Frankfurt

Iran is among the top 10 most censored countries, next to Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and China. However, the digital age is creating a new challenge to Iran's censorship apparatus. An increasing number of writers and translators are turning to the internet to publish their work, instead of going through the tormenting line-by-line scrutiny required for print publication. A rise in paper prices has concomitantly driven more readers to buy ebooks. State TV has started labelling digital books as a new threat that should be taken seriously.

Over at The Independent Publishing Magazine, Mick Rooney has just aired the possibility of a full-on Bertelsmann SE takeover of Penguin Random House, taking up Pearson plc’s current position and advancing its stake from anywhere between the current 53 percent and 100 percent. This follows a Bloomberg article aired at the time of last autumn’s Frankfurt […]

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There has been some kind of book fair in Frankfurt since the 15th century - almost as long as books as we know them today have been printed. For much of the time since, we have been arguing in one way or another about who has the right to print them and profit accordingly. This year I made a modest contribution to this debate in a dialogue with Olav Stokkmo, CEO of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO), and I wanted to share some in print as well.

I've spent more than half-a-year of my life in Frankfurt, one week at a time. My first Fair was 1976 so this would have been my 39th if I attended them all. I think I missed two, so that's 37. I love it and I get enormous commercial benefit from it. I can't understand people who are in our business who don't; it attracts the top executives from just about every publishing company in the world. But, like just about everything in our business, it is affected by the digital revolution.

At a standing room only session at the Frankfurt Book Fair, bestselling Brazilian author Paulo Coelho had a message for publishers: Embrace change. And, lower your e-book prices.

At the packed event, Coelho and fair director Jeurgen Boos talked about the future of the book business, with Coelho telling the audience that change could not be stopped. "It is a lost case," Coelho said. "Paulo, you're saying the war is lost?" Boos asked. "I'm not saying the war is lost," Coelho replied