Olympia London | 12 – 14 March 2024

London, 30 October 2023. The London Book Fair (LBF) has today announced the Authors of the Day line-up for the 2024 Fair, which will feature Sunday Times best-selling author and TV presenter Richard Osman as Adult Author of the Day; Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as International Author of the Day; Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho as Children’s Author of the Day; and Klaus Flugge Prize winner Flavia Z Drago as Illustrator of the Fair.

L-R: Joseph Coelho (c) David Bebber; Flavia Z Drago; Richard Osman (c) Conor O’Leary; Taylor Jenkins Reid (c) Michael Buckner

Gareth Rapley, Director of The London Book Fair, said: “One of our most celebrated and popular features of The London Book Fair line-up, we are thrilled to announce the Authors of the Day and Illustrator of the Fair for our 2024 edition. As the first major event in next year’s publishing calendar, we will be bringing together a phenomenal array of publishing talent from all over the world, and Taylor, Richard, Flavia and Joseph perfectly encapsulate the enthusiasm, talent and creativity that make our industry so special. We are really looking forward to welcoming them to Olympia next March, for what we are sure will be fascinating conversations around their careers, inspiration and mission.”

Taylor Jenkins Reid said: “I am honored to be the International Author of the Day at The London Book Fair 2024. I am really excited to take part in one of the biggest events for the book industry, and to return to London, one of my favorite cities in the world. I can’t wait to connect and reconnect with authors, readers and publishers.”

Joseph Coelho, Children’s Author of the Day, said: “I’m thrilled to be attending the 2024 London Book Fair as Children’s Author of the Day. In my role as the current Waterstones Children’s Laureate I’ve travelled the length and breadth of the UK championing the vital role of public libraries, celebrating the power of poetry, and showcasing new talent to diversify bookshelves and inspire bookmakers of the future. I’m looking forward to sharing more about these focal points of my tenure – as well as celebrating the wonderfully vibrant world of children’s books – on an international stage next March!”

Flavia Z Drago, Illustrator of the Fair, said: “I was born in Mexico. When I was little, I was lucky enough to live in a house full of books, and usually, the ones with beautiful or intriguing illustrations got my interest first. Pictures opened the doors of curiosity; they made me want to know more about the world where I lived, and the body in which I moved. Pictures helped me encounter stories that may – or may not – have happened years ago, and others that can only truly exist in the imagination. One of these was Two Can Toucan by David Mc Kee. I liked it so much that when I was about nine or ten years old, I made my own version using an old typewriter (which made me feel very professional) and colouring pencils. It was also about the same time when I wrote and drew my first original story (a tragedy about my pets).

I have always loved drawing, but I didn’t know then that I would end up making picture books and living in the UK. And now, I cannot believe that I have the honour to be named Illustrator of the Fair at the London Book Fair, just like Dapo Adeola, Lauren Child, and of course David McKee! Like myself, stories can travel far and wide across the world, and I hope that through my work, I can contribute to making this industry more inclusive and to share something from my background for others to know, hoping that – even if little – we get to know, understand, and respect each other. But especially, I would love to open the doors of curiosity, for many more children to come.”

Best known as the creator and co-presenter of the beloved BBC quiz show Pointless, Richard Osman’s career in television and comedy spans more than two decades. In 2020, Osman broke records with his debut novel The Thursday Murder Club (Penguin Books) – a humorous detective romp featuring a group of pensioners sleuthing in a sleepy retirement village in Kent. As well as becoming the fastest selling adult crime debut in recorded history, it was widely praised by critics, with other books in the series including The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed, and The Last Devil to Die.

Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho is an award-winning performance poet, playwright and children’s author. His work has poetry and performance at its heart, drawing on over 20 years’ experience running dynamic creative literacy sessions in schools. Throughout his career he has highlighted the power of poetry and reading, championing and campaigning for local libraries and spotlights new voices and diversity throughout his work. His picture books include the critically acclaimed Luna Loves… series (Andersen Press) and If All the World Were… (Lincoln Children’s Books). His work across poetry includes the collection Overheard in a Tower Block (Otter-Barry Books), and The Girl Who Became a Tree (Otter-Barry Books), Other work includes middle-grade series Fairytales Gone Bad (Walker) and YA Novel The Boy Lost in the Maze (Otter-Barry Books), as well as non-fiction titles including How To Write Poems (Bloomsbury) among others.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is a New York Times and Sunday Times best-selling author, screenwriter, and Emmy-nominated producer. Her most recent novel Carrie Soto Is Back debuted on the Sunday Times and New York Times Bestseller lists. Earlier this year, Amazon Prime Video released the television adaptation of her novel Daisy Jones and the Six, and the series received nine Emmy Award nominations. Her eight novels, including Malibu Rising, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do and Forever, Interrupted have been translated into over forty languages and are beloved by an impressive and dedicated fan base. Her books regularly appear on “Best of the Year…” lists, have been nominated for and won numerous awards, and have been selected for multiple book clubs and programs including Reese’s Book Club, Indie Next, Richard & Judy, and Book of the Month.

Flavia Z Drago was born in Mexico City, where she grew up and studied graphic design. She studies Children’s Book Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, UK and is currently collaborating with Walker Books in London, making picture books with monsters as main characters. Her first picture book as an author and illustrator called Gustavo the Shy Ghost (2020) became #1 in The NY Times Best Sellers; it was followed by Leila the Perfect Witch (2022) and by Vlad the Fabulous Vampire (2023). In 2021 she was the winner of the Klaus Flugge Prize.

The Authors of the Day and Illustrator of the Fair will take part in ‘In Conversation’ events on different days throughout The London Book Fair. Taylor Jenkins Reid will be attending the fair on Tuesday 12 March, Richard Osman and Flavia Z Drago will appear at events on Wednesday 13 March, and Joseph Coelho will be speaking on Thursday 14 March. Full details of these sessions will be announced shortly.

The London Book Fair (LBF) is the world’s largest spring book trade and publishing event, and will return to its home at Olympia London from 12 – 14 March 2024.

The full programme for The London Book Fair 2024 will be announced early next year.

Registration for LBF24 is now open! Book your tickets here.