The Most Anticipated Global Book Fair, LBF returns to Olympia 12-14 March
Speakers from Penguin Random House, Unicef, Pan Macmillan, Book Trust, Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, BBC, Lego, The Guardian and many more
Authors including Deborah Moggach, Karin Slaughter, Clara Ng, Ian McEwan, Guzel Yakhina, Raymond Antrobus, David McKee
The London Book Fair has unveiled its full 2019 programme, spanning seminars, panel debates, awards, author events, live podcasts and much more.
From audiobooks to ageism, rights to refugee education, and from feminism to fake news, this year’s comprehensive programme at LBF provides insight into every aspect of the book world. New for 2019 is the live podcasting recording from a range of popular podcasters at The Fireside Chats @ The Podcast Theatre.
Speakers at The London Book Fair include: Dr Alaa Hamdon (University of Mosul) leading a session on the work being done to rebuild the libraries that IS destroyed; authors Clara Ng and Reda Gaudiamo who will join Judith Robinson to discuss why we emphasise morality in children’s fiction; the ‘Killed Covers’ hosts providing a rare insight into book cover design, using real life case studies to show how the selection process works; and Guzel Yakhina, Russian bestselling author, taking part in a panel discussing gender in publishing, and how stereotyping and misconceptions can impact language translation.
Authors taking part in The London Book Fair 2019 include: Karin Slaughter, Ian McEwan, Caryl Philips, Seno Gumira Ajidarma, Holly Bourne, Deborah Moggach, Sharlene Teo, Caroline O’Donoghue, Daisy Buchanan and many more. Raymond Antrobus will be this year’s Poet of the Fair, while David McKee will be attending as Illustrator of the Fair as part of the 30 year celebration of the Elmer book series.
This year’s Market Focus country is Indonesia, and the Fair will include talks with Indonesian writers including Seno Gumira Ajidarma, Intan Paramaditha, Nirwan Dewanto, Dee Lestari, and Leila S. Chudori. In addition to author talks, The London Book Fair will offer a window into publishing in Indonesia, with sessions covering a wide range of themes, including translation, gender and diversity, the significance of the rural-urban divide, the importance of traditions and memory, and the future of Indonesian publishing.
Must-see events at The London Book Fair 2019 include:
Day One – Tuesday 12th March 2019
- What Works? Education Conference for educational publishers and technology providers seeking insights into the international developments impacting their industries and markets. Includes session on refugee education from Kate Cotton (Unicef) and Jane Mann (Education Reform). Olympia Conference Centre, 9:30-13:00, £
- International Press Briefing: Insights into publishing 2019 with LBF Director, Jacks Thomas, English PEN Literary Cafe, 10:00 – 10:30
- Poetry in the Age of Social Media: By Kirsty Melville of Andrews McMeel, Poet’s Corner, 10:00-11:00
- Freedom to Publish seminar: Paying the Price: Is Truth to be Trusted, or Just an Outdated Trend?, Club Room, National Hall Gallery, 10:00-11:00
- The Audiobook Boom: What is Driving Growth? Olympia Room, Grand Hall, 10:00 – 11:00
- Will Books of the Future Edit Themselves?, The Buzz Theatre, 10:45 – 11:15
- World KidLit: Diversity in Publishing Children’s Books, Literary Translation Centre, 11:30 – 12:30
- In Conversation with Karin Slaughter, Fireside Chats @ The Podcast Theatre, 12:00 – 12:30
- Rebuilding the Library IS Destroyed: How Publishers are Bringing Books Back to Mosul, Iraq, Olympia Room, Grand Hall, 13:00 – 14:00
- Contested Identities: Writing, Writers, & The Brexit Enigma, Club Room, National Hall Gallery, 13:00 – 14:00
- The Many Identities of Indonesia, The Cross-Cultural Hub, 13:00 – 14:00
- Illustrator of the Fair, David McKee in Conversation with Ren Renwick, The Association of Illustrators (AOI), Fireside Chats @ The Podcast Theatre, 13:15 – 13:45
- Ian McEwan interviewed by Leena Normington for Vintage Books podcast, Fireside Chats @ The Podcast Theatre, 14:00 – 15:00
- Illustrators Afternoon, Lucie Stericker (Creative Director at Orion), Jonny Pelham (Senior Designer at Faber & Faber), Mark Ecob (Art Director at Mecob Design Ltd and Associate Art Director at Unbound) and Strawberrie Donnelly (Art Director at Scholastic) discuss the best practices of book design. Club Room, National Hall Gallery, 14:30 – 15:30
- In Conversation with Caryl Phillips, Author of the Day, English PEN Literary Salon, 14:30 – 15:00
- Elif Shafak Introduces Her Selection of Some of the Best Women Writers Working in the UK Today, English PEN Literary Salon 16:30 – 17:30
- Author of the Day, Caryl Philips, interviewed by Leena Normington for Vintage Books podcast, Fireside Chats @ The Podcast Theatre, 16:20 – 17:00
- Deborah Moggach interviewed by Daisy Buchanan for You’re Booked podcast, Fireside Chats @ The Podcast Theatre, 17:00 – 18:00
Day Two – Wednesday 13th March 2019
- The Research & Scholarly Publishing Forum. Tackling the major issues shaping the future of academic publishing, including Plan S and OA monographs.Conference Centre, 9:00-13:20 £
- Feminist Fairy Tales, The Cross-Cultural Hub, 10:00-11:00
- Truth and Lies – Academic Publishing in the Era of Fake News, The Faculty, 10:00 – 11:00
- Ageism in Publishing – Fact or Fiction?, The Buzz Theatre, 11:30-12:30
- Authors Jess Kidd and Claire McGlasson interviewed by Anna Fielding for Read Like A Writer Podcast, Fireside Chats @ The Podcast Theatre, 12:30 – 1:30
- Indonesia’s Publishing Industry: An Overview, The Cross-Cultural Hub, 13:00 – 14:00
- Audible Sessions Live: Author RR Haywood in conversation with Robin Morgan-Bentley Fireside Chats @ The Podcast Theatre, 14:00 – 15:00
- In Conversation with Seno Gumira Ajidarma, Author of the Day English PEN Literary Salon, 14:00 – 14:30
- Publishing’s Future is in Good Hands: LBF Trailblazers 2019 Winners in Conversation with David Roche, Chair of LBF Advisory Board, Club Room, National Hall Gallery, 14:30 – 15:30
- Cover Meeting: An Insight into the Cover Design Process, Designers and ‘Killed Covers’ hosts look at the challenges faced when designing book covers, Olympia Room, Grand Hall, 14:30 – 15:30
- Raymond Antrobus, Poet of the Fair in conversation with Isobel Colchester, Poet’s Corner, 16:00 – 17:00
- Promoting Children’s Wellbeing Through Creativity LBF Charity of the Year: BAFTA Kids Roadshow with Place2Be, Club Room, National Hall Gallery, 16:00 – 17:00
- Spotlight on Africa: Becoming a Publishing Leader in the 21st Century, The Cross-Cultural Hub, 17:15 – 18:00
- Drinks Reception with Poet of the Fair, Poet’s Corner, 17:30 – 18:30
Day Three – Thursday 14th April 2019
- Radix interview Andrew Lansley MP for live podcast session, Fireside Chats @ The Podcast Theatre, 10:30 – 11:00
- New Daughters of Africa: Margaret Busby and Ellah Wakatama Allfrey in Conversation, English PEN Literary Salon, 11:00 – 11:30
- Women in Literature & Translation: Realities & Stereotypes, Literary Translation Centre, 11:30 – 12:30
- Celebrating Bestselling YA Author, Usborne’s Holly Bourne, as Author of the Day, The Pond, 12:00 – 13:00
- Nirwan Dewanto in conversation with Boyd Tonkin, English PEN Literary Salon, 12:00 – 12:30
- Content Consumption by Indonesian Consumers and the Role of Social Media, The Buzz Theatre, 12:45 – 13:45
- Behind the Scenes in the Recording Studio: How Audiobook Production is Exploring New Frontiers with author CJ Tudor, narrator Lorelei King, and Dan Zitt, SVP, Content Production, Penguin Random House Audio US, Club Room, National Hall Gallery, 13:00 – 14:00
- In Conversation with Holly Bourne, Author of the Day, English PEN Literary Salon, 14:30 – 15:00
- In conversation: Jeremy Tiang, Literary Translator of the Fair and Chris Gribble, Literary Translation Centre, 14:30 – 15:00
- The Write Stuff, Author HQ, 14:30-16:30
- Book Blog Awards, presented by Holly Bourne, The Farmyard, 15:30 – 16:15
- Holly Bourne interviewed by Caroline O’Donoghue for Sentimental Garbage podcast, Fireside Chats @ The Podcast Theatre, 16:00 – 17:00
- The Future of Publishing: Five Predictions for 2025, High Street Theatre, 16:00 – 17:00
To apply for a press pass for The London Book Fair, please visit: