Attending this year’s London Book Fair was a real pleasure: the buzz and shared excitement were palpable, and the wealth of familiar faces made it an enjoyably sociable occasion. I also resolved not to bring back a collection of pens and badges for my children this time, and have been very pleased with this decision!
Apart from the interesting meetings with colleagues, two of the highlights of the fair for me were seminars I attended. The first of these was part of the programme organised by the Literary Translation Centre, and was entitled ‘Beyond Island Horizons: Expanding Pathways for Literature from the Margins.’ Like many of the talks and seminars this year, this event was at capacity, and people were being turned away once the doors were closed. The panel’s discussion of the challenges and success stories for literary translation in Malta and Ireland was illuminating, and left the audience with a sense of optimism and keen anticipation regarding future publications from these countries.
The key takeaway for me was that the work that needs to happen for Maltese and Irish – and indeed, any – literature to be published in English translation is always collaborative, depending on the cooperation of authors, literary agents, publishers, translators, and the representatives of cultural organisations. As in most creative industries, there is not a lot of money to go round, and the best way to ensure it is spent effectively is to pool resources and information. There was also an interesting discussion about the role of translators in enabling publishers to form an all-important first impression of a literary work when they do not speak the source language: translators are an invaluable part of the process of expanding our cultural horizons.
The second talk I attended was ‘Audio Boom: Expanding the Audio Category,’ which took place on the misleadingly named ‘main stage’ – an airless conference room packed with seats. People were queuing outside the door long before the panel started, so I was very pleased to get a seat to listen to Mariella Frostrup chair a lively discussion with three senior figures in audiobook publishing. Rachel Ghiazza (Chief Content Officer at Audible), Amanda D’Acierno (President, Penguin Random House, Audio), and Chantal Restivo-Alessi (CDO & CEO International Foreign Language, HarperCollins) spoke insightfully about their careers, and how they each came to work in audio.
The wide-ranging discussion was a fascinating introduction to audiobook publishing, as well as an informative guide to current trends and the likely future direction of the audio market. Amanda D’Acierno spoke about what she called ‘ambidextrous readers,’ who flip between audio and print versions of a text in different circumstances. She described some of the different ways and moments in which consumers are listening to audiobooks, many of which echoed my own experiences with the format. Rachel Ghiazza explained how it is helpful to go to market with a title in print, e-book, and audio formats simultaneously – marketing happens at the title level, not at the format level. Chantal Restivo-Alessi outlined how international literature is one of the growth areas in audiobooks. I haven’t listened to a German-language audiobook yet, but I am going to find an opportunity to do so soon.
My 2025 London Book Fair experience concluded with a wonderful evening reception at the German Ambassador’s residence, celebrating the German Pavilion at the Fair. This was the perfect end to a memorable day, and I am looking forward to doing it all again next year!
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By Sheridan Marshall
Sheridan Marshall works as a translator from German into English, and as Editorial Consultant for New Books in German. She was Deputy Editor of The Austrian Riveter.
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