The Leipzig Book Fair will open in the evening. The interest is great: the ticket sale had to be limited for the first time. But the situation in the industry remains tense – and artificial intelligence is also an issue.
The book industry will meet for the Leipzig Book Fair in the coming days. From Thursday to Sunday, 2,040 exhibitors from 45 countries will present their innovations, 2024 there were 2,085 exhibitors. The host country is Norway this year.
It is a fair in difficult times for the industry. “In terms of economy, 2024 went out of the race with a slight increase of 0.8 percent,” said bookmate director Astrid Böhmisch in an interview with Tagesschau24. “However, this does not deceive that the number of books purchased has decreased.”
In 2024, 1.7 percent fewer books were sold than in the previous year. The fact that the total turnover rose slightly was simply because the books became more expensive.
The general manager of the German Börsenverein, Peter Kraus vom Cleff, asked politicians to act. On the one hand, the excessive bureaucracy had to be returned, on the other hand, structural subsidy funding is necessary. The federal cultural passport for young people must also be continued. In 2024, all 18-year-olds received a budget of 100 euros that they could invest in cultural offers.
High demand for tickets
In contrast, the public's interest at the fair seems unbroken. Due to the high demand, ticket sales were limited for the first time. For the traditionally strong -visitor Saturday, there is only one remaining contingent available to admission tickets in advance, as well as for season tickets. The limitation has become necessary so that a visit to the book fair remains safe and pleasant for everyone.
The fair focuses on democracy, culture of remembrance and social resilience this year. In the “Open Society for Forum”, panel discussions on democracy and legal pressure, crises and wars as well as freedom of expression take place. Several alliances are involved in the program.
Another big topic at the moment: the competition through artificial intelligence. There should be a forum for this to discuss the topic with experts. “Because it is actually a topic that essentially affects the book industry,” said trade fair director Böhmisch Tagesschau24. “What is an author in the future, what is an author? And where are the limits of artificial intelligence? Because a creative achievement, a work of art has always been the random deviation that could not be planned for the centuries.” There are opportunities, but also a lot of risks.
Opening with a book price
The book fair is officially opened in the evening with a ceremony in the Leipzig Gewandhaus. The Leipzig Book Prize for European Communication is also to be awarded – this year at the Belarusian writer Alhierd Bacharevic for his novel “Europe's dogs”.
The jury paid tribute to the work as a “wild mix of polittriller, epic, adventure history, satire and fairy tales”. The European Communication Book Prize, endowed with 20,000 euros, has been awarded since 1994.
