Susan Natividad, the Philippine ambassador to German, speaks at a March 21 Frankfurter Buchmesse news conference in Berlin. Image: FBM
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Frankfurt’s Guest of Honor Makes a Stop in Italy
With Bologna Children’s Book Fair opening on March 31—and Frankfurter Buchmesse‘s (October 15 to 19) Guest of Honor Philippines plans to showcase seven Philippine artists at Bologna.
You’ll find, we’re told, that the hosts of the Philippine National Stand in Hall 29, B24-C23, are “eager to sell rights” and will have a catalogue of some 120 books for children and young adults to introduce Bologna’s international trade visitors to the island nation’s highlights and traditions in young people’s books.
The Philippine children’s book sector is an essential part of the country’s publishing industry, producing an average of 100 to 150 titles annually. It has grown into a robust institution, driven by dedicated authors, illustrators, and publishers, all working to engage young Filipino readers.
At the core of many Philippine children’s books are stories that instill a deep sense of self, community, and national identity in young readers. These stories often reflect the Filipino experience and emphasize values such as peace and a sense of country. Beyond the light-hearted and humorous elements typical of children’s literature, many books in this sector also tackle difficult topics, including war, famine, death, grief, and even the country’s historical tragedies. “The inclusion of such topics,” the guest of honor team tells us, “ensures that children’s books remain relevant and reflective of real life.”
In recent years, for instance, Philippine children’s literature has embraced more inclusive themes including books featuring LGBTQIA+ families and stories that challenge traditional norms. The sector’s focus on giving protagonists a sense of agency and promoting inclusivity ensures that these books resonate with a modern audience while retaining quintessential Filipino humor and values.
A major milestone for the sector was last year’s participation in the Bologna trade show, marking the Philippines’ debut at the world’s largest industry fair for children’s content. It was an opportunity to showcase the creativity and talent of Filipino authors and illustrators on a global stage.
The Philippines was also the Country of Focus at the Asian Festival for Children’s Content, further raising its visibility in the international children’s book industry. As the genre that sells the most translation rights, children’s literature offers an ideal entry point for Philippine books to gain worldwide recognition.
An illustration from ‘Gigl’ by Jaime Bauza. Image: Adarna House
Ani Rosa Almario of Adarna House
“Honestly I feel that we still aren’t as ‘visible’ or top of mind as we’d like to be with rights directors and agents,” says Ani Rosa Almario, vice-president of Adarna, which is based in Manila’s Quezon City.
Ani Rosa Almario
Adarna is the largest publisher of children’s books in the Philippines, and we’re glad to have a chance to have an exchange with Almario, who is also the secretary-general of the Philippine Board on Books for Young People. She’s the author, herself, of several books including 101 Filipino Icons and How Do You Feel?
She points out that 2024 was the first year that the Philippines had its own national stand in Bologna, as they will have again this year. “There was a lot of interest in our books and the delegation had a ton of meetings,” she says, “but there weren’t a lot of rights deals that went through.
“I take this to mean that we really have to drum up interest in our brand of children’s literature, and really work on developing relationships with rights people worldwide.
“At this year’s BCBF, we have a special presentation for rights directors and agents, and we’re also holding a country reception. Our delegation of publishers, authors, and illustrators will be very eager to talk about the wealth of Filipino children’s literature to anyone who comes by our stand.”
Publishing Perspectives readers may recall our past coverage of the major success that Wattpad and its television work had in young adult and new adult work.
‘Lunatics’ from Animo Comics
“For some YA and new adult books, being associated to films or streaming series helps push sales—sometimes even with just the announcement of the cast. Adaptations always add more visibility for authors.
However, one big publisher of YA/NA also told me that although film adaptations supplement the already strong author’s community, they could also lead to disagreements within this community on whether the film adaptation did the book justice.”
Almario agrees that school textbooks can often by Filipino children’s first encounters with books, but says that Adarna does not produce textbooks—”though our books are used in classrooms as supplementary learning resources” or “SLRs” as the department of education classifies them. These books “include fiction, nonfiction, and reference books that aid classroom learning,” she says. One of our most celebrated SLRs is WiKAHON, a leveled reading program that helps children read in Filipino.
Ardana’s ‘Wikathon,’ widely used in the Philippines as a ‘supplementary learning resource.’ Image: Ardana House
Another point of distinction in the Philippines market is that it has no literary agents to represent authors.
“What usually happens” Almario says, “is that publishers act as agents for their authors. This becomes problematic as selling rights is not really our forte nor our priority as publishers. I should point out that there are a number of Filipino authors and illustrators who are now working with agents in the United States and the United Kingdom, and that has helped them land good deals.
“I do think there should be more of an effort on the part of industry associations or the National Book Development Board,” she says, “to develop Filipino agents to sell Filipino content worldwide. We have so much to offer the world.”
In terms of what sort so books sell best in the Philippines’ children’s sector, “If you look at our Top 10 bestselling picture books in 2024,” Almario says, “you’ll see that most of them are books that we’ve been publishing for 10 to 20 years now—stories that are about family relationships and friendships. But we also have some relatively new board books, books on emotions for preschoolers, and books on sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression.
“At overseas fairs like Bologna, what’s been consistently selling are our graphic novels. This is no surprise, given the amount of talent in the Philippines when it comes to visual storytelling. What’s more,” Almario says, “we are actually casting a spotlight on seven Filipino artists at Bologna at a special presentation called “Ilustrador.”
“Anyone who wants to experience the magic of Filipino storytelling is welcome to visit our stand.”
More from Publishing Perspectives on Bologna Children’s Book Fair is here, more on Frankfurter Buchmesse is here, more on Guest of Honor Philippines’ program is here, more on Leipzig Book Fair is here, and more on the Italian book publishing industry is here.
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