The London Book Fair opened its doors to publishers, authors, writers and readers from over 130 countries today as the 47th Fair commenced.
Highlights from Day One of the Fair:
Author of the Day Joanna Trollope discussed how we learn more in fiction than we do in real life.
“Donald Trump” visited the Oval Office at the Fair to mark the campaign launch of Bill Clinton and James Patterson’s upcoming crime fiction novel, The President is Missing (Penguin Random House).
Best-selling author David Baldacci shared his writing tips in Author HQ, proving why he has published over forty novels and sold more than 130 million copies worldwide.
Kit de Waal sat down to chat with author Cathy Rentzenbrink to discuss de Waal’s new book, The Trick to Time, a tale of love and loss in 1970s Birmingham.
The LBF Opening Ceremony welcomed the Baltics as the Market Focus for 2018, while leading authors from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia discussed what can be lost and gained in translating literature.
Gyles Brandreth took part in the launch at The Club at the Ivy in memory of iconic literary agent Ed Victor.
The founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, Laura Bates, sat down to advise on the gender pay gap and how to approach employees about it.
The Publishers Association brought together some great minds to discuss “A Bookish Brexit”, how the UK can keep its role at the heart of the global publishing industry leaving the EU.
Mental health was a key topic of the day as Jonny Benjamin MBE and Natasha Devon MBE discussed mental-health literature alongside Sue Baker, the Director of Mind, the mental health charity, and Poets’ Corner examined the role poetry can play in health and happiness.
LBF Charity of the Year, the Kittiwake Trust, held a session on the importance of books in prisons.
There was a celebration of the language and literature of one of Europe’s smallest nations, Montenegro, following the recent decision by the International Organisation for Standardisation to officially recognising Montenegrin as a separate language from Serbian.
Iconic book brand Mr. Men and Little Misses were under the spotlight as LIMA licensing discussed how this brand has managed to find a place in so many hearts over the past forty years.
Tahir Mansoori, founder of Wizdom, debunked the myths around AI and how it will affect jobs in the future.
Educational publishers and technology providers gathered for the What Works Education Conference to discuss how technology is disrupting learning.
The day wraps up with the International Excellence Awards, held in partnership with The Publishers Association. The awards are a celebration of publishing and related activities outside the UK. The awards ceremony will also include the presentation of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award to Sara Miller McCune, Founder and Executive Chairman of SAGE Publishing.