All about writing: the new Frankfurt Authors Area
With Sascha Lobo, bookstagram, an AI writing competition and genre days
With the new Frankfurt Authors Area in Hall 3.0, Frankfurter Buchmesse (16-20 October 2019) has created a new space dedicated to writing. Frankfurt Authors is an extension of the previous Self-Publishing Area – with a new stage, signing area and lounge as well as a professional programme and networking events.
In addition to the presentation opportunities, genre theme days are another new feature: The programme on the Friday of the fair will be dedicated to crime fiction and thrillers, on Saturday the spotlight will be on romance and Sunday will be all about fantasy. This means that not only writing as a technique but the content of literary creation as well will play a central role at Frankfurt Authors – an indication of how the new thematic area is responding to the increasingly fluid boundaries between self-publishing, traditional and hybrid authors. In 2019, for example, over 76% of self-publishing authors surveyed indicated that they have already published with a traditional publishing house or plan to do so (source: selfpublisherbibel.de).
“Digital is not an end in itself. We want to shift the focus from technology to people and their creative achievements as a whole. Frankfurt Authors is aimed at all authors as well as those in publishing who represent or provide services to them. By ‘authors’, in this context, we really do mean anyone who writes. If you write, you belong here!”, says Lars Birken-Bertsch, Director Business Development Trade DACH at Frankfurter Buchmesse.
Some highlights of the programme in the new Frankfurt Authors Area:
“Copyright law reform – and what’s really behind it?”
(17 October 2019, 2.00-3.00 pm)
Regardless of how and where authors publish, questions of intellectual property and copyright remain divisive. These issues are the topic of this podium talk, organised by the Netzwerk Autorenrechte (Network Authors’ Rights).
Participants: Sascha Lobo (blogger and author), Zoë Beck (author and publisher), Matthias Hornschuh (film composer), Johannes Stricker (director of HörbucH Hamburg), Carola Christiansen (moderator, Netzwerk Autorenrechte, president of Mörderische Schwestern).
“Seeking tomorrow’s bestsellers – QualiFiction competition for authors”
(17 October 2019, 3.00-3.30 pm)
On the Thursday of the fair, there will be an awards ceremony for a writing competition that uses the AI programme LiSa. A tool developed by the company QualiFiction, LiSa uses artificial intelligence to analyse the potential for success of literary texts.
Frankfurt Authors’ Conference
(18 October 2019, 10.00 am-4.00 pm, “Dimension” room, Hall 4.2)
Here, you will have the chance to speak with other writers and experts: The Frankfurt Authors’ Conference is aimed at advanced writers who have already published books and wish to increase their degree of professionalism. The conference will be held in English.
Participants: Melanie Raabe (author), Olaf Bryan Wielk (inventor of the storytelling tool Beemgee), Sarah Baxter (Contracts Advisor & Literary Estates, Society of Authors), Lisa Dowdeswell (Head of Literary Estates, Society of Authors), Sabine Langohr (literary agency Keil & Keil).
There is a fee for participating in this event. Tickets are available at:
buchmesse.de/en/highlights/frankfurt-authors/conferences
“Can I write this like this? Diversity in novels”
(18 October 2019, 11.00 am-12.00 pm)
How can you avoid stereotypes in your writing? Can excessive caution also lead to self-censorship? Is it no longer acceptable to write about certain things? A panel discussion about authentic character diversity and avoiding prejudices and self-censorship.
Participants:
Annika von Redwitz (Consultant Diversity Management), Alexandra Schwarting (author), Victoria Linnea (sensitivityreading.de), Thorsten Simon (BoD, moderator)
“How to bookstagram – Everything you need to know to get started on Instagram”
(19 October 2019, 4.00-5.00 pm)
Bookstagram is a constantly growing community of book addicts who devote themselves to their love of books on Instagram. The successful bookstagrammer Josephine Wismar (@neomiscrazyworld), together with Jessica Sieb (@witcherybooks), Nils Küchenmeister (@bunteschwarzweißwelt) and Sarah Natusch (@samenature), offer advice on how bookstagrammers can optimise this community’s own channels and expand their reach.
“From Germany to Norway – a fantastic journey with Siri Pettersen”
(20 October 2019, 1.00-2.00 pm)
The Norwegian writer and comics creator Siri Pettersen (The Raven Rings) will participate in this event organised by the Phantastik-Autoren-Netzwerk (Fantasy Authors’ Network). With Bernhard Stäber alias Robin Gates (Runland Saga), she will talk about the various facets of German and Norwegian fantasy literature.
Please note: The conferences will be held in German except “Frankfurt Authors’ Conference”.
Frankfurt Authors’ partners:
Das Autorensofa, Books on Demand, Bundesverband junger Autoren und Autorinnen (BVjA) e.V. (Association of Young Authors), literaturcafe, LoveletterConvention, Selfpublisher Verband (Association of Self-publishing Writers), SYNDIKAT e.V., tolino media, Das Phantastik-Autoren-Netzwerk (PAN) e.V.
For more information about Frankfurt Authors go to:
buchmesse.de/en/highlights/frankfurt-authors
About Frankfurter Buchmesse
Frankfurter Buchmesse is the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair – with over 7,500 exhibitors from 109 countries, around 285,000 visitors, over 4,000 events and some 10,000 accredited journalists and bloggers in attendance. It also brings together key players from the fields of education, film, games, STM, academic publishing, and business information. Since 1976, the book fair has featured an annual Guest of Honour country, which showcases its book market, literature and culture to attendees in a variety of ways. Frankfurter Buchmesse organises the participation of German publishers at around 20 international book fairs and hosts trade events throughout the year in major international markets. Frankfurter Buchmesse is a subsidiary of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Publishers & Booksellers Association). https://www.buchmesse.de/en(opens in a new window)
Contacts for the media:
Press & Corporate Communications Frankfurter Buchmesse
Katja Böhne, Vice President Marketing & Communications, tel.: +49 (0) 69 2102-138, press@book-fair.com
Kathrin Grün, Head of PR and Communications, tel.: +49 (0) 69 2102-170, gruen@book-fair.com
Frank Krings, PR Manager, tel.: +49 (0) 69 2102-107, krings@buchmesse.de
> Further press information >https://www.buchmesse.de/en/press/press-releases(opens in a new window)
> Pictures for media use >https://www.buchmesse.de/en/press/press-material(opens in a new window)