MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
April 1-15, 2004 Edition
London Book
Fair Attracts
Record Crowds
LONDON/3/23/04The 34th London Book Fair, held in mid March this year, attracted 14,572 visitors this year, a seven percent increase over the previous year’s numbers. Attendance by overseas visitors increased by 33 per cent in 2004. Sponsored by The Booksellers Association of the United Kingdom and Ireland, London Book Fair is a major event in the global publishing calendar.
New features at LBF have also been hugely successful including the International Young Publisher of the Year award won by Mexican Publishing House, Sexto Piso, the Market Focus initiative designed to highlight the publishing industries of individual countries or regions and Lit Idol, the contest to find the next new big name in publishing.
Overseas visitor attendance increased by 33.8% Bookseller visitor attendance increased by 19.8% Overall trade visitor attendance increased by 7% International Rights Centre Tables increased by 14.5%
Exhibition space for the 2004 conference reached an all-time record of 669 stands, up to 35 percent, including first-time exhibitors from Romania, Switzerland and Italy. Eastern European countries about to join the European Union were also well represented, including Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slivenia and Czechoslovacia.
Among the biggest sales at the fair announced so far was the $3 million purchase by HarperColins of world rights to a book by U2. Agent for the deal is Ed Victor.
Lit Idol, the competition to find the nation’s most promising new novelists, proved to be a fantastic success. From the 1,466 entries received from across the globe including the US, Australia, Italy and Spain.
Canadian writer, Paul Cavanagh emerged as the Lit Idol 2004 winner during the final held at London Book Fair on Monday March 15. Paul now receives representation by Curtis Brown, one of Europe’s oldest and largest independent literary and media agencies.
The founders of Lit Idol, Emma Draude, Midas PR and Shereen Murray, London Book Fair are already hard at work planning Lit Idol 2005.
Dates for next year’s London Book Fair 2005 are March 13-15, 2005, Olympia Exhibition Centre, London.
