Frankfurter Buchmesse 2025: Report from midway through the fair
Increase in trade visitors / Deals in a sold-out LitAg / Focus on AI / The importance of making connections
During the first three days (15-17 October 2025) of the 77th Frankfurter Buchmesse, more than three percent more trade visitors from 125 countries have attended the fair. The total number of trade visitors is expected to amount to 118,500 by the last day of the book fair (2024: 115,000). This year, around 4,350 exhibitors have been presenting their books, products and services at the fair (2024: 4,300 exhibitors).
The sold-out Literary Agents & Scouts Centre (LitAg) hosted 321 agencies from 32 countries. In the LitAg and Publishers Rights Centre, 591 tables were sold in total (2024: 593 tables). Notable book deals that hit the headlines this week included HarperCollins acquiring four new titles from the no.1 international bestselling author of Yellowface, R. F. Kuang. A transatlantic deal for The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East by the bestselling historian Simon Sebag Montefiore also caused a stir, as did Faber snapping up Booker Prize shortlistee Ben Markovits' new novel Starting Out.
At the fair’s Opening Press Conference, author Nora Haddada provided the keynote address with a call to action to the writers of her generation to speak out. ‘We don’t have to be cowards. We can provoke”, she said. Asked about their participation in the new Frankfurt Global Network grant programme, Vanina Colagiovanni (Publishing Director, Gog & Magog, Argentina) and Mehar Anaokar (Editor, Serpent’s Tail Classics / Profile Books, UK), highlighted the importance of the book fair for international exchange. Elsewhere at the conference, Director of Frankfurter Buchmesse, Juergen Boos, highlighted the power of stories and storytelling: “Frankfurter Buchmesse demonstrates what literature is capable of: it connects people, it tolerates contradictions and it opens up new perspectives.”
Guest of Honour, The Philippines: the power of storytelling
With their motto “The imagination peoples the air”, the Philippines, Guest of Honour 2025 of Frankfurter Buchmesse, brought a programme to the fair that has shown the power of storytelling. Philippine Senator Loren Legarda said at the fair’s Opening Ceremony that the Philippine national hero José Rizal, “the one who sparked the liberation of [the Philippine] people from three centuries of colonisation, was not a warrior with a sword but a writer with a pen [...] who made imagination his sharpest weapon”. Despite being a nation of people speaking over 100 different languages, a shared enthusiasm for their country’s culture and literature, and a desire to reach readers around the world, has been evident. In the heart of the city of Frankfurt the "Jeepney Journey" has become a popular meeting place during the book fair week. The programme continues to run till Saturday evening.
Perspectives on culture and politics
Frankfurt Calling, the FBM's cultural policy programme, kicked off with powerful voices on moving topics: booksellers reported on their work during the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. “We want people to leave their comfort zone. And read books that challenge their perceptions,” says Palestinian writer and bookseller Mahmoud Muna. This afternoon, Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa spoke with former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about freedom of expression. Frankfurt Calling will take place throughout the entire fair week on the Centre Stage in Hall 4.1.
Focus on AI
AI was again a key topic in the fair’s trade programme, with numerous panels discussing its benefits and challenges in publishing. At the digital publishing awards, Frankfurt Audio Ambassador Ama Dadson stressed the role of technology, including AI, in expanding Africa’s book market. At “The Hof Live: AI and the Battle for Reality”, UN Under-Secretary-General Melissa Fleming highlighted AI’s potential to empower people but also warned of deepfake risks shaping public narratives. Similar concerns about copyright issues were raised by Karin Schmidt-Friderichs of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association. She called for awareness in regard of copyright infringements by AI technologies at the fair’s Opening Press Conference.
CEOs on stage
The CEO and Executive Talks this year mirrored the book fair’s focus on women in publishing, featuring events with Perminder Mann, CEO Simon & Schuster International, and Véronique Cardi, CEO Éditions JC Lattes and Editions du Masque in the Publishing Perspectives Forum; and Chantal Restivo Alessi, CEO HarperCollins International and Chief Digital Officer, and Núria Cabuti, CEO Penguin Random House Editorial, Spain at the Global 50 CEO Talk.
Aiming for equality in the industry
While there are women at the top, there is still a lot of work to do for equality in the industry as was highlighted in “The Invisible Women of Publishing Panel” hosted by PublisHer. “Women in publishing are often doing the job before they have the title”, said Tracey Armstrong, President and CEO of Copyright Clearance Center, illustrating the theme of the panel and then discussing the continued disparity in wages, clear paths, and mentorship.
From rights deals to opportunities and challenges in regard to AI and social media platforms, diversity in publishing and freedom of expression: The conversations in Frankfurt this week show a global publishing industry that is in motion and eager to rethink how stories are being told and shared.
Tickets for the book fair weekend are still available online: https://www.buchmesse.de/en/visit/tickets(opens in a new window)