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Frankfurt Book Fair

October 11, 2002
https://p.dw.com/p/2jWA
Image: AP

Every year the International Book Fair in Frankfurt attracts thousands of visitors, exhibitors and authors from around the world. As a meeting point for creative exchange, the trade fair for publishers and booksellers gauges the latest trends in the book branch and helps define the most important topics in the industry.

One of the key issues this year is the decline in annual book sales and the much-needed restructuring of the German publishing industry. After years of growth, the industry is suffering its first real economic slump and book stores are closing at an unprecedented rate.

Of course not everything at Frankfurt is doom and gloom. The fair’s featured country, Lithuania, stands out with its rich political and literary history, and the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe will be awarded the annual Peace Prize from the German Publishers’ and Booksellers’ Association.

Skip next section Reports & Analysis

Reports & Analysis

Opening a New Chapter in the Publishing Industry

On Oct. 9, the world’s largest book fair opens in Frankfurt. But for the German publishing industry, the five day event is anything but a cause for celebration as exhibitors choose to stay home amid declining sales.
October 9, 2002

Book Sales Slump

With the typically slow summer season approaching, Germany's book retailers are eyeing cutbacks.
May 30, 2002

Closing the Book on Small Bookstores

With evening events and espresso bars, sitting areas and CD lounges, Germany’s modern super-bookstores are driving out smaller independent shops in the ever more competitive book market.
July 18, 2002

Lithuanian Authors Feted at Book Fair

Although it's located at the geographical centre of Europe, many still see Lithuania as part of the east. This year, Lithuania is the focal point of the world's largest book fair, which kicked off in Frankfurt Wednesday.
October 10, 2002

New Media Cuts Through the Publishing Gloom

Far from killing off the printed word, the Internet is actually creating new opportunities for the publishing industry - but is it helping or just making things worse?
October 10, 2002

Nigerian Writer Wins German Peace Prize

In recognition of his work as a pioneering African novelist and moralist, the German Publishers’ and Booksellers’ Association has awarded its peace prize for literature to the Nigerian author Chinua Achebe.
October 13, 2002