The French Connection: Children’s Books in Translation

Children’s books in translation—from France to the United States, and much more often from the United States to France—were the topic of a lively panel hosted by the French Publishers’ Association this past Tuesday, which took place at NYU’s La Maison Française in New York City.

Reflections on a First Trip to Frankfurt

A children's book editor attends her first Frankfurt Book Fair, and shares her impressions.

Bad News - Gerbils Dead

A children's book editor attends the Frankfurt Book Fair, and receives an email from her husband.

Chad Post

Passionate is a word you often hear bandied about in reference to people who work in book publishing. But optimistic? Not so much. This is one reason Chad Post, 33, seems like such an anomaly. A born-and-bred Midwesterner, Post fell in love with books at an early age and, after carving out a niche for himself in the world of nonprofit publishing, remains one of the most unjaded publishers around.

Crossing the Channel

British publishers and agents will be looking for deals for authors who have worldwide brand names as well as debut novelists. Virgin founder Richard Branson, Charles Darwin's great-great granddaughter and Ted Hughes's brother all have new books for which rights are available. Among newcomers, a self-published Singapore lawyer has a detective series whose main character is described as a cross ...

Frankfurt '08

An aging rocker, a dog whisperer, a bestselling pastor, some literary icons (living and dead) and a Paris Review editor—turned-deli employee are just a few of the authors who will be vying for attention from foreign editors in this year's rights tent.

Weak Dollar Makes For Tricky Show

The weak dollar was a key factor at this year's Bologna Fair, as American publishers found the market tough for buying, but great for selling. Francesca Dow at Puffin said, “The state of the dollar certainly makes buying anything from Europe even tougher.” On the other hand, as Chris Boral of Chronicle Books put it, “It did seem like there were a lot of shoppers, and we were t...

Wrapping Up Bologna

The state of the U.S. economy hung over this year’s Bologna Fair, as American publishers found the market tough for buying, but great for selling. Despite the sunshine and a busy schedule, Francesca Dow, managing director at Puffin, said, “The underlying mood felt quite sober. The state of the U.S. dollar certainly makes buying anything from Europe even tougher.”

Riordan Talks Up Clues in Bologna

Bestselling author Rick Riordan was brought to Bologna by Scholastic to introduce The 39 Clues series, a multi-platform middle-grade adventure series, which launches this September. Hyperion also announced a million-copy print run for the fourth Percy Jackson book, The Battle of the Labyrinth, as well as two new series from the author.

London Book Fair '08: What's in Your Briefcase?

American publishers and agents will be shopping an eclectic group of literary wares in the rights area at London this year; the offerings include, a tale about moonshining; holiday recipes from Nigella Lawson; the controversial post-mortem collection from Raymond Carver; a grisly whodunit from David Cronenberg; and a take on First Lady-dom from Curtis Sittenfeld.

Mayer to Get London Award

Former Penguin head Peter Mayer will receive a lifetime achievement award for his efforts in promoting international publishing at this year's London Book Fair. Since leaving Penguin in 1996, Mayer has run the U.S.-based Overlook Press and the U.K-based Duckworth Publishers.

100 Titles Planned for Translation into Arabic

A new initiative by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage will translate 100 titles into Arabic with about half coming from English-language works.

Live From Frankfurt:Phobias, Math and Zoos Among The Hot Topics

A YA series preempted by Little, Brown, a nonfiction work on zoos bought by Weinstein Books were two big deals concluded today at Frankfurt, while two other major projects, The Book of Numbers and Age of Orphans, were drawing lots of interest from American houses.

Weltgeist in Frankfurt

Here are some things “everybody” knows about Frankfurt. (1) The hotels are hideously expensive (especially during Book Fair week), the food is bad and the weather is worse. (2) Since so much of the work is done in the evening over cocktails, or late dinners, you don't schedule appointments before 10 a.

Live from Frankfurt:
'War Child’ Headlines Deals on Day Two at Frankfurt

An autobiography of Emmanual Jal, Kenya's biggest music star, is drawing lots of interest at Frankfurt; the book will be published in the U.S. by St. Martin's, which paid $200,000 for American rights. Several other top titles are still being fought over by U.S. houses as the fair winds down its second day.

Live from Frankfurt: RH In Beijing Guide Deal; Lerner Starts U.K. Unit

Random House and the Beijing Publishing House have struck a deal to co-produce Fodor’s Guide to Beijing: 2008 Olympics Edition and an announcement from Lerner Publishing that it has formed a U.K. division.

Live from Frankfurt: Frankfurt Buzzing on New and Familiar Names

As the first day of the Frankfurt Book Fair neared an end, no one title was dominating the conversation, but a number of books were creating buzz, ranging from those from familiar names including Dave Eggers and Keith Richards, to debut novelists. The upbeat mood among American publishers was fueled further by the late afternoon announcement of the National Book Award finalists.

Digitalization Seen as Top Industry Challenge

A Frankfurt Book Fair survey found digitalization as the top industry challenge, while competition from other media was seen as the biggest threat to the health of book publishing.

Follett Will Have New Series at Frankfurt

Canada Market in a Word: Tight

A flat market and supply-chain issues trouble publishers, but burgeoning alternative markets hold out hope.