LONDON, 12 April 2016: The London Book Fair opened its doors to publishing professionals from over 124 countries, top authors and aspiring writers today as the 45th Fair commenced.
LONDON, 12 April 2016: The London Book Fair opened its doors to publishing professionals from over 124 countries, top authors and aspiring writers today as the 45th Fair commenced.
Jacks Thomas, Fair Director said of the first day of the Fair: “It’s been a really busy day – seems like lots of business is being done. My personal highlights have been interviewing Julian Fellowes about his Belgravia App launch, seeing Marian Keyes who was as funny and charming as her characters and Professor Yu Dan, a rock star of Chinese literature who was mobbed at our mini Globe. A wonderful day.”
Highlights from Day One of the Fair:
Julian Fellowes, acclaimed British novelist, screenwriter, director, actor and creator of Downton Abbey was at the Fair to launch his Belgravia App. Fellowes officially launched The Club at the Ivy before taking part in a fascinating Q&A session with Fair Director, Jacks Thomas. In the style of serialised publishing popular in the Victorian era and beyond, Fellowes’s new Belgravia app will release eleven chapters of Fellowes’ new story, Belgravia, week by week, along with bonus features including interactive maps, videos, music and information on the period and its fashions.
Shakespeare was at the forefront of everyone’s minds, as LBF celebrates 400 years since the bard’s death. Actors took to the mini Globe Theatre to recite sonnets in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Polish and Spanish.
Designer Jay Jay Burridge stopped by to pose with his specially created life-size dinosaur sculpture at the Fair entrance. The sculpture celebrates the new Supersaurs publishing programme of six middle grade books published by Bonnier Zaffre in 2017.
Peter James revealed his secrets to a rapt audience of aspiring authors at Author HQ, as he revealed just how closely he works with the police to ensure factual accuracy in his ten-times No.1 bestselling Roy Grace series.
Jeffery Archer took to the stage on the PEN Literary Salon to discuss how he views himself as a storyteller, not a writer.
Women’s fiction favourite and LBF Author of the Day Marian Keyes took part in a Q&A, telling the crowd how she has worked to redefine the women’s fiction genre since storming into print in 1995 with Watermelon. Marian talked about her new book, Making It Up As I Go Along (Penguin) and discussed her use of dark humour as a way to get through some of the harder times in her life. She revealed to the crowd how importantly she views twitter, joking ‘I spend 18 hours a day on there’.
Meg Rosoff was presented with congratulatory flowers by the Swedish Embassy following her PEN Literary Salon Event. It was revealed last week that the much-loved author has won the coveted Astrid Lindgren Award for children’s writing. Rosoff revealed her theory on writing; ‘if you engage your unconscious mind, your characters will find resonance.’
The tenth anniversary of the Dylan Thomas Prize saw writers join forces to read from this year’s shortlist.
Hairy Bikers Si King and Dave Myers made a pit-stop at the Fair…
Author of The Time Traveller’s Wife Audrey Niffenegger debated the role of women in comics during the ‘Women in comics: is the graphic novel industry failing to recognise female creators?’ panel session.
The day wraps up with the International Excellence Awards, held in partnership with The Publishers Association. The awards are a celebration of publishing and related activities outside the UK. The awards ceremony will also include the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Gail, Baroness Rebuck, DBE, Chair of Penguin Random House, UK.
