The Inspire! Toronto International Book Fair announced Monday that the three-day consumer event, which debuted last November with an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 attendees, will not go forward in 2015. According to a statement signed by executive directors John Calabro, Rita Davies, and Steven Levy, they “were not able to secure a timely commitment from exhibitors regarding their participation for a second year.”
“After spending the last few months with a variety of stakeholders, there was a strong desire for and a palpable, positive feeling surrounding the second installment of INSPIRE!,” said Jesse Bernstein, director of sales and development, in the press release. “This is a tough loss for me and the entire INSPIRE! team; we’re really sad to see this go.”
The inaugural event last fall in downtown Toronto featured more than 400 Canadian and international authors, including Margaret Atwood (MaddAddam), Lev Grossman (The Magician’s Land), and children’s authors such as Dav Pilkey (Captain Underpants series) and Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpy Kid).
