Welsh literature gains international audience at world’s largest content fair

Welsh literature is enjoying a moment on the international stage, with a presence at one of the largest books and literature fairs in the world.

Wales features at Frankfurt Book Fair this October for the second year in a row, thanks to funding from Welsh Government via Creative Wales.

The Books Council of Wales is coordinating Wales’ presence at the fair to promote the best books and authors from Wales on an international stage.

Priority sector

Frankfurt Book Fair takes place each year in October and is the largest content fair in the world, with representation from countries from across the globe travelling to Germany to showcase the very best of their books and literature across all genres.

This key cultural event attracted 4,000 exhibitors from 95 countries in 2023, as well as over 100,000 trade visitors from 130 countries.

By attending, Wales-based publishers are able to meet representatives from other creative industries, such as film and games, as well as other publishers, to discuss collaborations, rights and licensing, and build relationships.

Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Books Council of Wales said: “We are delighted to be coordinating Wales in Frankfurt this year and to attend alongside our publishing colleagues to celebrate literature from Wales and present it to the world.

“The bilingual publishing sector in Wales forms part of the foundational economy which is a Welsh Government priority sector within the Creative Industries.

“Thanks to Welsh Government, publishers from Wales have this opportunity to make new business contacts from across Europe and the world, to exchange ideas and open up new markets for books and content from Wales in both languages.”

Commitment

The book stand supported by the Welsh Government via Creative Wales and coordinated by the Books Council opened for business to promote the very best books and authors from Wales.

Jack Sargeant, Minister for the Creative Industries also offered his support. He said: “We are committed to supporting Welsh publishers and authors and it’s good news that they will be represented once again this year at Frankfurt.

“I wish every success to the Welsh delegation as they seek to ensure more words and stories from Wales are heard and read all over the world.”

Richard Davies from publisher Parthian Books said: “The bookfair in Frankfurt is the shop window of the world of books. It is a great opportunity for Parthian to be part of the Wales stand and introduce exciting emerging writers, like Joshua Jones and Lloyd Markham, to an international audience.”

Peter Gill from the Cardiff based publisher Graffeg had a good start at the tradefair. He shared: “I just had a meeting with an Italian publisher who bought the rights to one of our children’s book series last year.

“They wanted to talk about extending the series, making animations, producing and launching a stationery range and merchandise.

“You don’t get this kind of enthusiasm and business opportunity with online meetings; it needs to be in person and that’s why we’re here at the Frankfurt Book Fair.”

While Rachel Lloyd, head of publishing at Gwasg Rily was also enthusiastic “It’s fantastic to be back at Frankfurt Bookfair, showcasing books from Wales on a global platform.

“Publishing is an integral part of Wales’ creative economy and therefore it’s extremely important for us to be here in-person, to network and promote the amazing talent of Wales, with the main aim of selling the foreign rights of our books.”

In recent years an increasing number of Welsh writers have been able to see their work appearing in other languages. Penny Thomas of Firefly Press highlighted the success of Catherine Fisher’s award-winning novel The Clockwork Crow which has been translated into editions in Chinese, Farsi, Turkish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian and German in addition to being published in the North American market.

Penny said: “It is an essential part of our business to be able to sell rights that enable our books to reach out into the wider world.

“It also provides significant additional income for the authors when they reach an international audience. We will also be signing a new deal with Affirm Press which will see Welsh books available in Australia and New Zealand.”

Frankfurt Book Fair is open from 16–20 October 2024. You can find out more about the fair here: Frankfurter Buchmesse | Home