The annual global event for the literary world LBF 2022 5 - 7 April 2022 at Olympia London

London Book Fair is one of the biggest book fairs and also said to be the “largest spring book trade and publishing event in the world” (LBF, 2022). Publishers, authors, writers and anyone belonging to the literary world are excited and somehow, this year feels very special.

After a two year hiatus - no thanks to Covid - London Book Fair is finally back. The fair will open at Olympia London from 5th -7th April 2022. It has also been announced that it will feature a truly international community again, with country pavilions from countries all over the world setting up. The following countries have confirmed attendance:

USA
Canada
Germany
Italy
France
Spain
Turkey
China

What is more, the UK’s four biggest publishers will be there to welcome visitors in person. There will also be some exhibitors that have not been part of the London Book Fair before. According to the press release from London Book Fair (2022), new exhibitors include as follows:

Legible - USA
SiteFusion - USA
Beat Technology - Norway
Inner Truth Books - Panama
L’Erma di Bretschneider - Italy
Arab Publishers Association - UAE
Trends - UAE
Greyhound Literary Agents - UK
Glass Boxx - UK
Hardie Grant - UK
Priddy Books - UK

Highly represented this year are publishers from the Children’s Publishing Sector and the STM sector (“STM is the standard bearer for the academic publishing industry, working with its members to advance trusted research worldwide. [They] are committed to ensuring that the great discoveries of our time are communicated with pinpoint accuracy, clarity and integrity. [They] champion innovation across academic research, stimulating the development of new technologies and guidance on universal standards.” (STM, 2022).

The market focus of London Book Fair 2022 will be Sharjah (the third-populous city in the UAE) with the aim to highlight and celebrate authors from UAE. In addition to this, the London Book Fair has also worked on a professional programme, “designed to enable and enhance business opportunities in the region” (LBF, 2022).

There has been a lot of excitement about London Book Fair 2022 with many of the big publishers showing their delight:

“The London Book Fair has always marked an important point in the publishing calendar – not just because it is one of the biggest moments in the year for rights negotiations and export sales, but because it is one of the few times when our whole industry physically comes together, even before the pandemic. We are really looking forward to returning to an in-person fair this year and being able to connect again after two years of uncertainty and disruption.” (Tom Weldon, PRH)

Writing, Writer, Notes, Pen, Notebook

“It’s been a long two years and we are ecstatic to be back in London for LBF, as are the 70+ people attending with the USA Pavilion organisedorganized by the American Collective Stand and the Combined Book Exhibit. Everyone we speak with is itching to get back to in-person events and those one-on-one meetings to find the next big deal, reconnect with colleagues and cultivate new contacts.” (Janet Fritsch, American Collective Stand)

“I think I speak on behalf of all agents and their teams at Curtis Brown when I say that we are all really looking forward to this year’s London Book Fair. Whilst publishing and agenting has remained robust and successful despite all that COVID, Brexit and beyond has thrown at it, everyone has missed the buzz of a fair, the thrill of a deal made on the ground and the jovial early morning meeting chats about who has the hot book, who was last to bed and who drank the most negronis. We are a sociable business, passionate about our books, authors and colleagues and it’s time to get that warm and fuzzy feeling of all being united in the same place for the same goals for good.” (Cathryn Summerhayes, Curtis Brown)

“The fact that we have so many big hitters heading to Olympia in April is a huge vote of confidence in the fair, and a testament to the power of meeting face to face to network and do business. While Covid restrictions have affected the travel plans of representatives from some territories, we are delighted to have such a strong international presence, and as always are thrilled to welcome first time exhibitors from the UK and beyond to the fair. There is excitement building with less than a month to go until The London Book Fair, and we can’t wait to open our doors to so many international exhibitors, agents and visitors in April.” (Andy Ventris, Director of The London Book Fair)

girl reading book

Headlining Authors of the Day

London Book Fair is known to have Authors of the Day and Illustrators of the Fair in their programme. This means that a selection of authors from all backgrounds and genres, as well as illustrators, will appear in talks during the event. The following authors have been announced so far and will be featured in talks:

Maggie O’Farrell (5th April)
Afra Atiq and Diane Ewen (6th April)
Greg James and Chris Smith (7th April)

Maggie O’Farrell is an award-winning writer and novelist whose books After you’d gone and The hand that first held mine both won awards. Her most recent book Hamnet won the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Waterstones Book of the Year and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction in 2020. She has also penned a children’s book Where snow angels go.

Afra Atiq is a spoken word artist and poet from UAE, well-known for performing her poems in a blend of languages, such as English, French and Arabic). According to LBF (2022), Afra “showcased her work at the Dubai Opera, Louvre Abu Dhabi, PublisHer summit, and Abu Dhabi Art, and has performed internationally. She is also a founding member of Untitled Chapters, a community of Emirati women writers.”
Afra commented: “I’m looking forward to being at The London Book Fair as part of the Sharjah Market Focus Author of the Day. I am so thrilled to be amongst friends, colleagues and storytellers once again as we celebrate the return of LBF and the undeniable power of literature.” (LBF, 2022)

Diane Ewen Diane Ewen is British illustrator, born in Walsall, in the West Midlands. Diane was always infatuated with art and got her degree from the University of Wolverhampton. According to The Bright Agency (2022) “Diane likes to create illustrations that are hand-drawn in pencil before painting in watercolorwater colour and acrylics prior to embellishing them using Photoshop but she also enjoys working directly on the computer screen creating her designs; constantly developing her style as she progresses. She likes the fact that illustrations are the first things that entice the reader to engage with a book and is inspired by the use of vibrant colour. Her debut into publishing was the illustration of the “Pretty Poodle Parlour”, published by Orion and written by Angela MCallister.”
Diane Ewen said: “I am super amazed and excited to have been asked to be Illustrator of the Fair and look forward to all that’s in store!”

man in black crew neck t-shirt wearing black headphones

Greg James and Chris Smith are BBC Radio 1 hosts who are also well known to have penned the very popular “Kid Normal” book series. The series has been featured on best-seller lists and was also translated into 20 languages. Their latest book releases are “The Great Robbery” (2021) and a new book called “Super Ghost” is due to be released this September.
They said: “‘We’re hugely excited to be Children’s Authors of the Day at The London Book Fair and we can’t wait to get there. First, we’ll go on the dodgems then try and win a goldfish. What? It’s not that kind of fair? Oh. Well, this is awkward. There’s candy floss though, right?”

several silver and gold trophies on wooden surface

The London Book Fair International Excellence Awards

The London Book Fair International Excellence Awards have been held for 8 years and this will be the 9th time they are being celebrated. The awards highlight and celebrate publishing achievements in 8 categories, “championing those organisations and individuals from around the world demonstrating passion, creativity, and ingenuity.”
The shortlist for 2022 includes 17 different countries. This is the first time Greece appears and Spain has been nominated most often, showing in 3 categories.

The full shortlist of The London Book Fair International Excellence Awards is (LBT, 2022):

The Audiobook Publisher of the Year

Macmillan Audio (USA)
Penguin Random House Audio (USA)
Saga Egmont (Denmark)

The Bookstore of the Year Award

La Mistral (Spain)
Norli Universitetsgata (Norway)
Rahva Ramat Viru Store (Estonia)

The Educational Learning Resources Award

Caramel Tree (Canada)
Editions Animées (France)
Hamilton House Publishers (Greece)

The Library of the Year Award

City of Johannesburg (South Africa)
“Fran Galovic” Koprivnica Public Library (Croatia)
House of Wisdom (UAE)

The Rights Professional Award, sponsored by Sharjah Book Authority

Anna Soler-Pont, The Pontas Agency (Spain)
Fatimah Abbas, Fatimah Abbas Literary Agency (FALA) (Egypt)
Gray Tan, Grayhawk Agency (Taiwan)

The Children’s and Young Adult Publishers Award

Damla Publishing (Turkey)
Thierry Magnier (France)
Tulika Publishers (India)

The Literary Translation Initiative Award

Al Kotob Khan (Egypt)
Europe Comics (Belgium)
Institut Ramon Llull (Spain)

Eligible for entries from the UK only:

Inclusivity in Publishing Award

Knights Of
Bloomsbury
Saqi Books

The London Book Fair’s Author HQ 2022 Programme

Authors and writers are of course at the heart of the London Book Fair and always have been. The line up and programme for 2022 looks incredible and here at Happy London Press we are delighted to explore more during our time at the fair. Here are the highlights, as published by LBF (2022):

How I Write…: Three well-known authors share a behind-the-scenes look at their writing day, revealing how they wrote their best-known books.

From Book to Screen: Crime and Thrillers: Capturing the gripping nature of a crime novel and transferring to the big screen is an art form. In this session, best selling novelists Peter James, Louise Candlish and Kate Ruby share how they keep the audience gripped – on page and screen.

Preparing For Publication: The path to publication is an exciting one – and there are ways to prepare to make sure your new book is reader-ready. Experts from Midas and The Novelty share top tips on preparing for publication, and author Lizzie Damilola Blackburn discusses her experience ahead of the publication of her debut Yinka, Where is Your Husband? published by Viking in April.

Trending On TikTok = Book Sales: The Perfect Equation?: TikTok is fast becoming known as the go-to social platform for driving book sales. Author, early adopter and commentator on TikTok, Fiona Lucas and the team behind Penguin Random House’s Lit in Colour will discuss the key role of TikTok in the book world and which trends are the ones to watch.

The Power of The Bookshop: The Role Booksellers Play in Championing Your Book: Book retailers, whether a chain, indie bookshop or supermarket, can put the books they love into the hands of readers. Here, booksellers, and Independent Bookshop Award winning author Ingrid Persaud reveal the role bookshops can play in celebrating your book.

Publishing Outside of London: What Are the Benefits?: As ‘the Big 4’ begin to open offices outside of the UK capital, publishers from across the UK share the benefits this will bring to authors, publishers and most importantly, the readers.

Energising The Writing Process: Life coach and energy management expert Simon Alexander Ong shares the best ways to make the most of your time and harness your productivity to finish writing your book.

(for any updates please go to the website of LBF (see below) as the original source of this list).

woman wears black tank top

And finally…

We’re super excited to spend the whole three days at the fair and get the latest news of all the writerly and bookish things. If there is anything in particular you’d like us to look out for or find out for you, then please get in touch and quote LBF 2022 in the headline of the email. Please send your questions to happyldnpress@gmail.com.

And if you’re also at the fair, let us know, too. We always like to see a friendly face or even meet you for a chat about all the fabulous things that books do for us.