At the Brazilian Publishers’ stand during Frankfurter Buchmesse 2024: Record participation among companies and publishers. Image: Publishing Perspectives, Talita Facchini
By Talita Facchini | @talitafacchinii
See also:
The 2024 Frankfurter Buchmesse: 230,000 Visitors Overall
Brazilian Publishers Set Sights on International Market at Frankfurt Book Fair
‘A Record Number of Participating Publishers’
Brazil’s participation in the 76th Frankfurter Buchmesse was marked by a record number of participating companies and publishers reporting a warming market and a heightened reception in the many meetings they held throughout the week.
At the Brazilian collective stand in Hall 5.0, 28 companies attending Frankfurt were there in partnership with Brazilian Publishers—a joint initiative of the Brazilian Book Chamber (CBL), the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, called ApexBrasil, and the ministry of foreign affairs. Those were selected with 10 others by the CreativeSP program from the São Paulo state government.
Additionally, the project named for author Ruth Rocha also held several meetings intended to expand the already well-established work of that Brazilian writer. In her career of more than 50 years, Rocha has published a reported 200 books, her work having been translated into more than 25 languages.
Fabricio Corsaletti
Another notable participant was author Fabricio Corsaletti, winner of the 2023 Jabuti Award. This year, the book chamber brought the Jabuti winner to the world’s largest book industry trade show, to further raise the visibility of Brazilian literature abroad.
Sevani Matos, president of the book chamber, told Publishing Perspectives, “This year’s Frankfurt Book Fair was excellent, with a larger crowd compared to previous years, and the Brazilian stand was busier, with a record number of participating publishers.”
Sevani de Matos
She said that the Frankfurt marketplace felt more active this year, with negotiations happening at a faster pace.
“This is positive for Brazil,” she said, “in terms of both visibility and business opportunities. We’re optimistic and eager to see the results of the deals made by Brazilian publishers.”
‘A Strong Presence of Brazilians’
The 2023 Brazilian Jabuti Award-winner Fabricio Corsaletti, second from left, participates in a poetry presentation on Frankfurter Buchmesse’s 2024 International Stage. Image: Publishing Perspectives, Talita Facchini
Major Brazilian publishing houses like Sextante; Grupo GEN; Grupo Editorial Record; Grupo Companhia das Letras; Planeta; and Grupo Autêntica attended the fair, and spoke of getting a sense for what readers can expect to see in bookstores in the coming months.
Several publishers, like Matos, reported intense business activity.
Flavia Lago, senior editor at Grupo Autêntica, said, “There was a strong presence of Brazilians here, and it feels like things have returned to pre-pandemic levels in terms of offers and opportunities. Things are moving quickly: evaluations need to be faster, and publishers are acting with agility.”
“It feels like things have returned to pre-pandemic levels in terms of offers and opportunities. Things are moving quickly: evaluations need to be faster, and publishers are acting with agility.”Flavia Lago, Grupo Autêntica
When discussing trends, publishers pointed to the genre of “healing fiction”—already a strong presence at the São Paulo International Book Biennial in September—and romantic comedies.
Felipe Brandão, editorial director of Editora Planeta Brasil, said, “I’ve noticed that the ‘romantasy’ genre remains strong, as well as business books and specialized self-help, with a scientific basis. While there hasn’t been anything dramatically new, healing fiction stands out as a continuing trend.”
Brandão said he’d noticed a more open market for exchanges of ideas, as well.
Pedro Almeida, publisher at Brazil’s Faro Editorial, said, “Everyone’s watching healing fiction and books featuring characters with ‘interesting’ psychological profiles, such as psychopaths and sociopaths. These range from comedic situations to serial killers, in a strong wave of true crime, but they’re told across different genres and subgenres including thrillers, romance, and comedy.
This observation was echoed by Grupo Autêntica’s Lago, who said, “In addition to healing fiction, psychological thrillers and horror seem poised to gain traction in coming months. There’s a notable presence in catalogues for this segment.” She agreed with others’ comments on the ongoing success of ‘romantasy’ and romantic comedies.
Cassiano Elek Machado, editorial director at Grupo Editorial Record and a regular at Frankfurt since 1998, said he has witnessed many ups and downs in Brazil’s participation.
Although he said he didn’t feel the market surge mentioned by other publishers, he provided his own perspective on the event, saying, “This year, I didn’t get the sense that I’ve had before of coming across a strong book only to find it had already been sold to other publishers—or seeing numerous books in simultaneous auctions.
“But Record had a strong acquisition year. It wasn’t even planned, but we’ve already closed eight contracts since the week leading up to the fair, with more in auctions, so it turned out to be a strong year for Record in the end.”
Related article: ‘Brazil’s Karine Pansa: The Outgoing IPA President on World Publishing.’ Image: Girassol Brasil Edições
Beyond editorial trends, other topics are likely to gain more prominence in the publishing market in the coming months.
Girassol Brasil publisher Karine Pansa, who closes her tenure as president of the International Publishers Association (IPA) this year, has noticed that the AI phenomenon is gaining momentum in the industry.
“What people are now discussing,” Pansa said, “is the issue of sustainability in relation to artificial intelligence, particularly regarding the power plants some companies are investing in, and how this could harm the environment. I believe this is the discussion of the moment.”
And Brazilian Publisher chief Matos highlighted the international focus on environment, social, and governance, sometimes called ESG, in the publishing sector and artificial intelligence, all of which are being addressed in many markets, both from regulatory perspectives and in terms of their application to optimizing processes.
A quiet moment in Messe Frankfurt’s Agora, seen from the Forum building looking toward Hall 4. Image: Publishing Perspectives, Talita Facchini
Our 2024 Frankfurt Book Fair Magazine includes a pre-Frankfurt look at Brazilian publishers’ outlook, and the magazine is now available in a digital edition here.
Download your copy here.
You’ll read our focused coverage of issues and events in the Guest of Honor Italy program; book market trends in Brazil, France, the Philippines, the Czech Republic, and Poland; perspectives on the international rights trade from Matthes & Seitz Berlin’s Meran Mentzel; commentary from independent publishers from Greece, Colombia, and Kenya.
Also in our magazine, PEN International president emerita Jennifer Clement speaks to Publishing Perspectives on censorship ahead of the IPA’s International Publishers Congress (December 3-5); there’s an exit interview with the outgoing IPA president Karine Pansa of Brazil; a wide-ranging interview with Scholastic chief Peter Warwick; perspectives on audio in Italy from Mondadori’s Miriam Spinnato; and more.
More from Publishing Perspectives on Frankfurt Book Fair is here, more on the book market of Brazil is here, and more on international rights trading and licensing is here. Publishing Perspectives is the International Publishers Association’s world media partner.
About the Author
