The modern Frankfurt Book Fair, which was launched in 1949 as a small book show in Frankfurt’s Paulskirche—with the participation of 205 German publishing companies—is this year celebrating its 75th anniversary. Now, after seven decades, the event remains a vital fixture on the ever-changing global publishing scene, attracting thousands of international exhibitors and nearly 300,000 people.

These next five days will be packed with activities, both on the fairgrounds and off, to mark the occasion. For example, the fair has created the “75 chairs–75 stories” campaign, which will see the Agora at the fair filled with 75 chairs that will lead via individual QR codes to videos of 75 people telling their stories about their connection to the fair, ranging from famous names, publishing pros and visitors, to those who produce the fair behind the scenes. In addition, 75 bookcases with book fair branding have been placed around the city and filled with surprises to promote the fair, including free tickets. Finally, reflecting the impact of new technology on the event, the launch of an augmented reality website that, when one points a camera phone at The Messeturm tower, will transform it into a tower of books.

“The 75th anniversary is a celebration of 75 years of promoting writers and stories, bringing publishers and service providers from around the world together to share ideas and information, to collaborate, and to provide a platform for larger sociopolitical conversations,” says Juergen Boos, director of the fair. “I am happy the book fair has been such a key event in international publishing history and will continue to be in the future.”

LitAg: 326 agencies from 31 countries

As always, the heart of the Frankfurt Book Fair is the Literary Agents and Scouts Centre, better known as the LitAg, and this year will see 326 agencies representing 31 countries occupying a record-breaking 584 tables in Hall 6.2, surpassing the previous record of 528 tables set in 2018. The countries with the most significant representation at this year’s LitAg include the U.S., U.K., Germany, Spain, and Sweden. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates and Iceland are debuting new national literary agencies, and agencies from China are returning for the first time since 2019.

“The rights and licensing business continues to be the driver of our industry,” Boos says, calling this year’s record-breaking LitAg numbers “a testament to the significance of in-person meetings” in the rights trade, and a sign of “how greatly everyone missed these interactions” during the pandemic. “Trust, which is indispensable in the publishing industry, is most effectively built through face-to-face meetings. And this is what Frankfurt offers.”

This year’s Frankfurt Rights Meeting was held virtually every Tuesday in September and culminated in an in-person meet-up on Tuesday. A new “book-to-screen day” this Friday will “put a spotlight on the film and streaming industries and how publishers can expand their rights and licensing sales,” Boos says. A new Publishers Rights Centre in Hall 6.2 is offering tables to publishing professionals who are not part of the agencies represented in the LitAg.

International Stage highlights

Fairgoers will notice several changes at the Messe, including a new Comic Centre (complete with its own trade program) in Hall 6. Hall 5 reopened this year with new exhibitors, and an International Stage between Halls 5 and 6 is hosting a variety of panels and discussions. Featured speakers include Nihar Malaviya, Penguin Random House’s recently appointed CEO; Kim Chongsatitwantana, CEO of Thailand’s NanmeeBooks; Pedro Sobral, CEO of Portugal’s Grupo Leya; Peter Warwick, CEO of Scholastic: and Jes Wolfe, CEO and chairwoman of Rebel Girls.

Also on the schedule, Hou Xiaonan, CEO of Chinese online publishing platform Yuewen, better known as China Literature, will be interviewed at this year’s Global 50 CEO Talk. And Slovenia is the fair’s 2023 Guest of Honour, with a program appearing under the motto “A Honeycomb of Words.” Among the best-known Slovenian literary stars appearing at the fair is Slavoj Žižek, philosopher and provocateur.

The Frankfurt Book Fair’s stages are also hosting talks from a variety of authors, including Deborah Feldman, Georgi Gospodinov, Maja Lunde, and Lola Shoneyin. “I am happy to offer a stage in the international media spotlight for internationally renowned writers,” Boos says, adding that there will also be a special focus on “growth markets” like children’s, academic publishing, and audio, with conferences dedicated to them. Salman Rushdie, winner of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade 2023, will take questions from the press on Friday.

The fair is offering a series of panels and other events aimed at showing solidarity with Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Goethe Institute and the Ukrainian Book Institute are showcasing the country’s culture with a large collective stand, which is being presented with the theme “Fragility of the Earth.”

Sustainability, supply chain, inflation—and AI

Other topics set for discussion include sustainability, supply chain challenges, and surging inflation. But if one topic is likely to dominate the talk at Frankfurt, it’s the impact of artificial intelligence on the industry. Several panels at the fair will tackle AI, including “The State of AI in Publishing Today,” featuring Christoph Bläsi, professor of book studies at Germany’s Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Nadim Sadek, founder and CEO of U.K.–based Shimmr AI; and Anna Soler-Pont, literary agent and founder of Spain’s Pontas Literary & Film Agency.

“ChatGPT and other new uses of AI have caused some unease, but, as with all of these changes throughout publishing’s history, we will find the ways to use this technology to benefit the industry,” Boos says. “At the same time, we need to put restrictions in place to protect those areas that are more vulnerable.” He adds that it’s crucial for publishers to have input, and to know “who is pulling the strings” when it comes to potential regulation. “This debate about AI is happening now and changing every day.”

Boos says that at 75, the Frankfurt Book Fair is more important than ever. “Each year, the global publishing industry comes together at the same time in the same place to exchange ideas that are as vital as ever. This is what we see in Frankfurt. And I am happy about it. It almost seems to me that the pandemic years have given us something like a proof of concept.”

The Paulskirche, a symbol of German democracy, was the venue of Frankfurter Buchmesse in 1949 and 1950. Even today, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade is awarded here every year during the fair.

KEY SESSIONS TODAY

Executive Talk: Nihar Malaviya, CEO, Penguin Random House

Interview with the newly appointed executive tasked with running the world’s largest trade publisher

Publishing Perspectives Forum, Congress Centre, Level 2, Room Spektrum, 10 a.m. to 10.45 a.m.

Ljubljana Reading Manifesto: Why Book Reading Matters

With representatives of the Slovenian Ministry of Culture and the IPA, including a video message from Margaret Atwood

Guest of Honour Pavilion, Forum, Level 1, 10 a.m. to 10.45 a.m.

AI Transformation and Change in the Book Industry

A discussion about the impact of this new technology on publishing

Aldus Up Stage, 4.1 / The ARTS+ Areal, 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Kids Mini-Conference: Executive Talk with Peter Warwick, CEO, Scholastic

A conversation about publishing children’s and education books today

Publishing Perspectives Forum, Congress Centre, Level 2, Room Spektrum, 2 p.m. to 2.20 p.m.

Global 50 CEO Talk: Hou Xiaonan, President of China Literature

An interview with the head of China’s wildly popular online publishing platform

Frankfurt Pavilion, Agora, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.