Jorge Oakinn of Brazil’s Intrínseca was featured on the new CEO panel at the Fair.
By Ricardo Costa
The biggest book fair in Brazil is shared between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo on alternating years. This year was Rio’s turn and the fair, which runs through September 13, featured several new and revamped events to bring more focus on professional development in what has traditionally been a more-consumer oriented affair.
Agents & Business Center Increases Productivity
The Agents & Business Center (ABC) at the Fair this year was revamped and co-hosted by the Frankfurt Book Fair and Fagga GL Events, the organizer of the Book Fair in Rio Centro.
The ABC, which was open from September 3-5, hosted 20 professionals from 6 different countries, including the UK, USA, Italy and Brazil; and included notable companies, such as Bloomsbury, Little Brown, The Marsh Agency, United Agents, Sextante, John Wiley & Sons.
The Agents & Business Center provided a central meeting point for agents and publishers at the fair. Simone Ricci, from the UK Trade & Investment, said: “We couldn’t have brought the British publishers to the Book Fair if the Agents & Business Center didn’t exist.”
Alessandra Ruis of Sextante was impressed with the new ABC.
Alessandra Ruis and Thaís Paiva, publishers at Editora Sextante told Publishing Perspectives that the ABC was perfect for them: “Having meetings at the stands on the ground floor is almost impossible, even if we have a meeting room, which is usually small. The sound of the crowd and people coming in and out make the meetings much less productive.”
Rights Express Seminar
In advance of the Rio Book Fair and in preparation for the upcoming Frankfurt Book Fair, representatives of the Frankfurt Book Fair also organized the first Rights Express Seminar, with the theme “Negotiation and International Contracts.” The event took place at the SNEL (the Publishers Union in Brazil) auditorium in Rio two days prior to the opening of the book fair. The seminar was presented by Argentinian literary agent Monica Herrero, and Dr. Gustavo Martins, a Brazilian lawyer specialized in rights and licensing. After a positive response, Frankfurt has been invited to produce and promote a similar event it at least in other two cities in Brazil.
CEO Panel
A top event at the Business Club in Frankfurt, the CEO Panel, was also brought to Brazil and the first day of the Fair and featured a discussion about the ongoing transformation of the book market. The panelists included Jo Lendle of Germany’s Carl Hanser Verlag; Jorge Oakinn of Brazil’s Intrínseca; and Stefano Mauri of Italy’s Grupo Editoriale Mauri Spagnol; all interviewed by Carlo Carrenho of PublishNews Brazil. The gathering proved popular, drawing an audience of some 300 people.
Rising Star Award
The Prêmio Jovens Talentos da Indústria do Livro (Young Talent of the Publishing Industry Award) is presented in collaboration between PublishNews and the Frankfurt Book Fair, with the sponsorship of SNEL. From 73 applications, the five finalists were presented at the end of the afternoon with Daniel Lameira, publisher of Aleph Editora, receiving the top prize from the president of SNEL, Marcos Pereira. Lameira receives a flight to the Frankfurt Book Fair, accommodation and a week-long ticket to the Frankfurt Book Fair Business Club.
… and a Taste of Brazil in Frankfurt
And now the Brazilians are preparing their trip to Frankfurt, where the national stand will be about 50 square meters bigger than in 2014. For the first time there will be “digital” exhibitors in the booth as well as a stage for presentations and events. The German government is inviting eight professionals from Brazil, which served Guest of Honor in 2013: three smaller publishers, three authors and two translators. Brazil’s Ministry of Culture is preparing a list of five additional authors who will attend the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Ricardo Costa is the Associate Partner for Brazil & South America for the Frankfurt Book Fair.