Frankfurt, Germany (Weltexpress). Around 7,300 exhibitors from 100 countries are expected to attend this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair – the largest in the world – which opens tomorrow (October 10-14th). The leading leading international trade fair for books, media and digital content reveals an industry that is redefining itself in the midst of the most comprehensive paradigm shift since the introduction of the printing press.
“New players are joining our industry every day and completely new relationships, product ideas and business models are emerging. We might very well refer to this development as the publishing industry’s ‘Big Bang’ moment”, announced the Book Fair’s director Juergen Boos at today’s Press Conference. “This year we’ve analysed where the change is most apparent. We’ve attempted to identify patterns and, in so doing, developed a ‘Roadmap to Publishing Trends’ that shows where new business models are starting to appear, what new cultural patterns are emerging, and what skills will be important in the future”, he added. This “roadmap”, whose goal is to inspire discussion, can be accessed online at www.book-fair.com/blog.
Boos went on to explain, “The changes are most apparent in the field of children’s and YA media”, said Boos. That’s why there will be a special focus on this topic at this year’s Book Fair, with around 1,500 exhibitors and 340 events.”
The Frankfurt Book Fair has long attracted international media groups with its reputation as a high-level cultural and media event. This year, Sony and Nintendo will feature their latest product innovations. Seven weeks prior to the official German launch in Germany, both Nintendo and Sony will be presenting some brand new products to the general public; Nintendo, for example, will be introducing its new Wii U TV console. In the StoryDrive Media & Entertainment Area (Hall 4.0), visitors will have the chance to try out the first Wii U games and familiarise themselves with some completely new forms of interactive video games, while Sony Computer Entertainment will also be unveiling its interactive “Wonderbook”. Finnish app developer Rovio will also be exhibiting here for the first time: not only is its “Angry Birds” app the most successful app of all time, the Finns will also introducing their very first e-book app.
Frankfurt Hot Spots – six presentation areas for technology exhibitors – will be presenting the latest international developments: from mobile devices to self-publishing platforms to multimedia services. In an area of approx. 1,400 square metres, more than 100 exhibitors will be presenting their products, including Nook Developer (Barnes & Noble), Amazon Corporate, Jouve, Moglue, Acapella and Neobooks. At the Sparks Stages in Hall 4.2 and Hall 8, the CEOs from various international corporations will be on hand to discuss business strategies and innovations.
The Academy conference and professional section will examine the latest trends from all angles:
eBooks
While sales of e-readers in Western Europe rose by 93% in 2012 (GfK statistics), the sale of tablets has experienced even more dynamic growth and is up by 142%. Amazon’s European launch of the Kindle Fire in October 2012 should spur this trend, spurring the demand for multimedia and interactive publishing content. With EPUB3 and HTML5, two standards have been introduced that enable publishers and authors to cost-effectively enrich their e-books with images, videos and music. Around 30 trade events at the Frankfurt Book Fair are dedicated to these two technologies, including the three-hour workshop “HTML5 & EPUB 3 for advanced learners: The next level for e-books”, part of the Frankfurt Academy’s professional programme (11 October, 2.30 – 5.30 p.m., Hall 4.0, Room Entente).
Rights & Licences
From printed books to interactive apps – the Frankfurt Book Fair is the key trading centre for international licensing. The Literary Agents & Scouts Centre LitAg (Hall 6.0) has grown by 4.4% over the past year, with 311 agents at 445 desks.
From “Star Wars” to “The Little Prince”, licensing characters and designs is lucrative source of publishing revenue if done correctly. Licensing Day (October 12th) kicks off with the panel “Crossmedia Brand Building: Star Wars” at the StoryDrive Conference. Carol Roeder Director of Global Publishing for Lucasfilm will discuss the most successful entertainment franchise of all time. In the three-hour intensive programme “Publishing meets merchandising” (12 October, 2.30-5.30 p.m., Hall 4.0, Room Entente), experts from both worlds will explain the essentials of the merchandising business, and what is involved in building books into brand worlds and vice versa.
New Business Models
Why is 360° storytelling so successful? How can you finance sensational crossmedia projects? And how do decision makers from the fields of games, film and media envision the future of their industries? Frankfurt StoryDrive is just the place to be for anyone who wants to stay ahead of the curve in the changing media landscape. The international media and entertainment worlds gather for the third time in Frankfurt. Celebrity guests include Oscar-winning director Stephen Daldry (“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”, “the Reader”, “The Hours”) and special effects designer Sir Richard Taylor (“Avatar”, “The Adventures of Tintin”, “The Hobbit”).
Cloud based business models, social DRM, paid-content models, digital licensing, all these topics are more will be discussed at the Sparks Stages in halls 4.2 und 8.0. Over 60 panel discussions will be held during the Fair, speakers include Will Atkinson, director, Sales & Marketing, Faber and Faber, Jamie Byng, Publisher of Canongate, Otis Chandler, CEO Goodreads and many more.
Markets & Trends
Those seeking to successfully position their company in the emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India, and China will find comprehensive information about these countries in Frankfurt. Attendees of the Business Lunch India (12 October, 12.45-2.00 p.m., Hall 4.C, Room Entente) will have the opportunity to meet Indian publishers and expand their networks. The matchmaking session “Meet Indian STM Publishers” is organised specifically for STM publishers (12 October, 2.00-4.00 p.m., Hall 4.C, Room Concorde, registration required: srivastava@newdelhi.gbo.org). One year before Brazil’s appearance as Guest of Honour of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2013, the Camara Brasileira do Livro will present key figures from the Brazilian book market (11 October, 2.00-3.00 p.m., Hall 5.1 E953).
More detailed information can be found on http://www.book-fair.com/en/fbf
All scheduled events during the week of the Book Fair are likewise listed in the online Calendar: www.book-fair.com/calendar
