Bologna Book Fair 2023
In March I visited the Bologna International Children’s Book Fair for the first time. Before I start, I want it to be clear that my trip was made possible by Arts Council England. Back in 2021 I was fortunate enough to be awarded a grant through the Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) scheme, for which I wrote a proposal outlining how I could benefit from a period of creative development culminating in my first visit to this incredibly valuable industry event. Amazingly, ACE agreed and handed over some money. But although I’d originally planned to attend the fair in 2022, life and deadlines made it impossible and I had to delay until this year. In retrospect I think that was very lucky because I gather last year’s event was still affected heavily by the pandemic, whereas this year things were back to normal for the fair’s 60th anniversary. So it all worked out very nicely for me!
When I originally made plans to visit Bologna, I was living in Somerset, but since then I’ve accidentally moved to Scotland and so I began my journey to the fair from Edinburgh airport. I don’t mind admitting I was a tad nervous, it was my first flight post-pandemic. It all went well though and I arrived in a gloriously warm Bologna a couple of hours later (it was snowing when I left home so this was AMAZING). After a minor panic when I discovered my phone wasn’t working, I managed to figure out how to catch the Marconi express train into the central station where my buddy for the trip was waiting, having arrived the day before. Our apartment was about twenty minutes walk away, and only ten minutes from the fair, which turned out to be a great location.
On Monday morning we plunged into the fair. The word I most often hear associated with Bologna Children’s Book Fair is ‘overwhelming’ quickly followed by ‘but really inspiring!’. Whether that’s because so many people involved in publishing are introverts who work alone, or if it’s just simply true for most people, I do have to agree. The fair occupies several buildings in the Bologna Fierre complex and by the end of the second day I was just about beginning to know my way round (in my defence everything looks the same, though I’ll admit navigation isn’t my strong point).
So yes, the fair is huge, and there’s a baffling amount to see. My solution to this (like most things in life) was to go with the flow and figure it out as I went along - for me that worked well because I tend to get anxious if I’ve got too many expectations. Of course you might be the sort of person who likes an itinerary and I wish you well, but I’d still suggest you give yourself chance to just float about and absorb your surroundings for a bit when you arrive.
My main objective for the trip was research, and to understand the breadth of the global children’s book industry. Working from home in a rural location can result in a pretty isolated existence and attending the fair allowed me to see how diverse, experimental, beautiful and exciting the world of children publishing is. Naturally there were many illustrators there (generally evident by the clashing patterns, dungarees and bewildered expressions) but also clear to me was the amount of business taking place. Stylish suited folk zipping about with an agenda, a sea of desks occupied by serious-looking people doing right deals; lots of clipboards, handshakes and champagne. For me the world of children’s books can have a frustratingly fluffy image, but I was energised by seeing all these people doing business. And I found it reassuring to see how thriving the industry is despite being in a time of huge economic challenge globally. Of course I’d expected to see many beautiful books at the fair, but I hadn’t foreseen how inspiring I’d find it from that perspective.
I bought a four day ticket for the fair. I personally only needed two, but I’m glad I got the full ticket as it gave me flexibility, and I’d do the same again. I don’t have great energy levels and it was good to know that I could leave and come back the next day if I needed, it took the pressure off having to cram everything in at once.
At the end of the second day I met up with my lovely agent Lorna, who ran through the meetings she’d had with publishers and gave me feedback from their conversations about me. It all made me feel *very* professional, and was a great way to end my time at the fair.
I loved seeing the variety of children’s books globally. I made a note of publishers I’d never heard of but felt I might align with. Seeing stand after stand like that is just not something you can get from researching on the internet at home. I loved flipping through beautiful books from Korea, and an array of intriguing graphic novels I’d love to see in English so I can discover what on earth they’re about. I bought a couple of books and took note of many, many more. I remembered my love of wordless picture books. And I saw my own latest publication on a stand - my little book at Bologna!
Obviously the main point of the fair was books. But another very important aspect was the social side, because as many of you will know, illustrators spend a LOT of time alone. Despite my solo work life, I’m actually pretty sociable so I loved this aspect of the fair - it’s like Glastonbury for children books. Sort of. At the fair itself I bumped into people I’ve known for years online, and met new people I’ve since connected with. I met with friends that live scattered across the country, and had my first real life meeting with my agent who I’d previously only spoken to on zoom - what a treat to see so many brilliant humans in 3D after all the chats through a screen! And in Bologna town I drank coffee in the day, beer in the evening, and ate far too many carbohydrates with pals old and new. I can totally see how visiting the fair could be addictive.
I arrived on the Sunday and left on Friday. This felt like a good amount of time that allowed me as much visiting the fair as I wanted, and a chance to explore and socialise too. If you have less time you could do a shorter trip but it’s well worth stretching it out if possible. If I return one day I’d love to combine it with a trip to some other parts of Italy, to really make the most of the travel!
If I’m not careful, this will become an essay, and I’m trying to be precise, so I’ll let photos tell the rest of the story. Suffice to say I had an amazing time, but like a festival, it was a bubble of brilliance that feels somewhat surreal when you look back. It’s hard to explain and I’d really encourage you to go for yourself! To that end, in an attempt to be useful rather than simply bragging, here’s a few snippets of advice and observations to bear in mind if you ever visit the fair:
Hold on. The Marconi Express from the airport to town is hilarious, like a rickety rollercoaster. If you fly into Bologna you’ll probably catch this to get into town. Note ‘Bologna Centrale’ isn’t actually mentioned on the platform screens, but that’s just to fool you, you’re in the right place.
Remain Flexible. There’s a lot going on and if you try to do it all, you’ll burn out. Give yourself some time to float around and absorb your surroundings.
Be prepared. I’m in a fortunate position to have an agent already so I wasn’t looking for portfolio reviews but there were lots happening and the queues were LONG. Try to pre-book appointments if you can.
Be early. Most talks/lectures I went to got full really fast. So if there’s something you really want to see, get there super early and grab a space. Use the opportunity for a snack. Which leads me on to…
Fuel up! There’s some nice food available at the fair but it’s limited and inevitably pricey (along with some bizarre queuing methods) . I’d suggest going to the supermarket and stocking up on lunch and snacks. On day two I stuffed my pockets with nuts and fruit and walked around the fair nibbling like a squirrel.
Water! This bit of Italy was a rather plastic-happy for my liking. It was hard to find water refill opportunities and I wasn’t sure about the tap water, so top up any time you can. We found a cafe in town that had a refill station, and one office water butt thingy in the fair but that’s all.
Be mindful! Be choosy about collecting free stuff. There’s loads of catalogues, leaflets, merch etc available and it’s easy to load up on things that will just end up in the bin later. Think about what you’ll actually value and leave everything else behind.
Location! Our apartment was in a great position about ten minutes from the fair, and twenty from town. It allowed us to pop back to rest and refuel whenever we needed.
Visit the Town! As well as all the usual Bologna delights (it would be well worth visiting without the fair) the town also embraces the festival and there are pop up exhibitions and events to see, as well as beautiful book shops and galleries. If at all possible, give yourself a day or two for exploring outside the fair.
Follow Up! If you’re like me, you’ll meet lots of people you vaguely know from instagram. Do follow up and connect with those people afterwards so you remain in touch. It can be easy to lose momentum when you get home, but don’t, we illustrators need to stick together!
I’m certain I’ll have missed things I wanted to say, but I think I’ve covered the essentials. What a lucky duck I am to have been able to visit the fair. I’m not sure I’d have done it without the funding from ACE but it was such a valuable experience that I’ll keep thinking about and learning from for a long time to come. I hope to go again once day. And perhaps I’ll see you there - let’s have a negroni!