Publishers explore digital opportunities in London Book Fair

The three-day London Book Fair (LBF) closed Thursday at the Earls Court, with thousands of traditional publishers from around the world looking for new possibilities in the digital and mobile era.

On the final day of the publishing gala, the London Book Fair and its partners, the British Council and the Publishers Association, announced that the Market Focus country for the next year will be Mexico, following this year's Republic of Korea.

From 2015, the London Book Fair will be held in the renovated and expanded Olympia exhibition centre, which had been home to the fair prior to 2006, the organizers said.

"It's been a fantastic farewell to Earls Court, with lots of energy, lots of purpose, brilliant exhibitors, speakers, and events. On a personal note, we were honored to receive Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall at the Fair," said Jacks Thomas, director of the fair.

"Business briefing and interaction with Chinese guests was rewarding and I hope will continue to be a long term relationship," he added, after hosting some business events with Chinese publishers during the fair.

Traditional publishers were jumping at the chance to tap into new possibilities in the fast-evolving publishing industry.

Cambridge University Press (CUP), one of the oldest publishing houses in the world, has been preparing itself for a "paperless future" by pioneering digital publishing and displaying a digitally-focused presence at the London Book Fair.

"The move to digital publishing is both an opportunity and a challenge. We have made some important changes to the way in which the Press operates ... the pace of change is accelerating so every day brings fresh opportunities and developments that we need to consider," said Peter Phillips, chief executive of CUP.

Alison Thomson, communications executive of CUP, said traditional publishing houses need to be "nimble and flexible" in order to survive in the digital and mobile era.

"Something we focus much more on this year was social media - how we can become involved, and how we get people engaged," she said, adding that "Digital is key, the customer is key and the social media is key."

To Kathrin Grun, the Frankfurt Book Fair's public relations manager who was also present at the LBF, today's publishing industry has to face yet another irresistible tide: self-publishing.

"With self publishing industry, the authors don't have to wait for the publishers to say yes ... self publishing has become a really interesting topic," Grun told Xinhua.

"Now we are talking about the author-entrepreneur. The author is not only a writer any more, but he is in charge of all his success - he has to do his cover, he has to do his book, and he has to sell it. He does all these different roles as an author," she explained.

Created in 1971, the London Book Fair was regarded as the world's second largest marketplace for rights negotiations and sales only after the Frankfurt book fair in Germany.