The Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea, will participate in the 54th London Book Fair from March 11 to 13, operating a “K-Book Export Consultation Center.” This marks the first time since Korea was the guest of honor in 2014 that Korea will manage a collective booth for paper book publishers at the London Book Fair.
The London Book Fair is the largest in the English-speaking world, dedicated exclusively to business-to-business (B2B) transactions without including business-to-consumer (B2C) interactions. Every year, over 1,000 exhibitors and more than 30,000 publishing professionals from over 100 countries gather to trade book and content copyrights and to share developments in publishing technology and trends through over 100 programs.
Located at booth 6D 105 on the ground floor of Olympia Events, the 95㎡ export consultation center will host 10 companies, including Munhakdongne, Darakwon, iPortfolio, and BC Agency, which will conduct export consultations. Additionally, it will facilitate consultations for 101 books from 38 publishers unable to attend the fair in person.
Ahead of the fair, participating Korean companies will provide a directory book containing information about themselves and details of books prioritized for export consultations to local publishing professionals. The ministry will also offer pre-arranged export consultations between publishers and buyers to enhance the depth of negotiations. Furthermore, experienced interpreters will be deployed to assist with smooth export consultations, and shared consultation spaces will be made available for Korean publishers visiting the fair without a booth.
The lineup of books for consultation this year includes a diverse range of literary and non-fiction works, such as “The B-Cut for You” by Lee Geum-yi, a nominee for the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Awards, and other literary works by authors like Jeong Se-rang and Park Sang-young.
Additionally, the fair will showcase globally recognized works such as Lee Ji-yeon’s “The Immigrant,” which received a special mention in the Fiction category of the 2023 Bologna Ragazzi Awards, and Lee Myung-ae’s “Vacation,” included in the 2023 International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Silent Book Honor List. After the fair, the exhibited books will be donated to the Korean Cultural Centre UK to introduce Korean language and K-books to local readers.
Following the London Book Fair, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to set up “K-Book Export Consultation Centers” at other international book fairs, including Italy’s “Bologna Children’s Book Fair” at the end of March, Germany’s “Frankfurt Book Fair” in October, and China’s “Shanghai Children’s Book Fair” in November, to support Korean publishers’ global expansion efforts.
Im Seong-hwan, Director of the Ministry’s Media Policy Bureau, expressed hope that participation in the London Book Fair will serve as a pivotal moment for K-books to more actively enter the English-speaking markets. He affirmed the ministry’s commitment to providing substantial support to ensure that Korean publishing companies can expand steadily and enhance their presence in the global publishing industry.