When starting our publishing degree, there is one event that hangs over our heads in excitement and in an intimidating manner all year long—the event being none other than London Book Fair. London Book Fair (LBF) 2023 was hosted from April 18th to April 20th. Almost a week of negotiations, book prizes, panels, and in-depth discussions, it is an industry professional’s chance to pitch, sell, and discuss upcoming titles in publishing. For a student, this professional event is intimidating, overwhelming, and an incredible opportunity. To help other students in the future, I thought I would discuss my experience of attending LBF as a student as well as include some tips.
For students, LBF can be an industry opportunity; however, I recommend attending because of your love for books, not because you are interested in getting a job. The fair is an industry event and you should be professional, but it is also a place where everyone is a part of an industry that celebrates the written word in all of its different forms.
I think that LBF is truly an industry event and that students should be aware that it might not be as accessible to them as they might think: Students are there to be spectators. What I mean is that not all areas of the fair will be open to students and that not every booth will be open to discussion, questions, or talking to students. A lot of the booths were focused on already scheduled meetings, which makes a lot of sense, but it was rare to find someone at the different book stands who would be open to interacting with passersby. In the future for myself, and for future students, I would recommend creating a list of questions that are ready to be asked in case you do get the chance to speak to someone. Small talk can sometimes be difficult, but don’t be afraid to ask them about the books they are featuring or if they have business cards to hand out.
The book fair itself can be overwhelming as there is a lot going on, and so I recommend to all students to take your time. Plan on attending all three days, but don’t make yourself stay the entire time for each day. That is why I recommend being prepared, but also being kind to yourself. Take the first day to get the lay of the land, understand where everything is and get your feet underneath you. As a disabled person, I always had to remind myself to take breaks, drink water, and eat. Whilst it can be overwhelming, I think the convention is more beneficial to students if they take their time with everything.
The most accessible and the best learning opportunity for students at LBF are the panels. LBF hosts a wide variety of different panels at a multitude of stages within the convention hall. Where it was difficult deciding which of the panels to attend, I did feel that one could learn new things at any panel they chose to see. Personally, I found that LBF had an interesting intersection of traditional publishing and new conversations surrounding self and indie publishing. The Kindle Direct Publishing stage allowed for people from both backgrounds to share their experiences for people looking to enter the industry as writers and publishers. Even though LBF might feel intimidating and inaccessible to students at first, the book fair has something for everyone. In the end, I recommend that students attend LBF if they are able because it was an incredible learning opportunity.
MSc Publishing – Industry Accredited Postgraduate Degree 