Trade shows and book fairs are organized exhibitions in which different publishing houses and presses can showcase their latest publications and meet with industry partners and customers. 

Book fairs are one of the best ways for authors to meet and network with top publishers and literary agents.

There are several important book trade shows taking place in various locations around the world each year. 

Below is a list of the most significant trade shows and fairs every serious author should attend.

Save the date for the following 20 trade shows and book fairs!

  1. New York Rights Fair, NYC

NY Rights FairThe New York Rights Fair will be the first trade show in the U.S. dedicated to the buying and selling of international rights as well as the distribution and licensing of content. It covers both adult and children’s content and will bring U.S. publishers and agents together with their global counterparts.

For information on their first fair, visit their website. The fair will take place at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan from May 30 to June 1, 2018. Visitor registration passes range from $75 to $225, and exhibitor booths range from $1,000 to $6,200.

  1. Frankfurt Book Fair, Germany

Frankfurt Book FairThe Frankfurt Book Fair is a five day event that features people from diverse sectors of the publishing industry, including writers, publishers, agents, and movie production houses. The first three days are restricted exclusively to trade/professional visitors, and the last two days are open to the general public. With books of all genres are exhibited, 7,000 exhibitors from over 100 countries, and more than 250,000 visitors, the Frankfurt Book Fair is one of the most important book fairs internationally for deals and trading.

The next fair will be held at the Messe Frankfurt in Frankfurt, Germany, from October 11th to October 15th, 2017. Find more information here.

  1. Beijing International Book Fair, China

Beijing Book FairThe Beijing Book Fair has grown to become one of the top book fairs in the world, with an average of 200,000 visitors in late August/early September. It’s the most important book fair in Asia, and a crucial visit if you want to enter the Chinese and Asian publishing market.

The next fair will take place from August 23rd to August 27th, 2017 at the China International Exhibition Center. Find more information on their website.

  1. Kolkata Book Fair, India

Kolkata Book FestThe International Kolkata Book Fair is the largest attended book fair in the world with an attendance of over 2.5 million people every year. It differs from other trade and book fairs in the sense that this fair is primarily for the general public over wholesale distributors. In conjunction with the fair, numerous events are held: book signings, seminars, and competitive events for school children.

The next fair will begin on January 30th and ends on February 11th, 2018. For more information visit their website.

  1. BookExpo, NYC

BookExpo NYCBookExpo provides a focused professional environment to discover emerging authors and the next blockbuster titles, engage with the world’s most influential publishers and learn from industry leaders and peers. The fair is paired with BookCon, the two-day fan event where storytelling meets pop culture.

The next fair will take place in New York City from May 30th to June 1st, 2018. BookCon will follow from June 2nd to June 3rd, 2018.  Visit their website for more information.

  1. Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Italy

Bologna Book FairThis book fair is a four day event dedicated to the side of publishing geared toward children’s publishing and multimedia. It’s the meeting place for all personnel involved with creating and publishing children’s literature, ranging from authors, illustrators, literary agents, licensors and licensees, packagers, distributors, printers, booksellers, and librarians. Their last fair, held in April 2017, brought the total attendance of foreign visitors to 44%.

The 2018 Bologna International Children’s Book Fair is scheduled for March 26th to 29th, 2018. Visit their website for more information.

  1. Kerrytown BookFest, Michigan U.S.

Kerrytown BookfestHeld each September, the Kerrytown BookFest in Ann Arbor celebrates individuals who create books, and those who read them. Their primary goal is to highlight Ann Arbor’s literary heritage in the book and printing arts and showcase individuals, businesses, and organizations. There are activities and events for people of all ages, approximately fifteen different panels, and publishers who share their latest books.

The 15th annual Kerrytown Bookfest will be held on September 10th, 2017. For more information, visit their website.

  1. Lifeline Bookfest Brisbane, Australia

Lifeline Bookfest BrisbaneLifeline Bookfest Brisbane is the biggest fundraising event that supports the 24 hour Lifeline Crisis Support Line, a life-saving service offering suicide prevention and bereavement support. At the event, you will find 4km of tables with millions of books, among other objects such as magazines and CDs, divided into categories for ease of browsing. It totals up to nine days at the Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre in Brisbane, Australia, showcasing products for book readers to collectors.

There is no entry free. Visit https://10times.com/bookfest-brisbane for more information.

  1. Baltimore Book Festival, Maryland U.S.

Baltimore Book FestivalThe Baltimore Book Festival features hundreds of appearances by local, celebrity, and nationally known authors, and features more than 100 exhibitors and booksellers. In addition, there’s book signings, nonstop readings on multiple stages, cooking demos by top chefs, poetry readings, workshops, panel discussions, live music, and projects for kids.

The next Book Festival will be held at Baltimore Inner Harbor, from September 22nd to September 24th, 2017. Find more information, visit their website.

  1. The Buenos Aires International Book Fair, South America

Buenos Aires Book FairThough it wasn’t the first book fair held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this book fair’s attendance has reached up to 1.2 million. The fair’s organizer bills it as the most important annual literary event in the Spanish-speaking world. Main exhibitors include, but aren’t limited to, professionals from the education sector, authors, lecturers, students from schools, universities and other institutions, scientists, and artists. 

It’s a 19-day event which will be held from April 26th to May 14th, 2018 in La Rural, fairgrounds in the Argentine capital.

11. San Francisco Art Book Fair, California U.S.

San Fran Art Book FairThe San Francisco Art Book Fair is an annual festival of artists’ publications that is free and open to the public. Artists’ books, art catalogs, monographs, periodicals, zines, printed ephemera, and artists’ multiples are all be featured and presented by over 100 independent publishers, antiquarian dealers, artists, collectors, and enthusiasts. In addition, there will be a diverse range of talks, discussions, book launches, on and off-site projects, exhibitions, and signings, all over the course of a weekend.

The next art book fair will begin on July 22nd, 2017, with a preview of the event on July 21st from 6pm to 10pm. It will be held at Minnesota Street Project. Visit their website for more information.

12. Hong Kong Book Fair, China

Hong Kong BFThe Hong Kong Book Fair features major exhibits in books and publications, more so children’s, teen’s, and religious books, stationery, arts and crafts products, and e-Books. They’ll also have exhibitions on hobby goods and multimedia products.

The next fair will take place from July 19th to the 25th 2017, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Find admission information and opening hours on their website.

13. Manila International Book Fair, Philippines

Manila Book FairAs the largest and longest-running book fair in the Philippines, the Manila International Book Fair aims to spread the love for reading among the Filipino public. They also provide a venue for publishers, distributors, authors, and book lovers involved in the publishing industry to exchange ideas about the literary world. There are a wide variety of choices for readers of all tastes.

The next fair will be held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City from September 13th to September 17th, 2017. Find more information on their website.

14. Hollywood Book Festival, California U.S.

Hollywood Book FestivalDue to its location, the annual Hollywood Book Festival is essential for authors who wish to network with producers. This festival is the only publishing festival geared toward books and how they should gain recognition from the film, television, video gaming, and multimedia industry. One of the activities includes an awards ceremony where writers can submit their book for the chance to win a film/TV/video game deal and winners are promoted to contacts in the entertainment industry.

Find more information on their website.

15. PBFA Dublin Book Fair, Ireland

Dublin Book FairProvincial Booksellers Fairs Association, or PBFA, organizes several fairs all over the United Kingdom each month of the year. The PBFA Dublin Book Fair is a two-day fair showcasing books, inclusive of children’s books, sports books, and international books, as well as publications and journals.

The next fair will take place later this year, from October 7th to October 8th, 2017. The venue, Freemasons Hall, is wheelchair accessible.

Find more information here.
Info about their other events taking place in locations such as Cambridge, London, and Edinburgh can be found on their website.

16. Delhi Book Fair, India

Delhi Book FairThe New Delhi Book Fair is organized by National Book Trust, India, which works towards the promotion of books and the habit of reading in the country of India. For the past 45 years, they have offered participants an opportunity of doing business with the book industry. The fair attracts major publishing houses from across the world and opens a gateway to the publishing world of South Asia.

The next fair will likely be held at the Pragati Maidan venue next January. Find more information on their website.

17. Chicago International Remainder & Overstock Book Expo (CIROBE), Chicago U.S.

Chicago Book ExpoCIROBE is an annual wholesale show open only for attendees and exhibitors within the bargain book trade. They provide a trading platform to all publishers and remainder companies who want to sell bargain books to various bookstores for resale. It’s goal is to boost the book market.

Pre-registration is $25.00 per person so long as it’s received by October 1st, 2017. Registration after October 1 will cost $40.00. The event will take place from October 20th to October 22nd at Navy Pier Festival Hall B.

Register on their website.

18. Boston Book Print & Ephemera Show, Massachusetts U.S.

Boston ShowThe Boston Book Print and Ephemera Show is a one-day event that will showcase products from the publishing and book industry, more so manuscripts, autographs, maps, atlases, fine and decorative prints, and other items that count as literary ephemera.

The fair will next occur on November 11th, 2017, beginning at 8:00 am and ending at 4:00 pm. Find more information on their website.

19. International Istanbul Book Fair, Turkey

Istanbul Book FairThe International Istanbul Book Fair aims to bring publishers, readers, writers, editors, scholars, poets, translators, and academics on a platform that celebrates the power and impact of the written word. The fair offers a potential for the European book market due to Germany’s presence as a major trading partner.

The next fair will take place over the course of nine days, beginning on November 4, 2017, and ending on November 12. The venue will be the Tuyap Fair Convention & Congress Center in Istanbul. It is open to professional visitors and the general public. Find more information on their website.

20. Miami Book Fair, Florida U.S.

Miami Book FairOne of the finest book fair’s in the world, the Miami Book Fair features six nights of readings and discussions with notable authors from around the world. There are numerous events at the fair including the “Festival of Authors” where more than 450 authors read and discuss their work. In addition, there are presentations by renowned graphic novelists and illustrators and a new section for kids a teens.

More than 250 publishers and booksellers exhibit and sell books. For the fair, they tend to showcase signed first editions, original manuscripts, and other collectibles. Writers also have the opportunity to submit their unpublished novella for a chance to win $6,000, publication, and an expense-paid trip to the Miami Book fair.

The fair will open November 12th, 2017, and will end November 19th, 2017.
Visit their website for more information.