"Frankfurt again needs to be the professional marketplace that is perfectly embedded in the international publishing community," said Jürgen Boos in his first interview since the recent announcement that he will be the new director of the Frankfurt Book Fair. The goal, he added, is for "continuity, calm and reliability." Boos excused himself for not being more specific and for keeping a low profile until April 1, when he takes over formally as director of the world's largest book fair after four years of frequent turmoil and negative headlines.
But despite his low-key approach, it seems no action involving the fair director can occur without some controversy. This time it involves Boos's employer, Wiley VCH, where Boos is a member of the board responsible for marketing and sales. In an unusual indication of how much the German branch of Wiley values Boos, his boss, Manfred Antoni, is protesting his imminent loss by withdrawing Wiley from the Boersenverein, the German publishers, wholesalers and booksellers association and owner of the fair. (Contacted by PW, Antoni painted Boos in bright colors, saying that he is a team player and an extraordinarily effective manager.)
Boos seems well aware that he has been picked for a difficult job, one in which he must find a balance between the interests of the German board that picked him and the many, often diametrically opposed domestic and international expectations of his customers. Despite the fuss, Boos seems at ease about the challenges ahead, saying that leading Frankfurt "is exactly where I see the next step in my career." His work in science publishing has taught him how to move in a world of international publishing, an experience that will help at Frankfurt.
Asked what he wishes, Boos comes up with two hopes: "To be accepted, and that our customers at Frankfurt get what they expected for their buck."
