The message I am hearing is that if reading confidence has dropped, our job is to create books that will
appeal in that context Claire Wilson (below)
middle-grade, YA… It seems to be quite wide open, apart from poetry; people don’t want to translate poetry”. Thomas added: “People are using the word
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feels as if [interest from foreign publishers] is not concentrated, they’re asking for every- thing. But people are a little worried about middle-grade and are looking for easier, more accessible and shorter illustrated books because I think we’re all concerned about this decline in reading for pleasure.” Hazel Holmes, publisher at UCLan, also
noted “lots of talk about middle-grade in particular, which seems to be quite hard to sell at the moment”, though she has noticed increased interest in horror titles for middle-grade readers.
‘Flat out’ fair Meanwhile, The Bent Agency managing director Molly Ker Hawn said that it has “been a great fair for us” and echoed Rasmussen’s comments: “Editors from all over are interested in a wide range of titles and genres and catego- ries. Yet the hunger for shorter middle-grade books is real and it’s refreshing to hear editors asking for ‘actual YA’ as well as the big cross- over projects. And the movie studios are a lot more omnivorous in their requests than in recent years.” Over at BolognaBookPlus (BBP), BCBF’s
sister event for a general audience, director Jacks Thomas ( 2) said: “The fair itself is really busy. And [at BBP] we have had a packed schedule, sold-out stands, a waiting list and our AI summit has been ridiculously full... We are now in our fifth year, four of which we’ve had in person, and it is really noticeable how much bigger we have become.” Firefly Press was one of the publishers on
the first-ever Wales BCBF combined stand. The Caerphilly-based indie’s publisher Penny Thomas said the fair was “quite upbeat”, with international acquiring editors “looking for everything: chapter books,
‘literary’ and they’re not using it in a bad way, which is nice. I think people are looking for some quite empathetic titles that will make them think, and new voices. We’ve had quite a lot of interest in books that are perhaps less obviously commercial.” However, another Welsh publisher, Graffeg managing director Peter Gill, noted that perhaps the biggest recurring theme at this Bologna was publishing in a difficult political climate. “It seems to be on a lot of people’s minds,” he told The Bookseller, referencing exhibitors from Turkey who commented on how difficult things are there at the moment: “People aren’t planning forward at all, they are holding back. Major political disruptions used to be once every 10 years, now they’re every year.” Nosy Crow CEO Kate Wilson ( 3) said her publishing house “was flat out” this fair, hold- ing 370 meetings across the three days. She reported “a lot of focus on humour” and conversations around the challenges of AI, as well as voicing concerns about seeing “a row back on diversity, equality and inclusion”. She added: “Brexit is a total arse, it remains
a huge issue. At the moment, we don’t seem to be suffering from tariff-based issues of getting into the US. But we acknowledge that could change quickly. We live in very unpredictable times. A number of people have been talking about generally challenging politics with its almost unprecedented turmoil and challenges. Though we had the Marine Le Pen decision
People have been talking about challenging politics with its almost unprecedented turmoil... It feels
like a very tumultuous time Kate Wilson (below)
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yesterday [the far-right leader was banned by a French court from seeking office for five years] and a lot of French publishers were feel- ing very optimistic about that. But then we are currently in Giorgia Meloni’s Italy, we have Trump in America, and we are looking at the very significant rise in the far-right in eastern Germany in particular. It does feel like a very tumultuous time.”
Navigating the future Despite these concerns, Poplak told The Bookseller: “I’m hearing American publish- ers are still acquiring lots of interesting books.” She said business at the HarperCollins stand had been “super busy” and that the fair gener- ally “feels very buzzy”. Though she admitted that “it feels like people are really investing in YA and graphic novels,” she downplayed the worries about middle-grade publishing, which is “still a huge category” for HarperCollins. Penguin Random House UK CEO Tom
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The fair is really busy. We have had a packed schedule, sold-out stands, and our AI
summit has been ridiculously full Jacks Thomas (above)
Weldon described this year’s fair as “very lively” and commented: “One of the main topics of conversation is this reading-for- pleasure crisis, which doesn’t seem to be restricted to the UK, but quite a global phenom- enon. That’s going to require some serious thinking and systemic solutions.” On the subject of the geopolitical landscape, he said: “I’m not underestimating some of the tensions and anxieties around the world, but as a publisher, books do tend to do well in difficult times and our role as publishers becomes even more important because we need to find the writers who can help readers navigate what is an uncertain time.”
MORE ON BOLOGNA For further features and news stories relating to the Bologna Children's Book Fair, visit
thebookseller.com/bologna-childrens-book-fair
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MARTE LUNDBY REKAA
RACHEL SCOTT
News Bologna Round-up
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