The Frankfurt Book Fair or Frankfurt Buch Messe #fbm13 -starts next week, and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s like being a kid again. So many last minute things to do. Catalogues – designed and printed and collected; warm coat dry cleaned, postcards of book covers for giveaways, some forex, packing, planning each day almost down to the half hour. Quick reprint of my business cards. Can’t run out of them.
The FBM app is a cool way of making sense of the fair, keeping track of your timetable, contacts, meetings, and finding who is where. You can download it on your Iphone or Ipad or on your android phone.
And this year Frankfurt has opened up to authors too, it has traditionally been a trade fair, for the trade, but with the changes in the book world, the rise of Amazon, self-publishing, and other changes in the world of books, authors are expected to be in equal charge of promoting their own books. Read more about what Frankfurt is like for authors here
It’ll be quite different being a trade visitor, and not part of the Invitation Programme or an exhibitor. There will more time to attend talks and explore the whole fair. I’ll miss those lovely connections with people who visit the Modjaji stand. As always there are cool geeky things at the Fair, one of them is this virtual way of being there called Here I am or Ich Bin Hier.
Publishing Perspectives is running a whole FREE programme and I’m not missing this one about small presses. I look forward to meeting publishers from some of the top small presses in the US.
Via Twitter, and an introduction from @BeadedQuill I’m meeting Meike Ziervogel at the Frankfurter Hof. I already followed Pereine Press but didn’t quite have the chutzpah to arrange a meeting. I love what Pereine Press does and how they work. Check them out.
“Two-hour books to be devoured in a single sitting: literary cinema for those fatigued by film.” Times Literary Supplement.
Peirene Press is an award-winning boutique publishing house with an extra twist, based in London. We are committed to first class European literature in high quality translation. Our books are beautifully designed paperback editions, using only the best paper from sustainable British sources. Affordable, timeless collector items. And because literature – both reading and writing – can be a lonely affair, Peirene hosts a wide range of regular literary events, from informal coffee mornings to exciting literary salons and tailor-made, exclusive events.
Another fabulous highlight for me is that I will be sharing accommodation with two publishers from last year’s Invitation Programme. Looking forward to catching up with them, and sharing tips and insights. And catching the train back and forth. Makes it all much more fun.
The African Small Publishers’ Catalogue 2013 will be available from the Cassava Republic Press stand, this year Bibi Bakare Yusuf is on the Invitation Programme.
Once again, a huge thanks to the writer who has made it possible for me to attend the Fair this year, and to all of you who support Modjaji Books by coming to fundraisers, buying books, writing them, sharing ideas and good ideas.