The London Book Fair 2012: e-books take the spotlight

With three days of seminars, events and exhibits, the London Book Fair is an international phenomenon that hosts professionals from every niche in the publishing industry. 

Taking place in the Earls Court exhibition centre, the book fair offers a plethora of opportunities to hear from authors, attend seminars and mingle with professionals in the publishing industry. 

The event has taken place for the past 41 years and this year the London Book Fair played host to over 400 seminars and events, 1,500 international exhibiting companies and 24,000 publishing professionals. It is truly the place to be for anyone looking to delve into the professional publishing industry. 

For first-time attendees, it may seem a bit overwhelming, what with the many company booths laid out around the main rooms of the centre. But with seminars like Qbend: Accelerate Your eBook Business, Serious Self-Publishing: From Manuscript to Market, and Twitter to Woo? the event has much to offer both publishing professionals and newcomers alike. A range of topics covering children and young adult publishing, digital publishing, marketing focuses for the industry, film and television and literary translation are covered at the event, leaving little left to be desired from such a thorough coverage of the publishing spectrum. It is a valuable networking event for authors and professionals alike and it’s pretty enjoyable for those who are simply curious about the publishing industry as well. 

The venue, Earls Court exhibition centre, offers amenities like cafes, restaurants, seminar rooms and lounges, making the atmosphere and space very enjoyable. Though the fair ended on Wednesday 18^th April, it takes place every spring, so start planning ahead for next year!

Katherine Alexander