The Frankfurt Book Fair, the main event of the global book publishing calendar, is upon us. And this year’s professional program will feature a strong slate of panels and conversations about the current issues, including AI, the booming international audiobook market, climate change, best practices for selling film rights, and more. For a full list of events, consult the Frankfurt Book Fair’s website.
Tuesday, October 15
Frankfurt Rights Meeting Keynote: Madeline McIntosh
5–7 p.m., Frankfurt Pavilion (Agora)
Hosted on the day before the fair opens, the Frankfurt Rights Meeting brings together key decision-makers in the rights trade. And this year’s keynote speaker will certainly be of interest: Madeline McIntosh, former CEO of Penguin Random House U.S. and cofounder of Authors Equity, the new book publishing venture that seeks to reshape the traditional publishing model. Note: the Frankfurt Rights Meeting is a ticketed event, with tickets available via the Frankfurt Book Fair website.
Wednesday, October 16
From Italian into the World
9–11:30 a.m., Zentrum Wort (Hall 4.1)
The Turin International Book Fair has curated this conference, which will focus on the translation and publication of Italian books around the world.
Frankfurt Kids Conference
9:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m., Congress Center, Room 2 (Raum Spektrum)
What responsibility does the children’s and YA book industry hold toward its young readers? That’s the focus of this year’s conference, with speakers including bestselling German author Cornelia Funke; Ken Wilson-Max, publisher of Kumusha Books at HarperCollins U.K.; and Carolina Ballester, executive director of the International Board on Books for Young People. Author and translator Lawrence Schimel will moderate.
What Asia Reads: A Deep Dive into Trends
10–11 a.m., Asia Stage (Hall 5.1, A100)
This session looks at current reading trends and challenges, from colonial influences to the rise of mother-tongue literacy, to offer fairgoers a nuanced understanding of Asia’s reading culture.
Presentation of European Book Market Statistics 2023–2024
10:30–11 a.m., Frankfurt Studio (Hall 4.0, Foyer)
Representatives from the Federation of European Publishers will present the results of its annual survey and research on the European book sales from 2023 and the first part of this year, as well as look at sales trends spanning the last 20 years.
Executive Talk with David Shelley
11–11:45 a.m., Frankfurt Studio (Hall 4.0, Foyer)
David Shelley took the dual role of CEO of both Hachette UK and the Hachette Book Group in the U.S. Shelley will discuss the challenges and opportunities of managing both English-languages branches of the French conglomerate, an ocean apart.
Sixth International Publishing Distribution Forum
11 a.m.–noon, International Stage (Foyer between Hall 5.1 and Hall 6.1)
The International Publishing Distribution Association hosts this annual networking event, which will feature presentations about print distribution and on-demand solutions from José Manuel Anta of Federación de Gremios de Editores de España (Spain), Arantxa Mellado from LiberExpress (Spain), and Kelly Gallagher, VP of Ingram Content Group (U.S.).
Capitol x Creativity: Harnessing Friction to Fuel Publishing Innovation
1–2 p.m., International Stage (Foyer between Hall 5.1 and Hall 6.1)
Nadim Sadek, CEO of Shimmer AI, a company that uses artificial intelligence to quickly produce social media ads for books served to matched audiences, speaks with Paula Groves, chief investment officer of London-based ImpactX Capital, about entrepreneurship and growth strategies.
Audible landscape: What’s Next for Audio, Building Audience, and Creating Breakout Authors
2–2:30 p.m., Frankfurt Studio (Hall 4.0, Foyer)
This session will feature stage and screen actor—and prolific audiobook narrator—Richard Armitage, best known for his role as Thorin Oakenshield in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, who will speak with U.S. consultant Erin Cox about the surging market for digital audiobooks.
Global 50 CEO Talk: Richard Sarnoff and Jonathan Karp
2–3 p.m., International Stage (Foyer between Hall 5.1 and Hall 6.1)
After its sale to private equity firm KKR in late 2023, Simon & Schuster is pursuing several new strategies for growth—including international expansion. In this session, Richard Sarnoff, KKR’s chairman of media, entertainment, and education chairman of the S&S board, and Jonathan Karp, president and publisher of Simon & Schuster, will talk with industry consultant Ruediger Wischenbart about the publisher’s plans.
The European Audiobook Listener 2024: A Data Deep Dive into the Key Markets
3–4 p.m., Frankfurt Studio (Hall 4.0, Foyer)
Reports from around the continent will reveal the nuances of the booming audiobook market, from audiobooks’ dominance in Sweden, where they now account for 64% of all units sold, to growing markets in Spain, France, and Germany.
Meeting the Demand: Audio Strategies
4–4:45 p.m., Frankfurt Studio (Hall 4.0, Foyer)
Amanda D’Acierno, global president of Penguin Random House Audio Group, and Jon Watt, trade audio and business development director of Bonnier Books in the U.K., discuss their approach to commissioning, producing, and delivering high-quality audiobooks in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
Unlocking Licensing Opportunities in Publishing and Entertainment
4–5:30 p.m., Arts+ Stage (Hall 4.1)
A discussion of how new growth areas can be explored through branding, storytelling, and community building, with panelists including Alexandra Heyd, head of licensing, brands, and acquisition at Burda; Cecila de la Campa, executive VP, global media and licensing at Writers House; and Bernhard Gloeggler, managing director of Sesame Workshop Europe. The event will be moderated by Cristina Angelucci of Licensing magazine.
Thursday, October 17
Society for Scholarly Publishing Mini-conference
9:15–11 a.m., Stage 4.0 (Hall 4.0, H104)
This event features a variety of speakers discussing the latest trends in scholarly publishing, including journal trends, the impacts of AI in information discovery, progress on the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals, and ensuring trustworthy content.
When It’s “Created by Humans”
10–10:45 a.m., Frankfurt Studio (Hall 4.0, Foyer)
The founder and former CEO of Scribd Trip Adler discusses the launch of Created by Humans, a new platform that proposes to streamline the ability of publishers large and small to sell content licenses to artificial intelligence platforms.
Translators as Scouts
10–11 a.m., Centre of Words (Hall 4.1 F21)
Organized by the Finnish Literary Exchange, this conversation will consider how translators often discover texts for publishers to translate. Speakers include Urte Liepuoniute, senior literary agent with the Helsinki Literary Agency, Sebastian Guggolz of Guggolz Verlag (Germany), and translator Tanja Küddelsmann.
Artificial Intelligence: New Standards, Challenges and Opportunities for Innovation
10–11:15 a.m., Italian Collective Stand (Hall 5.0, A22)
This conversation, moderated by Maria Pallante, president of the Association of American Publishers, will look at how Europe’s AI Act aims to establish clear regulations for the transparency of generative artificial intelligence, and the protection and licensing of copyrighted content. Panelists include Elisabeth Crossick, global AI policy lead at RELX; Quentin Deschandelliers, legal adviser for the Federation of European Publishers; and author Chiara Valerio.
Executive Talk with Arnaud Nourry
11–11:45 a.m., Frankfurt Studio (Hall 4.0, Foyer)
Ex–Hachette Livre chief Arnaud Nourry shares his thoughts about the future of the publishing industry and his newly launched publishing project, Les Nouveaux Éditeurs (France).
AI and Writing
11 a.m.–noon, Arts+ Stage (Hall 4.1 H57)
This panel, organized by the Slovenian Book Agency, aims to answer the question, “When it comes to literary translation and creative writing, is AI friend or foe?” Panelists include Alma Cˇauševicˇ, CEO of Beletrina Academic Press (Slovenia); Elisabeth Ann West, founder and CEO of Future Fiction Academy (U.S.); and publishing consultant Rudiger Wischenbart (Austria). Miha Kovacˇ, professor of publishing at the University of Ljubljana, will moderate.
Aficionado Award Ceremony
11 a.m.–noon, International Stage (Foyer between Hall 5.1 and Hall 6.1)
The Aficionado Award, which honors innovation in publishing, will be presented to winner Rita Mattar from Brazil’s Círculo de Poemas, a poetry subscription service, followed by a discussion with judges Aleksi Siltala of Siltala Publishing (Finland) and Camilla Cottafavi of Feltrinelli (Italy), moderated by Erin Cox.
Capitalizing on AI for Smarter Publishing
2–3 p.m., Frankfurt Studio (Hall 4.0, Foyer)
Josh Jarrett, SVP of AI Growth at Wiley, will share key highlights from a Wiley study on the applications of AI in research, and discuss the company’s vision for the future of AI in publishing.
From Climate Science to Climate Action
2:30–3 p.m., International Stage (Foyer between Hall 5.1 and
Hall 6.1)
This panel, organized by the United Nations Publications, will look at the latest scientific reports on climate change and
discuss how publishers can mitigate their impact on the environment while helping make progress in saving the planet.
Why Translate Literature from the Baltics?
3–4 p.m., International Stage (Foyer between Hall 5.1 and
Hall 6.1)
Three German translators—Bettina Bergmann, Maximilian Murmann, and Claudia Sinnig—will share their experiences and motivations for translating Latvian, Estonian, and Lithuanian works, respectively.
Friday, October 18
Charleston Conference at Frankfurt
9:30 a.m.–noon, Academic Stage (Hall 4.0)
This academic conference offers two panels: “Putting Theory to Practice: The Case of Artificial Intelligence in Scholarly Publishing,” which explores practical AI applications in various publishing houses, and “When More Means Less?,” which looks at the unanticipated consequences of Scholcomm trends on library resourcing.
State of Independent Publishing
11–11:45 a.m., Frankfurt Studio (Hall 4.0, Foyer)
This panel focuses on the evolving landscape of independent publishing and the challenges and progress experienced by smaller or newer publishers worldwide. Speakers include Tom Kraushaar, publisher at Klett-Cotta (Germany), and Nina von Moltke, cofounder and president of Authors Equity (U.S.).
Unlocking Efficiency: BISG’s Proposed Standards for Translation Rights Royalty Statements
11 a.m–noon, Conference Room Encounter (Hall 5.0)
This session address the challenges in translation rights royalty statements. Kris Kliemann, president of Kliemann & Company, will lead the discussion. This inaugural international rights meeting will also introduce BISG’s new research-based industry standard aimed at resolving common issues in royalty statements.
Translations: A One-Way Street?
3–4 p.m., Asia Stage (Hall 5.1 A100)
This panel will address the imbalance in translation rights between Western and Asian literature, exploring strategies to promote greater literary exchange within Asia and create new opportunities for Asian authors and publishers in the global market.
A Conversation: Young and Indie Publishers in Asia
4–5 p.m., Asia Stage (Hall 5.1 A100)
This session explores the unique perspectives and innovative approaches of emerging Asian publishers who are leveraging technology to make their mark in the industry, and will explore how these young entrepreneurs view their role in knowledge production and the shaping of literary tastes across their diverse Asian markets.
