From 12th-14th March, the London Book Fair brought together the largest spring book trade and publishing event in the world to a close, with over 1,000 exhibitors and 30,000 attendees over the three days.
From publishers to authors, literary agents to booksellers, translators and VIPs, we oversaw representatives from the global book industry do business, share expertise, network and attend sessions covering key issues across the industry.
If you weren’t able to make it this year or catch all of the events, here are some of the highlights…
DAY 1 of #LBF24
“My job is to entertain you, and I take that very seriously.”
– TAYLOR JENKINS REID, AUTHOR
Day 1 kicked off with the Author of the Day and NY Times bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid, a keynote address from Jonathan Karp, President and Chief Executive Officer of Simon & Schuster and best-selling authors Gavin Esler, Sissay Lemn, and Kit de Waal giving advice on how to write.
Midas’ Director Hannah McMillan talked about how to prepare for publication with Jasmine Richards (STORYMIX), Vicky Palmer (Hodder Books), Ken Wilson-Max (at Kumusha Books and HarperCollins Children’s Books UK), as well as our Head of Digital Ashley Baugh, who discussed keeping up with social media with Lisa Sharkey (HarperCollins), Ain Chiara (publishing consultant) and Jojo Schlattner (social media expert).
DAY 2 of #LBF24
“All I’m doing is giving your content the best chance of reaching its potential.”
– STEVEN BARTLETT, ENTREPRENEUR
Day 2 highlights included Author of the Day and global record-breaking author Richard Osman, entrepreneur Steven Bartlett, bestselling author and content creator Dr Julie Smith, Illustrator of the Fair, Flavia Z Drago, and multi-award-winning author Elle McNicoll.
The Illustrators’ Afternoon included designers Jack Smyth and Nico Taylor returning with a popular new book cover themed event: ‘COVER MEETING: Exploring the role of the book cover in the ever-evolving publishing industry’, and the Association of Illustrators (AOI) giving a mini-masterclass on contracts and sharing essential advice on how to get your illustrations published.
It was a busy day for awards too with The Writers’ Prize awarding the 2024 winners, and the Yoto Carnegies for Writing and Illustration 2024 shortlisted titles getting announced.
DAY 3 of #LBF24
“Growing up in Roehampton, never in a million years would I think I’d become a writer. This is why it’s so important I’m here today.”
— JOSEPH COEHLO, WATERSTONES CHILDREN’S LAUREATE
An incredible London Book Fair was brought to a close with highlights including Children’s Author of the Day Joseph Coelho, actor and philanthropist Michael Sheen, award-winning YA author Danielle Jawando, and author and podcaster Kelechi Okafor.
And the packed day also included the brilliant content creators Joseph Hall, Amy Andrawos, Anya Smith & Zubz J Malik diving into all things BookTok, discussing BookTok’s undeniable influence on the book sales market, sharing expert tips and advice for authors wanting to make their mark on the digital sphere.
The Fair was brought to a close with an emotional PEN International panel promoting Palestinian literary voices with writers Isabella Hamad, Hannah Khalil, and Dr Rafeef Ziadeh as well as a very intriguing panel on Horror and the Freedom of Expression with writers Mónica Ojeda, Leon Craig, and Allison Rumfitt.
We want to thank everyone that attended, participated or supported London Book Fair 2024.
You can see all of the highlights by heading to our Twitter and Instagram.
#LBF24
