The Bologna Children's Book Fair will now welcome any publisher or agent, including those who exclusively work in adult books, to take a table at the Bologna Rights Center.
The fair, which is focused on children's books, expanded into addressing general trade publishing during the pandemic in 2021, when it added its BolognaBookPlus conference.
"Our BCBF Agents’ Centre has enjoyed great success over many years and it seems a logical next step in its development that we welcome a broader audience from Rights Trading communities," said Elena Pasoli, director of the BCBF, in a statement.
BolognaBookPlus guest director Jacks Thomas added, "This is a great opportunity for BolognaBookPlus general trade rights professionals who can now sit alongside their children’s publishing counterparts in the vibrant Bologna Rights Centre – a great addition to the overall BBPlus offering."
The announcement comes just a month prior to the Frankfurt Book Fair, and is the latest in the skirmishing between the two major organizers of international book fairs. For its part, Frankfurt has put a new focus on including children's book programing and is offering a new, half-day Frankfurt Kids conference on October 19. That event will feature Peter Warwick, president and CEO of Scholastic, among other speakers.
The next BCBF is scheduled for March 6–9, 2023.
