The newsletter of Frankfurter Buchmesse Issue 7 / 2026 |
Dear reader,
The ticket shop for FBM26 is now online! If you want to be there in October, now’s the time to snap up your tickets. We’d also like to invite you to the Frankfurt Kids Conference, the 40th Frankfurt Rights Meeting and our traditional FBM Kick-off Run.
This year's recipient of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade was announced today. As a committed humanist and author who, despite growing resistance, tirelessly fights for human rights, justice and mutual understanding, the French-British lawyer and writer Philippe Sands will be honoured on 11 October 2026 at the Paulskirche in Frankfurt.
Enjoy reading!
Your Newsletter Team |
Five days of meetings, expert talks and events: tickets for FBM26 are on sale now |
The FBM26 ticket shop is now open! From 7 to 11 October, the world of printed and digital content will come together in Frankfurt – with a new hall layout and this year’s Guest of Honour, Czechia. Appearances on the book fair stages will include Cornelia Funke, Yang Shuang-zi and Jáchym Topol. Also available online: the exhibitor directory, information on how to get to the fair and opening hours.
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Tom Jonas Müller, Pavlína Juračková © Max Gödecke, private |
Just days after a major attack on Ukraine’s capital, the International Book Arsenal Festival (28-31 May 26) took place amid damaged cultural institutions. Frankfurter Buchmesse spoke with two of the literary festival’s fellowship participants, Tom Jonas Müller (Germany) and Pavlína Juračková (Czech Republic), about their experiences in Kyiv.
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Frankfurt Kids Conference 2026: Rewriting the Future |
On 7 October, the international children’s book industry will gather at the Frankfurt Kids Conference. Two panel discussions will explore the question: “How is good children’s literature created in a world in flux?” “Saving the World Without a Budget” will look at ways to produce high-quality books despite cost pressures. “The Future Is Bright” highlights what gives publishers cause for optimism. The session will feature contributions from around the world and provide opportunities for networking. 3.30-5.00 pm, Imagination Stage, Hall 4.0. |
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40 Years of Frankfurt Rights Meeting – Tickets from €24 |
Four online sessions and a networking event: This year’s Frankfurt Rights Meeting, themed ‘Rights Then. Rights Now.’, kicks off on 1 September 2026 with an online seminar on ‘AI in Rights’. The subsequent sessions will focus on French-speaking markets, children’s and young adult literature, and English-speaking markets. To mark the 40th anniversary, special anniversary prices apply: tickets cost €24 (networking), €40 per online session or €140 for all-access (plus VAT in each case). |
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The participants of the Frankfurt Global Network 2025 © FBM, Nurettin Çiçek |
14 plus 15: The international grant programmes for FBM26 |
The participants in the two international grant programmes for FBM26 have now been confirmed. Through the Volia – Special Programme for Publishers from Ukraine and Neighbouring Countries, 15 publishing professionals from Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic states, the Caucasus and Central Asia will be coming to Frankfurt. In 2026, the Frankfurt Global Network will focus on comics, manga and visual stories. 14 industry professionals from Argentina to Vietnam will present their publishing houses at a collective stand and use the fair for matchmaking and networking. |
Czechia's GoH Pavilion © JinJan |
Czechia at #fbm26: about authors and robots
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Czechia, Guest of Honour at Frankfurter Buchmesse 2026, unveiled its programme and pavilion design during a press conference in Frankfurt. The pavilion invites its visitors into a fantastic world of literature, including AI-based interactive stations and live comic drawings with a robot. In addition to numerous talks with authors, Czechia is planning several events for publishing professionals. Dozens of events and exhibitions in the city invite culture enthusiasts to learn more about Czech literature, film, dance, arts and culture. |
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Book-to-Screen at KVIFF: Pitching titles confirmed |
On 7 July 2026, the "Book-to-Screen at KVIFF" pitching event will take place for the first time at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The aim is to create a market for film rights to adaptations of literary works from Central and Eastern Europe. The list of the eight titles selected for the pitching event has now been published. |
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Niamh Faller, CEO of Druid Learning © pivate |
Too much data, too little clarity |
What do true-crime investigations and publishing archives have in common? Both are frequently inundated with unstructured data. The Irish tech start-up Druid Learning, 2026 winner of the FBM Wildcard, transforms digitally archived content into structured, AI-ready datasets. In an interview, CEO Niamh Faller explains how the process works, where the technology reaches its limits – and what a system like this could do with the Epstein Files. |
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FBM Kickoff Run along the Main river © private |
Join the 2026 FBM Kickoff Run
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Publishers Without Borders (PWB) and Frankfurter Buchmesse invite FBM exhibitors and trade visitors to join the 2026 Frankfurter Buchmesse Kickoff Run: a friendly 5K run meetup along the Main River with a bit of competition and a great crowd. After the run, we’ll raise a glass to the runners - and helpers - at Frankfurter Wirtshaus, with drinks sponsored by Frankfurter Buchmesse. |
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On-demand masterclasses in our media library |
Past Frankfurter Buchmesse masterclasses are now available free of charge and on demand in our media library – so you can catch up anytime and dive deeper into key topics. Next up: Masterclasses return in September 2026 – host slots are now available. |
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| That is the number of Chilean titles currently listed with Frankfurt Rights, and the figure is rising. The titles are offered for translation worldwide via Frankfurter Buchmesse's digital rights platform. Chile is Guest of Honour at FBM27. Read more |
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© 2026 Frankfurter Buchmesse GmbH |
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