By Andrew Richard Albanese, Editor-in-Chief
The 2026 Frankfurter Buchmesse will be last for the fair’s long-serving director Juergen Boos, who will officially retire at the end of October after more than two decades at the helm. Ahead of this year’s Buchmesse, Publishing Perspectives caught up with Boos to talk about his career, and his next chapter.This will be your last year leading the Frankfurter Buchmesse. What comes to mind when you think of the miles you’ve logged and all you’ve accomplished over the last two decades?
Yes, it’s quite hard to believe that this will be my last Frankfurt as CEO. I joined Frankfurt in 2005, so it’s been 21 years. The announcement of my successor, Joachim Kaufmann, was made right at the start of the year so that has made things easier in lots of ways, as I know the book fair will be in safe hands. And of course I leave with many happy memories. I made a lot of friends. I’ve traveled all over the world. And it has been wonderful for me to know the people behind the books—the authors, translators, publishers, agents, editors, and booksellers have always been so important to me. I will miss them for sure.
It’s hard to imagine you not being involved with the publishing industry in some way going forward. Do you have any plans you can share for life after the Buchmesse?
I’m sorry to disappoint you, there are no plans at all! Forgive me, this is my first time retiring. It’s been more than 40 years in publishing, and I think now I just want to see what happens next. I am going to be in Mexico for the Guadalajara Book Fair in December, and I have some speeches in Europe, so I’ll still be traveling around a bit and seeing some people. But nothing too serious.
You ably helmed Frankfurt through, in my opinion, one of the most complicated periods in modern publishing history—and things don’t appear to be settling down any time soon. As we get ready to kick off the 2026 Frankfurter Buchmesse, can you give us your take on the state of the global publishing industry?
Clearly, AI is the topic that everyone is talking about. Stories are the currency of our industry, and we need to make sure that authors and publishers continue to be fairly compensated and that our rights are protected. However, we also need to ensure that our industry taking advantage of the opportunities AI offers. Naturally, AI will be addressed and discussed during numerous events at the fair this week.
The rights business is also growing, and it’s interesting to see that our colleagues from the English-speaking markets are increasingly looking to buy rights instead of just selling them. Also, adaptations of books and stories for films and series for the big streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon, continue to be a really important and growing area of interest. And of course, audiobooks continue to show impressive growth, and at this year’s fair we will have events with Audible and Spotify and many other players from around the world, and discussions about how audio is developing including how they are making use of AI.
Sadly, I have to say that we are living in a time of political tension, which is impacting publishers’ ability to publish freely. When traveling and speaking with friends and colleagues from different regions, the freedom to publish is a topic that continues to be something we need to fight for. This is why our cultural and political program at the fair, Frankfurt Calling, is of such importance.
Any parting thoughts?
Again, just to say that I will leave with many happy memories of my time as CEO. It really was the best job. I have always had a wonderful, motivated, passionate team here in Frankfurt, and I must thank them. They are all so crazy about what they do, and they are always pushing us forward. I am sure Joachim will have the same experience.
You know, for years people have been saying the book is dying and that technology is going to kill whatever we do. But I know that’s not true. I’ve been witness to a lot of change—the shift to digital across the industry; the gradual dominance of large publishers around the world; and, of course, now we have the emergence of AI. But through all the changes and all the changes to come, I firmly believe in the power of stories, the importance of the printed word, and the freedom to publish. In fact, I believe they are all more crucial than ever before.
Meet Joachim Kaufmann
Joachim Kaufmann
In announcing the appointment of Carlsen Verlag CEO Joachim Kaufmann to lead the next chapter of the Frankfurt Book Fair, Outgoing President and CEO Juergen Boos said Kaufmann was an ideal match. “Few leaders in our world of books are as capable as he is of inspiring people with his ideas and convictions,” Boos said.
Come hear more about Kaufmann’s plans for the Frankfurt Book Fair when the new director will join Publishing Perspectives Editor-in-Chief Andrew Richard Albanese to talk about his views on the changing international marketplace for books, the role of the book fair in the industry, and his ideas for the future.
More of Publishing Perspectives‘ Frankfurt Book Fair Preview:
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- Frankfurter Buchmesse 2026: Letter from the Editor
- Frankfurter Buchmesse 2026: Program Picks
- Frankfurter Buchmesse 2026: ‘On the Books’ – What Everyone in Publishing Will Be Talking About
- Frankfurter Buchmesse 2026: A conversation with Czech author and European Prize for Literature winner Dora Kaprálová