London Book Fair opens in subdued mood as flight ban continues

19.04.10 | The Bookseller News Team

Flights to the UK remain grounded, as the international book community gathered at Earls Court for the 39th London Book Fair on what was described by one exhibitor as a "subdued" opening morning (19th April).

Many early attendees thought that at least half of their meetings would be cancelled, with attendance from some areas of the world down by as much as 90%. The agents centre was described in one of the numerous tweets about the fair as "very thin on the ground". Some suggested that BEA or the Frankfurt Book Fair would now have to "take up the slack" of lost business, though others remained optimistic about meetings that could come from freed-up diaries.

One high profile casualty was former prime minister Tony Blair. Random House, which publishes Blair's memoirs this autumn, had organised for the former PM to meet all his international publishers at an event this evening at Kensington Roof Gardens, followed by a dinner with customers. But Blair is in the Middle East and unable to get a flight back to the UK. Cornerstone publicity director Charlotte Bush said: "It is very unfortunate and disappointing. We have a couple of new dates and are looking to reschedule."

Organiser Reed Exhibitions had said that it expected to run a full seminar programme, though some attended by The Bookseller this morning, including New Forms of Adaptation in the Film & TV strand, were cancelled.

The London Book Fair's chairman's breakfast went off as planned, with SA PA's Brian Wafawarowa, and author Andre Brink among those who have made it across from South Africa. Industry website Book Southern Africa reported that a skeleton crew of South African writers made it through, with the site also helping to organise a "Not the London Book Fair" event in SA.

The largest international contingent comes from the US, with Jon Malinowski, vice president of the American Collective Stand, indicating that only 30 people from 150 that were supposed to come have made it across.

Publishers Weekly reported that Hachette Book Group was only able to get six of its planned 12 people to the fair, including rights and international sales staff. As of Sunday, only one of Simon & Schuster's team had made it to the fair and it was unlikely any more would. Random House's fair presence will be led by the UK group and it was unclear over the weekend how many staffers from Random US would be in attendance.

The Charles Clark Memorial lecture has been cancelled, as has the KITAB reception and seminar at the London Book Fair. Sourcebooks' London Author party to be held this evening (19th April), has been cancelled. (To report any cancelled events please email philip.jones@bookseller.co.uk, or use the comments facility below).

More at The Bookseller

And  a report from PublishersLunch:
Quiet London Book Fair Opens As Those Who Made It Worry About Getting Home 

The London Book Fair officially opened today to lighter crowds and many empty booths as a result of the extraordinary air travel restrictions due to the spreading cloud of volcanic ash from the eruption in Iceland. UK airspace was closed throughout the weekend, and according to the latest update it will remain closed at least until 1:00 am local time on Tuesday. For all those who were triumphant in getting over to London in time for the fair, now comes the substantial question of when they'll be able to return home. (In the meantime, Bloomsbury Press publisher Peter Ginna recounts his successful travel odyssey: flight to Dublin; train to Belfast; ferry across to Stranraer; drive to Edinburgh; train to London.)

Fair officials tell the Bookseller that a fifth of today's seminar programs were canceled. The magazine also cites "some estimates that as many of 50 percent of the tables" in the International Rights Center were unoccupied. Among the notable no shows due to the travel restrictions were a large contingent from South Africa who were to join in the celebrations of the country as the fair's "market focus" and former British prime minister Tony Blair, who was supposed to meet with his publishers from around the world this evening but is stuck in the Middle East.

A survey of tweets from the floor today features remarks on "#lbf10 ghost town," with "so many empty stands..." that "it's eerily quiet." In the biggest book fair indicator of all, there were no lines at the women's rest rooms. With less business to transact, what did attendees do instead? "Just walked past a bar. Totally full. It's quite a big bar, too."

In recent years Book Expo America's international reach has been affected by the London Book Fair's move to mid-April, mere weeks away from BEA's traditional timing. But this year that closeness may work to BEA's advantage as a variety of customers have reached out for extra space, rights tables and promotions to help make up for opportunities missed at London. Show director Steve Rosato noted this morning that "people are reacting more swiftly than I thought they would" as they are "reacting as best they can" to the new situation. He reports queries for at least a dozen IRC tables, hundreds of new registrations, and multiple new booth sales today alone, likely to hit 20 booths worth of space before the end of the week.

Rosato also notes that companies already planning on exhibiting have called looking for additional booth and meeting space as well as increasingly their promotional spending at BEA.

Among fair announcements, which have also been modest, Anthony Cheetham will add to his portfolio at Atlantic Books with an international contract publishing/co-edition line, called Callisto.