Behind the Scenes at Frankfurt Buchmesse, 2023 with Director of Operations, Aaron McMenamy

Our agenting team is often front and center here at DropCap, but our Director of Operations, Aaron McMenamy, is truly one of the unsung heroes of the international rights world if you ask us.

This year, he was given the opportunity to attend the Frankfurt Book Fair. His follow up notes about his experience were too good not to share! 

The DropCap Team: Aaron McMenamy, Allison Olson, Lindsay Jones, and Monica Meehan at #FBM2023

Finally home, and having caught up a bit on sleep, I wanted to share just a fraction of my experience at the book fair this year…

I can say with absolute confidence that it is impossible to truly understand what takes place at an event like this until you experience it in person. I wanted to share my experience in the hopes that it would provide some insight, and hopefully some inspiration. 

After some reflection, I would say that my own personal theme for the week in Germany was empathy.

Meeting people from all over the world, some from war torn countries in chaos that chose to drive thousands of miles to attend the fair, to others from here in the states also caught in the woes of jet lag and just doing their best to be bright eyed and bushy tailed while working hard at a common goal, reminded me how much a simple smile and a few words of understanding can go. 

The DropCap Team at our signature Big Red Booth.

I know for a fact that our long standing partners were so delighted to have the opportunity to meet with our team in person.

I also believe that many of the authors, illustrators, and other creatives that expressed frustration that their quest for knowledge at the fair were so often met with indifference and rejection, were able to find moments of acceptance and encouragement while visiting our booth. 

To say that it was awe inspiring and beautiful is a drastic understatement. 

Aaron, working at our booth on Day 1 of the Fair.

Equally important was a new level of understanding, respect, and empathy (I did say it was the theme, didn't I?) for the team that I am so fortunate to call myself a part of.

Seldom in my life have I personally worked so hard for such a marathon amount of time, and if I am being honest—my hard work while there was no comparison to that of the teammates that I was fortunate enough to be attending the fair with.

Allison and Monica’s experience in the industry, and knowledge of the book fair's history, was unlike anything that I have ever seen.

Watching their masterful ability to simultaneously reconnect with long-standing friends and colleagues while also establishing new relationships that I know will carry on for years to come, was nearly beyond comprehension.

Our amazing rights agents, Allison and Monica.

All this while also working non-stop to connect the right books with the right publishers is something that I have no comparison for.

And still, they each took the time to patiently answer my questions, to educate me, as well as to remind me to have fun when the opportunity to do so arose. 

Monica and Aaron, on their way to Day 2 of the Fair.

Our Social Media Strategist Valentina Morotti has the ability to capture the effort and beauty of what DropCap provides for our publishing partners in a simple and profound way.

This, coupled with her willingness to step in and assist with anything and everything necessary to keep the booth both organized and running smoothly, was so inspirational. 

The amazing Valentina, showing off one of DropCap’s newest titles.

But, it was her natural ability to do all of the above while constantly maintaining her cheer and excitement that set a personal benchmark for myself that I can only hope to achieve with years of hard-work and personal growth.

Aaron helping Valentina score the perfect shots for social media.

Lindsay Jones is more than just our COO and Co-Founder—she is my cherished mentor and friend. 

A summary of all that she has done to help and inspire me wouldn't fit in a phone book. I wouldn't be where I am today without her.

Her ability to seamlessly navigate the needs of the team with the needs of our visitors, all while having such patience and diligence, speaks volumes to her character and integrity.

Lindsay, our fearless COO and the glue that holds DropCap together, meeting with our international partners.

While I didn't have much time to explore beyond our own hall, I know in my heart that NO ONE at that fair worked as hard as the DropCap team. We were 100% present, 100% of the time, and that is why our booth was so active and populated. 

I couldn't share my appreciation for my fellow fair attendees without acknowledging the unsung heroes of the fair—the team back home keeping everything running!

I know that the extra work can be very overwhelming with so many of us almost completely occupied for an entire week, and I know that we all appreciate everything that they did to assist us and keep DropCap moving forward.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much. Attending #FBM23 has given me a far more robust understanding of what we do, and how I can contribute to our mission to bring more incredible books to the world stage.

Aaron taking in just a bit more of Frankfurt before heading back to Minnesota!