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MEXICO TO SHINE AT THE LONDON BOOK FAIR 2015
LBF Mexico Market Focus will be a unique opportunity for Mexican
publishers to increase international networks and business
The London Book Fair (LBF), in partnership with The Publishers Association (PA), and
CONACULTA and CANIEM in Mexico, is delighted to announce the Mexico Market Focus
Professional Programme for LBF 2015.
The LBF Market Focus Professional Programme is a series of business-to-business events
that provide essential insight and new business partnership opportunities for the publishing
community in a chosen country at The London Book Fair. The country of focus in 2015 will
be Mexico, the 12th Market Focus to take place.
LBF’s Mexico Market Focus Professional Programme is one of the most ambitious yet. It
encompasses almost 16 months of planned activity, centring on activity at The London Book
Fair itself on 14-16 April 2015. It is designed to grow understanding, networks and business
for Mexican publishers, by helping them to build closer relationships with their international
counterparts. The Professional Programme will give Mexico’s publishing professionals
unrivalled access to the 25,000 publishing industry professionals who attend LBF through
individual networking and matchmaking sessions, as well as events and seminars across the
Fair.
Jacks Thomas, Director of The London Book Fair said:
“We’re delighted to welcome the Mexican publishing industry to London next April when
Mexico will be The London Book Fair’s Market Focus country. Mexico as Market Focus is a
wonderful opportunity to be part of the zeitgeist in the UK for all things Mexican! We know
that Mexican publishers, agents, authors and poets will receive a very warm welcome in our
capital city. The London Book Fair has a world-leading International Rights Centre where
deals are struck to sell rights globally and we hope more Mexican publishers than ever will
find new markets and audiences. This programme offers great opportunities for Mexican
publishing in trade, education and academic publishing.”
Richard Mollet, Chief Executive of The Publishers Association (UK), said:
“The Mexico Market Focus professional programme is an incredibly important element of
London Book Fair 2015. It will give Mexican publishers key insights into the UK market along
with contacts and real business opportunities, as well as allowing UK publishers wishing to
expand into the Latin American markets to build closer relationships with their Mexican
counterparts. We are particularly delighted that this year the programme is not limited to the
confines of the Fair, but instead will provide year-long engagement with this exciting market.”
CONACULTA, said:
The LBF Market Focus Professional Programme events at The London Book Fair (1416 April) include: Monday 13 April @ LBF’s Publishing for Digital Minds Conference
o Mexican keynote speaker at influential publishing conference
 Tuesday 14 April @ LBF
o 9:30: Mexico Business Breakfast at LBF
o 11:30: Insight into Mexican Children’s Publishing
o 14:00: Buying rights from Mexico matchmaking session
o 15:00: Selling rights to Mexico matchmaking session
 Wednesday 15 April @ LBF
o 11:00: Insight into Mexican Children’s publishing
o 13:00: Insight into Academic publishing in Mexico
o 14:00: Buying rights from Mexico matchmaking session
o 14:30: Insight into Mexican book buyers and reading habits
o 15:00: Selling rights to Mexico matchmaking session
 Thursday 15 April
o 9:00: What Works? Education Conference to include Mexican educationalist
o 11:30: Insight into Mexican Children’s Publishing
o 14:00: Buying rights from Mexico matchmaking session
o 15:00: Selling rights to Mexico matchmaking session
n.b. Additional events will be announced over the next four months.
To register your interest in this year’s Mexico Professional Programme please visit
www.londonbookfair.co.uk/mexico
The London Book Fair Market Focus programme has been very successful for previous
countries and regions who have participated, leaving a long legacy of success and increased
publisher links across the world. When Turkey was Market Focus in 2013, Bloomsbury
acquired two novels from a Turkish author, Hasan Ali Toptaş, and a leading Turkish agency,
Kalem Agency, sold rights to several authors including Hakan Gunday and Çiler İlhan. In
2012, China’s Bi Feiyu sold rights to his work Massage to Penguin and Tie Ning, sold The
Bathing Girls to Macmillan.
Beyond The London Book Fair
This diverse programme of events at LBF will be supported by 16 month long business-tobusiness programme beyond the Fair, which began in September 2014 when six UK
commissioning editors went to Mexico, on a publishing tour organised by The British Council
and CONACULTA, as part of The London Book Fair’s Mexico Market Focus 2015. It was a
unique opportunity for UK editors to develop a greater understanding of contemporary
Mexican literature, gain insights into the opportunities of the Mexican market and build longlasting relationships with their counterparts at Mexican publishing houses.
It will continue this week when LBF visit Guadalajara Book Fair. LBF will run a seminar at
11:00 on 2 December titled The London Book Fair Market Focus 2015: Opportunities for the
Mexican Publishing Industry to do Business with the UK. Speakers will include Katie Morris,
Head of Marketing – The London Book Fair, Cortina Butler, Director Literature – British
Council, Emma House, Director of Publishing Relations – The Publishers Association and
Adam Freudenheim, Publisher and Managing Director – Pushkin Press.
On 10 December there will be a Mexico Market Focus: Rights Forum. The London Book Fair,
British Council and The Publishers Association are hosting a day-long, free-to-attend forum
focusing on buying and selling rights in Mexico. The programme will culminate in the UK’s
Guest of Honour at Guadalajara Book Fair in November 2015.
Alongside the Professional Programme, Market Focus Mexico will also enjoy a rich Cultural
Programme, featuring contemporary writers from Mexico, which will be curated for LBF by
The British Council, in partnership with CONACULTA, CANIEM and other partners in Mexico.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About LBF Market Focus
The London Book Fair Market Focus initiative is currently in its twelfth year and has done
much to open doors, creating both commercial and cultural partnerships around the world
since it was first introduced in 2004. The objective of the Market Focus is to put the spotlight
on publishing trade links with the country or region that is showcased, highlighting its
publishing industry and the opportunities for conducting business with the rest of the world.
Previous Market Focus countries and regions include the Arab World, India, South Africa,
Russia, China, Turkey and Korea.
About The London Book Fair (LBF):
The London Book Fair (LBF) is the global marketplace for rights negotiation and the sale and
distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film and digital channels. Taking place every
Spring in the world’s premier publishing and cultural capital, it is a unique opportunity to
explore, understand and capitalise on the innovations shaping the publishing world of the
future. LBF brings you direct access to customers, content and emerging markets. LBF 2015,
the 44th Fair, will take place from Tuesday 14-Thursday 16 April 2015, Olympia London.
LBF’s London Book and Screen Week will run for the second year, with the book fair as the
pivotal three day event within a five day programme. London Book and Screen Week will
open with LBF’s Publishing for Digital Minds Conference on Monday 13 April, the day before
LBF opens. Mexico is Market Focus country in 2015, following Korea in 2014. In 2014 LBF’s
charity of the year was Book Aid International.
About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and
cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other
countries and build trust between them worldwide. We work in more than 100 countries and
our 7000 staff – including 2000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy
makers and millions of young people every year teaching English, sharing the Arts and in
education and society programmes. We are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. A
publically-funded grant-in-aid provides less than a quarter of our turnover which last year was
£781m. The rest we earn from English teaching, UK exams and services which customers
around the world pay for, through education and development contracts and from
partnerships with other institutions, brands and companies. All our work is in pursuit of our
charitable purpose and creates prosperity and security for the UK and the countries we work
in all around the world.
For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org You can also keep in touch with
the British Council through http://twitter.com/britishcouncil and http://blog.britishcouncil.org
About the Publishers Association
The Publishers Association is the leading trade organisation serving book, journal, audio
and electronic publishers in the UK. Membership is comprised of 113 companies from across
the trade, academic and education sectors. Its core service is representation and lobbying,
around copyright, rights and other matters relevant to members, who represent roughly 80%
of the industry by turnover. www.publishers.org.uk