Connecting with our global community at the London Book Fair 2024 

Last week we attended the London Book Fair (LBF), a global trade fair where the publishing community gathers to meet and engage with authors, industry leaders, copyright professionals, and illustrators, to explore and gain insights in topics that affect the publishing industry.

During the three-day event, colleagues across OUP connected with our customers and partners from around the world, with meetings across sales, international rights, marketing and PR, design, editorial, and more. Our European Sales and Licensing teams met with some of their largest ELT distributors.

Our main Oxford University Press stand, located at the entrance of the LBF, captured the attention of passers-by with its eye-catching and modern design.

They were also able to attend and engage with the LBF events around AI, digital formats, and the geopolitical context that surrounds the publishing industry.

In addition to our main OUP stand, the Oxford Children’s team had their own series of events and place in the Children’s section of the fair, where they spread the word about our fantastic range of children’s publishing to a global audience.

The team hosted an event at the Oxford Children’s stand where they were joined by our authors, illustrators—including Alex Falase-Koya and Paula Bowles, the duo behind the popular Marv series—, agents, and booksellers. Another event hosted was the Illustrator Speed Date, hosted by Katie Haworth, Publisher in the Picture Book & Fiction team, and Rob Lowe, Senior Designer, aimed at hearing pitches from new and up-and-coming illustrators.

OUP experts on the LBF panels

The ‘Global Academic Panel: The Academic Publishing Landscape in 2030 and Beyond’ brought together visionary leaders in Academic publishing for a discussion on how to shape the future. David Clark, Managing Director of OUP’s Academic division, was invited to share his expertise and experience, discussing the future of the peer review process and the opportunities for greater diversity and inclusion in publishing.

Helen Freeman, Director of Early Childhood and Home Education, was part of the panel discussion on ‘Creating a culture of reading for pleasure’, alongside the Managing Director of Usborne Publishing, the CEO of World Book Day, the CEO of the National Literacy Trust, the Director of Insight and Strategy at Beano Studios and author and podcaster Kelechi Okafor.  

Helen shared what worked for her — “An audiobook cassette of The Secret Garden and a ballet book!” — as the panel explored what more can be done to inspire children to read, including initiatives such as our Raise a Reader programme.

At a special Bookseller Association lunch, five of our children’s authors and illustrators—Matty Long, Harriet Muncaster, Robert Tregoning, Paula Harrison, and Jenny Lovlie—presented their 2024 titles and the sales team networked with customers over lunch.

Curious to know more?

We shared highlights from the Fair across our social channels, so visit LinkedIn and Instagram to find out more.