The 18th edition of Rome Book Fair, PLPL (4-8 December 2019) is dedicated to Europe and will focus on some fundamental themes such as cultural identity, values and geopolitical issues. The choice of this topic confirms the international attitude of the Rome Book Fair, developed through its participation to Aldus network.
A number of events are organized in collaboration with Aldus and hosted in the conference hall named “Aldus room”, starting from the opening conference “Il ruolo degli editori nella costruzione dell’identità europea” (4 December, 2.30 pm, ALDUS room), where publishers from different European countries will discuss the role of publishers in developing the European cultural identity.
The Rome Book Fair initiatives supporting the internationalization of Italian book publishing and developed in collaboration with Aldus have been consolidated and enhanced: the PLPL Rights Centre, that this year will host 38 operators from 19 foreign countries for appointments for the exchange of rights, the Business Centre, a dedicated area for professional workshops and networking, the Invitation Program and the thematic Fellowship, this year dedicated to adult fiction.
A new initiative of 2019 edition enriching training opportunities for professional publishers is the Book Influencer Area, that on December 6th will host speed-dates with book-bloggers, giving publishers valuable hints to innovate their communication and promotional strategies. The event is anticipated by preparatory a webinar for publishers on skills to address these new channels for book promotion. The phenomenon of book influencers will be explored also in the professional events” Dal book blogger all’influencer: i nuovi soggetti della comunicazione e i servizi che offrono” (December 5th, 18.30) and “Se dico marketing a cosa pensi? (December 4th, 4:30 p.m.).
A number of events will be devoted on technology innovation from audio books and podcasts (two meetings, respectively on 4 December at 6.30 pm and 6 December at 4.30 pm), artificial intelligence (on 7 December, 10.30 am) and cross-media in children’s publishing (7 December, 11.30 am), and accessibility of publications to people with visual disabilities (6 December, 3.30 pm). On 5 December, 2.30 pm, the fair will host a meeting presenting the main outcomes of the dialogue between publishers and the other players in the value chain, launched last year, aimed at enhancing the distribution and promotion of small and medium publishers.
On December 6, latest figures on selling rights of Italian books by Aie Research Department will be presented in the event “Dalla vendita di diritti, alle coedizioni, alle fiere internazionali. I tanti volti dell’export che emergono dai dati 2019 dell’ indagine dell’Ufficio studi dell’AIE” (10.30 am), followed by a focus on rights exchange for TV series (11.30 am). Always in the field of internationalization, a session on policy measures to support the book sector in France and Germany will be held on 5 December at 10.30.
