair: Diane Ewen

Award-winning illustrator Diane Ewen speaks to Chris Inns, Art and Design Director (Macmillan Children’s Books) about her career, what she hopes to communicate through her illustrations, and representation in Children’s books.

14:30 -15:00, Author HQ

·       Bookshop.org and the Booksellers Association New Futures winners announced

Bookshop.org, the ethically conscious book-buying platform that supports independent bookshops, and The Booksellers Association will be announcing the winners of their innovative New Futures programme. This is a ground-breaking new initiative which promotes the opening of new independent bookshops from underrepresented communities across the UK.

16:00-16.30, Faber & Faber Stand (6D80)

·       The Cover Design Wheel of Fortune 

Designers Ceara Elliot, Jack Smyth and Nico Taylor will be curating a new book cover themed event at the London Book Fair.  Using real-life case studies across a variety of publishers they’ll look at various aspects of the cover design process: from briefing forms to the cover meeting, the pressures of designing a bestseller to what makes something ‘good’, and much more. 

View the full What’s On Guide detailing all events taking place at this year’s Fair HERE