When the topic of the London Book Fair was first mentioned back at the beginning of the semester, my interest was immediately piqued. It brought to mind memories of the Scholastic Book Fairs of elementary school days past; wandering through book displays for hours and looking through all the new books you can proudly purchase with your hard-earned allowance. While the London Book Fair is focused on industry conversations and networking rather than the purchase of books, the same wonder and excitement are still evident in the building.

We were warned of the size and scale of the fair before entering and given packing lists filled with survival items like portable chargers, comfortable walking shoes and water bottles, but nothing can truly prepare you for the breath-taking moment when you walk through the doors and into the venue for the first time. This year’s fair was held at the Olympia; a stunning (and ginormous), multi-level venue with high ceilings and sunlight pouring in from all directions. As well-prepared as we were, the first half hour was spent wandering around in stunned silence, our mouths nearly hanging open as we strolled through all the booths of publishers that we had spent the last eight months learning about. While the Big Five publishers had impressive stands set up around each other in competition for the largest space, what had the biggest impact on me was the number of small and independent publishers present. While there are undoubtedly many that were not able to attend, seeing the way that the relatively smaller houses are competing in the industry was inspiring. I saw this fair as a visual representation of the market share; the Big Five took up a significant share of the floor space but a large number of independent houses combined to make up the rest of the industry. While it’s easy to be impressed by the flashy displays and size of the big publishers, the smaller houses are a powerhouse in and of themselves and it was fantastic to see them all standing alongside the titans. 

Photo Credits: Karley Dajka

Our preliminary wanderings allowed us to get our bearings of the place but there was still so much left to do. To say there were a million things going on at a time is definitely not an exaggeration when it comes to the London Book Fair. There were six different stages running seminar sessions and industry talks throughout the day, so we quickly learned the importance of scheduling your day and choosing the talks you wanted to attend, because it was quite impossible to see them all (as much as we wanted to). Over the course of the three days, we went to talks on topics ranging from the future of illustrated books to how much self-publishing authors can actually expect to earn, each panel providing an engaging and meaningful discussion. The audience was not shy about challenging the panel with tough questions, something that gave us a real look into the industry and an understanding of what struggles are being faced by its various members.  

“To say there were a million things going on at a time is definitely not an exaggeration when it comes to the London Book Fair.”

While it’s difficult to sum up three days that were jam-packed full of events and learning experiences into one post, I can say with absolute certainty that the London Book Fair gave me a deeper understanding of the publishing industry and its inner workings. Walking around from stall to stall, you can almost feel the invisible strings that connect all members of the industry to each other through their love of books and sharing content in its various forms. More than anything, attending the fair made me grateful for the collaborative and supportive industry that I’ve decided to make my way in.