MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The National Book Development Board (NBDB) returns to the London Book Fair (LBF), happening from March 12 to 14, at the Olympia Exhibition Centre, London.
Following its successful participation at the fair’s previous editions, having sold the rights of Filipino titles such as award-winning novelist Gina Apostol’s The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata (Anvil Publishing) and children’s book Pitong Tsinelas (Tahanan Books), the country’s book authority returns to the prestigious trade fair to once again push for the sale of rights of Filipino-authored titles for global distribution and adaptation.
The Philippine delegation’s participation at the 2024 LBF coincides with its preparations for the country’s incoming stint as the Guest of Honour at the 2025 Frankfurter Buchmesse, further boosting its international presence as an emerging content capital in Southeast Asia. Among the Philippines’ special curation for the LBF this year are National Artist Ricky Lee’s For B (Or How Love Devastates Four out of Every Five of Us) (The Writers Studio,) and the 41st National Book Award finalist for Best Anthology in Filipino, Rurok: A Comics & Art Anthology (Komiket)
The curation also features a crop of recently published contemporary fiction from the regions, queer coming-of-age novels, and fresh takes on folklore and mythology, which the country hopes to introduce to more publishers and readers in the English-speaking market and diasporic populations.
Since it was founded in 1971, the LBF has been a key global marketplace for publishers looking to sell and distribute content across various media. Last year saw 1,026 exhibitors and an estimated 20,000 visitors attend the event for trade and networking opportunities.
In addition to a collective country stand showcasing Philippine-authored books ripe for the international stage, the Philippine contingent will also be holding various programs, including a talk on 13 March (Wednesday) at the International Markets Theatre titled A Habit of Shores: Translating Across Seas from the Philippines to the UK, by the 2022 TOYM awardee and translation rights specialist Kristian Cordero and the NBDB’s head of policy and research, Kevin Ansel Dy.
On March 15, meanwhile, the agency will be staging the launch of Dr. Jaya Jacobo’s Arasahas: Mga Tula and Gene Alcantara’s Mga Awit sa Huling Pagkikita, as well as a Rizal literary tour at the Primrose Hill Community Library.
Visit the Philippine stand at Booth 2A99. The fair will be open from 9:00 AM to 6:30 pm on March 12 to 13, and from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on March 14.
To attend the London Book Fair, you may register via their official website here.