Links that will allow publishers to upload their titles to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair online platform are now live.
Fair organizers announced the creation of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair Global Rights Exchange, which will be powered by PubMatch.com, in late March as part of a wider initiative to launch a virtual book fair following the cancellation of the physical event due to the spread of the new coronavirus. The Global Rights Exchange (GRE) gives those who had planned to attend the event the ability to schedule meetings, showcase titles, and to make offers on any book on the platform.
Only exhibitors registered for the 2020 fair will be able to upload and show titles, and eligible publishers are urged to upload titles before the exchange goes live on May 4, the date the virtual fair will begin, said Jon Malinowski, president of Combined Book Exhibit and founder of PubMatch. He added that all visitor agents and publishers who registered for the 2019 and 2020 fair will be able to view all the exhibitors and their titles, as well as schedule appointments and make offers via the online exchange.
Malinowski stressed that exhibitors that do not include titles on the GRE will not be seen by registered attendees. All visitor agents and publishers who registered for the 2019 and 2020 fair will be able to view all the exhibitors and their titles and schedule appointments via the online exchange.
According to Malinowski, early interest in the global rights exchange has been encouraging, with both Bologna and PubMatch receiving inquiries from agents and publishers hoping to participate. Malinowski will hold a Facebook Live presentation on the Publishers without Borders group page on April 16 at 2:00 p.m. GMT to explain more about the virtual rights exchange and how it works.
The GRE will be live through the end of the year. For more information, contact exchange@pubmatch.com.
