Frankfurt Book Fair
Frankfurt Book Fair is the biggest book and media fair in the world, and we’re back again this year. Reporting from the busy DK stand, our International Sales team give us a taste of what it’s like…
Setting the scene – Gareth Lowe
Imagine a giant, uncoordinated ballet, performed around a mass of obstacles at great speed. This is somewhat akin to the DK stand at the height of the Frankfurt Bookfair – a heaving mass of excited buyers, eager sales people and countless other staff. That the stand looked clean, orderly and chic throughout was a testament to the hard work that went into the planning and execution of the event. Of course, if a foreign publisher takes 1,000 copies or 10,000 copies, the stand looks just as busy. But whilst the real test of the fair’s success is yet to come, everyone working for DK must have left this year’s Bookfair with something of a buzz.
It’s worth trotting out the facts and figures relating to the size of the Frankfurt Bookfair – in the industry we’re all too familiar with these, but for those for whom books are a passion and not a profession, it’s well worth repeating them. Imagine Earls Court (the missing apostrophe in the name of the exhibition centre is all the stranger when you consider that the area and tube station seem to have got it right). It’s a fairly big hall and annually hosts a pretty big Bookfair. Now imagine multiplying that by a factor of 8. I admit I’ve not done any research when quoting these figures, but it certainly seems that large. The Frankfurt Bookfair is so huge it has its own transport system installed within. The exhibition halls themselves are the largest in Europe, but few other events held there must generate the same level of enthusiasm amongst the local population. Frankfurt, and perhaps Germany as a whole, simply loves books.
One of the most bizarre trends at recent Fairs is the tendency for “cosplay” youths to descend upon the Bookfair in their thousands. The phenomenon started a few years back, with a handful of keen teens dressing as their favourite Manga characters. It’s pure escapism, but in today’s climate that’s surely a good thing. Each year, their number grows and whilst it’s easy to turn one’s jaded nose up at their enthusiasm, the idea that such a volume of German youths are keen on books and interested in publishing is fantastic.
Back on the DK stand, tired limbs and hungry bellies betray the effort that’s gone into creating and promoting one of the world’s foremost illustrated publishing lists. But the mood is good, and the night is young, and we all head towards our respective drinks engagements content in the knowledge that all the hard work was worthwhile.
Day 1 – by Angelika Dunsmore
Being back at the Frankfurt Book Fair for the 14th year does have a bit of groundhog day about it. Every year you can’t believe it comes round so quickly. Day One did not disappoint…
Having bonded with colleagues at a lovely German restaurant the evening beforehand, we arrived in good spirits at the fair on the first morning. The joint DK and Penguin stand looks great – the welcoming reception area in the middle giving way to two fortress like wings at either side. This is where we whisk our customers to and wow them with our books and our charm!
The relative calm of the first hour of the fair dissolved quickly into animated activity, with meetings taking place at every table and a throng of publishers waiting in front of the stand for their turn.
Apart from the high-powered business meetings that took place, here are some other highlights of the day:
- Publishers fondling ANIMAL – everyone can’t help but stroke the new furry zebra-style cover of ANIMAL, our newly launched Natural History title.
- There was a moment of high drama when a publisher found her iPad, iPhone and Passport missing – fortunately the confused person who had walked off with the handbag returned it quickly. Don’t you just love the world of publishing.
- DK LEGO, pre-school and children’s books are loved and adored by all.
- Everyone loves ice cream. Don’t ask.
My day was brought to a glorious finale in a German restaurant where we were served huge cold beers and the World’s best Schnitzels! (The location of this restaurant shall remain a secret of the Schnitzel Sisterhood FOREVER! However it was such a great experience that we are now working on “Schnitzel – the Musical”!)
Day 2 – by Lucie Uwarow
You know it’s the second day at Frankfurt when:
- you skip breakfast to sleep five minutes more
- having a tidy stand is the best thing that’s happened to you in a long time (well two days, really)
- you find business cards in your pocket and think “oh it was nice to meet them a couple of years ago” when it actually was 5 minutes before
- sweets on the stand make you very happy
- you’ve switched heels and skirts for flats and trousers
- your customer tells you “it’s such a nice day” and you have no idea what they’re talking about because you haven’t seen the sky in a while
- your colleagues understand which book you are looking for without saying a word, because you’ve developed a weird sign/noise based language
- you ask the creative team for blog ideas and they remain speechless
- you can list the extents and word counts of books by heart
- you say “I’m going home” referring to the hotel
Day 3 – by Caroline Goldsmith
So, after 3 days, 43 meetings and a lot of schnitzel it’s time to say auf wiedersehen to Frankfurt. It’s been emotional. When you have a schedule as busy as mine, it’s easy to feel that you have an impossible mountain to climb. The great thing about DK International Sales is that the climb is made easier by some great colleagues and friends.
DK books are published in 59 languages worldwide so our stand is a little like a meeting of the United Nations at bookfairs. It’s busy, hectic and full to bursting for the duration of the fair. Whether it’s supporting meetings, helping with sales material or just supplying a sympathetic ear when things go wrong – your team will get you through!
Days at the fair are long. Meetings start from 9am so we have to be at the stand early to prepare material (and ourselves) to greet our International partners. Long schedules are punctuated with strategic dashes to the bathroom, hastily eaten sandwiches and a lot of business cards. Bookfairs are when International Sales really shines and where we really come together. We work hard, but fortunately we find time for play too – as we did last night when we descended on a local restaurant for apfelwein (Frankfurt’s famous – or should I say infamous, cider) and platters full of more meat than I have seen in a butcher’s shop.
So as I wheel my suitcase out of Hall 8 for another year, I’m thinking about all the people that make this possible – from the creative teams, who have yet again supplied us with a cracking list of great titles; the teams who tirelessly work to produce the sales materials we use and stay with us to tidy up and keep it all in order; the team who build our amazing stand (especially the kitchen, which is crucial) to our beloved Nina (our Frankfurt mum) who organises us all and keeps us in chocolate and other necessities. And a special thanks to my colleagues in International Sales for keeping me sane through another Frankfurt. Same time next year guys?
