Frankfurt Book Fair
2011 introduced the Frankfurt Book Fair logo
The Frankfurt Book Fair is an international book fair, which takes place annually in October on the grounds of Messe Frankfurt. It was founded in 1949 by the Association of German Book Trade. Since 1976, regional and thematic priorities have been formed; Since 1988, she highlights the literature and culture of a host country especially in each year. During the Book Fair, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the German Youth Literature Prize and many other industry awards will be presented.
History
The Frankfurt Book Fair has a more than 500 -year tradition. A book fair in Frankfurt already existed in the early modern period, after Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, just a few kilometers away from Frankfurt, had revolutionized the printing press and the printer Johannes Fust, Peter Schoeffer and Konrad Henckis the Frankfurt Trade Fair for transshipment of the manuscript trade detaching publishing trade made .
Before the era of the late 17th century Frankfurt remained the central book fair city in Europe. The political and cultural upheavals resulting from the Reformation, however, increasingly impaired the business. As disastrous proved especially the censorship by the Imperial Books Commission, which saw itself as the spearhead of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Frankfurt was eventually supplanted by the Leipzig Book Fair in the Age of Enlightenment in his role. Two centuries later, the Book Fair in Frankfurt lived due to the division of Germany again: 205 German exhibitors gathered from 18 to 23 September 1949 in the St. Paul Church to the first book fair in the postwar period. A few years later, however, foreign exhibitors presented the majority; The Frankfurt Book Fair was the first truly international event of its kind
During the Frankfurt Book Fair numerous prizes will be awarded. The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade is of greatest significance. In addition, there are many more industry awards, partly serious nature, such as the German Youth Literature Prize or the getAbstract International Book Award for Business Books, some less serious nature, such as the awarded since 1979 Diagram Prize for the most unusual English-language book titles of the year. Since 2008, there is a corresponding price for German -language titles that are awarded as oddest book title of the year.
Since 1993, the Frankfurt Book Fair is also available for electronic media open. The fair was so, against many odds in bandage and the public, a clear sign for the future development of the book industry. Since 2003, the Frankfurt Book Fair is increasingly at the service of book marketing. These first seven presentation forums were opened in the various halls. The establishment of the Forum Film & TV served simultaneously integrating new customer and exhibitor groups. This principle was continued through the establishment of HotSpots 2011. Lectures are held, inter alia, audiobooks and Modern Antiquarian in the translator and librarian - center. Since 2005, the first Frankfurt Antiquarian Book Fair is connected. Also beginning in 2005, a joint industry representation for magazine publishers the trade, public and international press as well as a joint exhibition were Games & Playing with Toy Fair Nuremberg established and awarded a doped with 37,500 Euro German Book Prize to Arno Geiger.
In June 2006, took place as a joint venture, the first Cape Town Book Fair, Cape Town Book Fair, held. The book fair 2006 he founded the " Focus on education " with Litcam, a literarisation campaign, which fights against illiteracy in Germany and around the world. Started in 2007 in this regard, inter alia, a short-story project (Who 's on the line? Call for free ) by and about people with a migration background.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper was first published in 2008 a free book fair newspaper. She appeared daily with 24 pages and a circulation of 40,000 copies.
2009, the Book Fair from 14th to 18th of October and was opened by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping. Again exhibitors from 100 countries were expected, but 400 less than last year. For criticism caused the selection of the host country China. A Conference organized in advance of the Book Fair China Symposium in mid-September, a large part of the Chinese delegation left the hall after the dissident writer had Bei Ling and Dai Qing took the floor. Both had been previously unloaded to pressure from China, but still arrived. Book Fair Director Juergen Boos apologized then at the Delegation and later admitted " unnecessary compromises " in the planning of the session.
2010 included the Book Fair Total 279 325 visitors, of which 175 311 people came to the three trade days at the show. About 10,000 journalists from 63 countries reported on the show. 2010, there were 7,539 exhibitors from 111 countries.
Since 2011, the Frankfurt Book Fair Exhibitors published no detailed statistics. This year saw about 280,000 visitors attended the fair, according to the broadcaster 7,384 suppliers from 106 countries came to Frankfurt.
2012 took the Book Fair held from 10 to 14 October. With a total of 281 753 visitors, the response was slightly larger than in the previous year.
2013 the fair took place from 9 to 13 October. According to preliminary estimates, well 276,000 visitors came to the public days and about 143,000 visitors, representing a decrease of 2.2 percent compared to the previous year.
Function of the fair
The book fair serves as an exhibition primarily publishers, agents, booksellers, librarians, scientists, illustrators, service providers, film producers, translators, printers, associations, artists, authors, booksellers, software and multimedia vendors to present their bid and the conclusion of shops. The trade book licenses / rights takes place in a dedicated agent center.
The Book Fair is only secondarily a fair for the general public, which is approved only on the last two days of the fair.
The Frankfurt Book Fair, in cooperation with the Federal Foreign Office, the Goethe Institute and other institutions, the translation of German literature abroad. There are also around 25 investments in book fairs are organized every year around the world. The 1990s were established in collaboration with the Goethe Institute Book Information Centres to promote translation since the beginning, however, the German Book Office are heavily involved in sales work the show now under the name. Currently, there are constant presences in New York, Beijing, Moscow, Bucharest and New Delhi. In addition, scholarship programs exist as funded by the Foreign Office Invitation Programme for Publishers in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Frankfurt Fellowship, which is aimed at the publishing Nachsuchs. On the 50th anniversary of the Book Fair 1998, the program was launched cities of refuge, which, supported by the City of Frankfurt, persecuted writers for one year, allows a stay in Frankfurt.
Under the umbrella brand Frankfurt Academy, the Frankfurt Book Fair brings together their year-round international conference activities. The conferences are aimed at target groups from the media industries, mostly in the field of publishing.
Since the announcement of the winner of the Nobel Prize for literature often falls in the week of the fair, the book fair is also traditionally the first major forum of the publisher, who has the works of Nobel Prize recipient in the program.
Every year, the broadband providers to 30 percent of the area - the same number of accounts. One increasingly acquired technologieaffinere exhibitors and vendors of new distribution channels for the Book Fair.
Line of the book fair
From 1949 to 1957 Wilhelm Müller headed the Book Fair, he was succeeded to 1974 Sigfred Taubert, previously head of the press office of the Booksellers Association and spokesman for the Book Fair. In 1975, Peter Weidhaas the post of Book Fair Director and the Managing Director of Exhibition and Congress GmbH. He was previously head of the issuing unit in the Book Fair. Peter Weidhaas wrote a volume on the history of the Frankfurt Book Fair as well as two volumes of autobiography, the second deals with his time at the book fair.
After the end of Weidhaas 's tenure followed him Lorenzo Rudolf, former director of Art Basel, the Office of the Book Fair Director. He was succeeded in 2002 Volker Neumann, previously managing director of the Random House Publishing Group. Since April 1, 2005 Juergen Boos is Director of the Frankfurt Book Fair. He conducted before marketing on the Wiley -VCH Verlag.
Similarly, an international advisory board of the book fair founded.
Host countries and topics
Since 1988, the book fair has a host country or host region, which forms a particular focus. The host country organizes a cultural program with readings, literature promotion, award ceremonies, etc. In 2004, about 500 of about 3,000 events a reference to the Arab world as a host region. Exhibitions and reading tours in the host country begin before the book fair, and go far beyond that. India ( 1986 and 2006 ) and Brazil (1994 and 2013) had been twice host country.
Prior to 1988, there was also a thematic focus instead of host countries.
Current exhibition
In 2014, the Book Fair will be held from 8 to 12 October, the host country will be Finland.