Representatives from more than 30 publishers, literary agencies and other firms in the U.K. have signed a petition protesting against the shortening of the Bologna Children's Book Fair. Sarah Pakenham of Andersen Press and Margot Edwards of Piccadilly Press organized the petition in dismay both at the reduction of the fair from four days to three and at a failure to introduce a corresponding reduction in fees. [According to the Bookseller on Thursday, several U.K. children’s publishers are refusing to confirm their booking or make their payment until the fair agrees to extend the fair back to four days, or reduce exhibitor fees by 25%.]
Bologna 2010 is due to take place from Tuesday 23 March to Thursday 25 March. (The 2009 fair opened on Monday 23 March and ran to Thursday 26 March.) Tracy Phillips of Simon & Schuster echoed the view of many rights professionals in writing: "Three days is simply not long enough to conduct all our business, particularly... when we would not even have a full day on the Thursday."
Gloria Bailey, Manager of International Trade Fairs at the Publishers Association, has sent the petition to Roberta Chinni of Bologna, and the two are due to meet at the Beijing Book Fair next Thursday (3 September).
The change was first mooted at BookExpo America. At the time, U.K. publishers were phlegmatic about it. But senior executives and editors, whose schedules at book fairs tend not to be demanding, have different views of such events from those of rights staff, who fill their diaries with meetings. It is thought that other European publishers are unhappy about the loss of the fourth day.
One story about why Bologna has made this move is that it ran into a scheduling problem, which may not come up again.
Children's publishers already feel slightly aggrieved about the scheduling of the fair. It used to be held in April, when the weather in Bologna was often glorious. But it was moved back to March when the London Book Fair transferred to Earls Court and switched to an April date.
