2022 Frankfurt Book Fair: Top Six Takeaways
Lindsay Jones, Monica Meehan, Allison Olson, and Mark Levine, after setting up our signature big red booth at Frankfurt, 2022.
The team at DropCap is home from the Frankfurt Book Fair, and all we can say is WOW. What an incredible week!
Publishers Weekly did a nice job recapping the numbers, but for us, book fairs are about more than just size and scale. Frankfurt was a chance for us to do what we do best– connect global rights buyers and books with international publishers and editors.
As we follow up from our back-to-back meetings and recover from a long week of travel and excitement, here are six takeaways we have talked about this week since returning from Frankfurt Buchmesse, 2022:
1) Connection
After nearly three years apart thanks to a global pandemic, The Frankfurt Book Fair was a chance for us to reconnect (in person!) with many of our international book buyers and agents.
““It was wonderful to get a chance to showcase our favorite books without being behind our computer screens. There’s nothing like being able to hold a book in your hands and literally feel its potential. There’s something so special about being able to connect in person.””
DropCap co-founder, Allison Olson, with Rashmi Menon and Sanika Shedye Kher of Manjul Publishing House
Allison Olson with Sandra Biel of International Editors, DropCap’s Spanish co-agent
2) Translation
The Highlights and Special Topics at the Frankfurt Book Fair revolved around the word translation:
For us, seeing words in translation is part of what we do, but the Book Fair was a great reminder of the true complexity of the translation rights business.
““The 2022 Frankfurt Book Fair was an opportunity to step back and take a look at all the steps it takes to take a book from one language and not just translate it but transform it. It’s a tough job, but the people who specialize in book translation have the opportunity to make a true global impact.” ”
3) Self-Care
When we are talking to our co-agents and international book buyers, we are always on the lookout for what book genres and titles are grabbing people’s attention. What is sparking conversation? What are book buyers searching for?
This year, we noticed a lot of interest in books about wellness, particularly the marriage between science and mental health.
Side Effects: How Left-Brain Right-Brain Differences Shape Everyday Behaviour, by Lorin J. Elias, published by Dundurn Press.
““At Frankfurt, there was a lot of buzz around books that teach people how to deal with stress and anxiety. Especially for kids. Feel-good stories can also fall under the umbrella of self-care– a chance for readers to have an escape.” ”
4) #BookTok
Books can become bestsellers in any number of ways, but nowadays it’s all about #BookTok. If you haven’t heard, avid readers are using TikTok (using the hashtag #BookTok) to share their favorite books with thousands, if not millions, of fans.
““Social media is elevating titles in ways that the traditional publishing industry can’t do. It’s making it so self-published authors and small presses have the ability to reach bestseller status and gain the attention of the global market.” ”
Watch our Highlights From the Frankfurt Book Fair:
5) Innovation
If you know us at DropCap, you know we are all about innovation. Our translation rights management platform, Sherlock, makes it so we can easily connect global book buyers with titles they’re looking for.
Here’s a glimpse of what our publishing rights management software looked like for Frankfurt:
Additionally, we were able to connect with our friends at IBPA and share in the excitement of our newly launched partnership with them, called DropCap Indie.
““DropCap Indie makes it so high-quality indie books can be showcased as part of our contract rights management system. It’s an amazing opportunity, and something that our exclusive rights management platform makes possible.””
Lindsay Jones, Allison Olson, Terry Nathan of IBPA, and DropCap CEO, Mark Levine.
6) Gratitude
It takes many people to make any book fair come together, and our team at DropCap is simply the best in the business.
From managing content and social media to setting up back-to-back meetings to shipping books overseas to managing our software…. You name it, this team made it happen.
A rare photo of the whole Frankfurt 2022 crew: Valentina Morotti, Monica Meehan, Lindsay Jones, Allison Olson, and Mark Levine.
We are also filled with gratitude for our amazing publishing partners: Bublish, Familius, Free Spirit, Forbes, Wonderwell, just to name a few.
““The quality of our database of books speaks for itself. It makes our jobs at the book fair a lot easier knowing that each and every title we represent is going to add value to the global book market.”
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