Over 80 editors, rights managers and literary agents from 39 countries applied for the prestigious Frankfurt Book Fair Fellowship Programme – and now the 16 participants have been chosen! They come from all different kinds of book markets: from Argentina to Canada to Denmark, Egypt and Romania. Publishers and agents from Ireland and Malaysia are taking part in the Fellowship Programme for the first time. The Guest of Honour, New Zealand, will also be taking part this year.
The programme officially begins ten days before the Frankfurt Book Fair (10 – 14 October) with visits to publishing houses and meetings with publishing professionals in Frankfurt, Cologne and Berlin. In the process, participants will not only learn about the unique characteristics of the German book market, but also report on recent market developments in their own countries. Paul Witlatch, Senior Editor at Scribner (New York) and a 2011 Frankfurt Fellow, will accompany the group as a moderator.
But what are the plans and expectations of the Fellows coming to Germany? “I am extremely focused on bringing the very best of children’s books from India to an international audience, as well as introducing Indian children to picture books of the world,” says Manasi Subramaniam, Editor at the Karadi Tales Company in India. “The Indian book market is young and fast-growing, and at every book fair I find that I have much to learn from the people I meet. Through the course of the fellowship and the Frankfurt Book Fair, I look forward to meeting and collaborating with diverse international publishers, and exchanging ideas and approaches.”
“One of my big priorities for the fellowship is to figure out how we can create an international rights market for products like apps. Without collaboration between publishers, creating compelling, competitive products will be much harder,” explains Michael Bhaskar, Digital Publishing Director for Profile Books in the UK. “My goal is to gauge interest about alliances of publishers to build and sell digital products globally in many languages. I look forward to meeting colleagues from around the world at the Fair and discussing my favourite topics – books and their future!”
Sharon O’Donovan, Rights and Permissions Manager, Mercier Press in Ireland adds that: “The programme offers a rare insight into the German market as well as an opportunity to meet with like-minded individuals to learn how they are meeting the challenges facing the publishing industry today. It is now more vital than ever that we broaden our international relationships in order to share innovations, business practices and knowledge to ensure that the publishing industry continues to survive and flourish.”
Partcipants of the Frankfurt Fellowship Programme 2012: (see also http://www.buchmesse.de/pdf/frankfurt_fellows_2012.pdf )
1. Argentina: Natalia Méndez, Senior Editor, Edelvives
2. Brazil: Flávia Alves Bravin, Editorial Director, Saraiva Publishing House
3. Canada: Trena White, Publisher, D&M Publishers
4. Denmark: Susanne Torpe, Publisher, Hr. Ferdinand
5. Egypt: Talal Abdalla Faisal, Editor, GEBO/General Egyptian Book Organisation
6. France: Marie-Pierre Gracedieu, Editorial Director (Foreign Fiction), éditions Stock
7. Germany: Pia Götz, Foreign Rights Manager, Ullstein Buchverlage
8. India: Manasi Subramaniam, Editor, Karadi Tales Company
9. Ireland: Sharon O’Donovan, Rights and Permissions Manager, Mercier Press
10. Malaysia: Linda Tan Lingard, Literary Agent, Yusof Gajah Lingard Literary Agency
11. New Zealand: Anna Hodge, Senior Editor, Auckland University Press
12. Romania: Marina Adriana, Literary Agent, Simona Kessler Agency
13. Russia: Mikhail Kotomin, Publisher, Ad Marginem Press
14. Spain: Anna Soldevila, Mass-market editor/Digital Editor, Grup 62
15. United Kingdom: Michael Bhaskar, Digital Publishing Director, Profile Books
16. USA: Corinna Barsan, Senior Editor, Grove/Atlantic
First launched to mark the 50th anniversary of the Frankfurt Book Fair in 1998, the Frankfurt Book Fair Fellowship Programme provides information and networking within the international publishing world. During those last twelve years, more than 220 participants from 44 countries have gained so far from this experience.
More information on the programme can be found at http://www.book-fair.com/fellows