The Leipzig Book Fair opened on March 19th. We present you the most important highlights from the largest book fair in Germany.
Leipzig Book Fair 2019: What does the future look like?
On the first day there was heated discussion about the situation of the book industry in Germany. A study recently showed that publishers nationwide are facing a major challenge. As the general manager of the German Book Trade Association, Mr. Alexander Skipis, explained, a lot has been learned since then. The first positive results didn't take long to arrive: in 2018, more books were sold for the first time in six years, and this year is also starting with an increase in sales for many and industry growth of 4.5%. According to Alexander Skipis, this is proof that the book is firmly anchored in German society.
These are the highlights!
More students there?
Like every year, Thursday is the day when school classes visit the fair.The teenagers are interestedincluding politics, comics and thriller novels. Promoting reading is the focus of the organizers, and more and more publishers are paying special attention to the equipment of the exhibition stands and attaching great importance to the book design in order to arouse the curiosity of young readers and to differentiate themselves from other publishing houses.
The Czech Republic is the guest country for 2019
The Czech Republic has been selected as the guest country: more than 50 authors will present their works in over 100 events. The Czech writer Jaroslav Rudiš has already impressed literary critics and was nominated for a prize in the “Fiction” category.
The awards ceremony will take place this evening
The official awards ceremony will take place this evening. Prizes will be awarded in categories: “Non-fiction”, “Fiction” and “Translation”. Five authors in each category made it onto the shortlist, we're excited to see who will win.
