7 Big Stories from the 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair
The international Frankfurt Book Fair came to a close on Sunday, ending a week-long gathering of authors, agents, and publishing leaders who shared optimism for the future of the book industry. Whether publishing professionals expressed their excitement for global publishing initiatives, discussed the promise of data-driven strategies, or noted the challenges of ebook pricing, many of the conversations at Frankfurt focused on the biggest trends shaping the industry. Following are a few of our favorite stories from the conference which delve into these forward-looking topics.
Hachette CEO Nourry: Publishers Need to Put Controls on Pricing - The Amazon-Hachette dispute still looms over the industry, as does the resultant agency pricing that publishers won from those negotiations. In this interview, Hachette’s CEO Arnaud Nourry urged publishers to keep control of their ebook pricing at all cost.
Cookbooks: A Recipe for Success in the Publishing World - The growing popularity of the cookbook market was on display at the Gourmet Gallery in Frankfurt. Once a niche segment, cookbooks have come to dominate book publishing in several countries around the world.
Simon & Schuster CEO Seeks to Master Data - Carolyn Reidy, CEO of Simon & Schuster, says that putting data to work is high on her agenda for 2016. The publisher has hired a data scientist to make sense of the dizzying amounts of data Simon & Schuster collects and put it to good use.
Springer Introduces a New Brand at Frankfurt - Springer Nature, the company that formed from the merger of Macmillan Science and Education and Springer Science+Business Media, debuted its new corporate brand at Frankfurt. Here Springer Nature CEO Derk Haank shares his plans for the future.
In Surprise, Frankfurt Book Fair Attendance Rises - Since the recession took its toll on the event in 2009, the Frankfurt Book Fair has reported a steady decline in fair attendees. This year the organizers expressed some optimism, announcing a surprising 2.3% rise in attendance.
Books That Have People Talking at Frankfurt Book Fair - A number of rights deals were made at Frankfurt this year. Here are a few titles that found success at the Book Fair.
HarperCollins Sees Sales Increase from Global Publishing Initiative - HarperCollins’ UK Chief Executive Charlie Redmayne estimates that HarperCollins’ global publishing efforts -- it’s move to publish certain titles in multiple languages, simultaneously -- has boosted sales by 30%.
Ellen Harvey is a freelance writer and editor who covers the latest technologies and strategies reshaping the publishing landscape. She previously served as the Senior Editor at Publishing Executive and Book Business.