From "Nuove Correnti " to the Frankfurt Rights Meeting: Italy as Guest of Honour, enriching professional dialogue with new perspectives

The initial preparation for Italy's role as Guest of Honour began in 2023 with Nuove Correnti, an intensive Italian-German training programme supported by the Foreign Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany and curated and organised by the Frankfurt Book Fair. An unparalleled experience for editors and publishers from independent Italian publishing houses specialising in both fiction and non-fiction, NuoveCorrenti featured a series of visits to publishers, agencies and book shops together with market presentations and networking opportunities taking place in Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich. 

Next up is the Frankfurt Rights Meeting, which has served as the primary gathering place for rights and licensing professionals for over 30 years. The 2024 edition will again be in a ‘hybrid’ format combining both virtual and in-person sessions, and will include four online sessions in September and an exclusive networking event with the publishing community in Frankfurt on 15th October, just before the start of the fair. Registration is now open for industry professionals interested in exploring how emerging trends and the latest developments are shaping important cultural and economic dialogues. 

A wide range of "hot" topics will be covered, involving all participating countries. The emphasis will be on Italy, as Guest of Honour, with an unprecedented number of translated books, while the Czech Republic, set to be Guest of Honour in 2025, will stand out alongside other Eastern European nations like Poland and Romania. From market trends in audiobooks to the impact of Artificial Intelligence and the influence of TikTok, cultural professionals will have the opportunity to engage in stimulating exchanges from an international perspective. Insights, case studies and projections on the effects of emerging trends and will involve everyone in the publishing process: licencing managers, rights managers, literary agents, scouts, publishers and business development managers. 

The rapid evolution in how books are enjoyed and shared also affects market trends, along with the opportunities and risks associated with acquiring rights. A prime example that has been under discussion for some time is the 'TikTok effect.' The impact of social media on readers' choices has led to increased sales of English-language books in various European countries. As a result, rights holders are now developing new strategies to balance local editions with English-language versions, striving to achieve a win-win scenario for authors, publishers and readers. 

New York Times has certainly raised concerns about a possible over-saturation of low-quality bestsellers. Nevertheless, how could a case like Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles possibly be overlooked: a 2011 book which, thanks to the influence of popular American TikToker Selene Velez, went on to sell ten million copies in a single day years later? 

And how does Artificial Intelligence impact the rights business and the production costs of a book? There are numerous implications for content, legal considerations, opportunities and concerns affecting everyone in the supply chain, and particularly impacting translators. 

Audiobooks, increasingly popular with listener-readers, represent new possibilities for those managing rights or producing content.

It is therefore down to the entire publishing constellation to address the future of media and navigate new, more complex and potentially more challenging paths than those encountered during the debate over whether e-books would replace printed books, much to the chagrin of sceptical Cassandras the world over. 

Literary agents, who serve as intermediaries between authors and publishing houses and manage rights with foreign publishers, must expand their skill sets and consider the full cross-media potential of a work. Scouts are now exploring new territories, examining what BookTokers, YouTubers, and influencers are promoting, while opportunities to discover and recommend new books continue to grow. Corporate market strategists are being tasked with envisioning novel business scenarios, while those handling publishing rights and licenses must broaden the scope of acquisitions while balancing the relationship between traditional and emerging channels. 

As Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Italy is well prepared to engage in this and other professional dialogues with Europe and the world, championing a culture that both unites and expands shared knowledge and economic collaboration. 

Frankfurt Rights Meeting event page 

More information on purchasing of rights and translation promotion in Italy