The Bologna Book Fair is one of the largest and most prestigious international events for children's publishing.
Shannon Associate / Kidshannon Representative
Justin Rucker went this year to represent the organization and he has shared some of his experiences with us.
The fair is held in the convention center right outside of the Bologna city center. The first thing one sees
lining the walls are original paintings from 85 different illustrators chosen from 2,570 artists of 64 countries.
You can view some of the winners by clicking here.
Of all those represented, there were only one or two from United States. This is an important forum for U.S. illustrators
to consider if they want to be taken seriously on the international level.
It was awesome to walk around the various booths and run into so many editors and art directors we work with.
Many were selling foreign rights and looking for new artists and projects to work on, and it was again brought
home to me how important foreign sales can be to the volume of books sold. I encourage our artists to try to
think more globally when creating projects; books that can be translated easily and hit a cross-market are always in demand.
During this trip, after looking at thousands and thousands of books and visiting hundreds and hundreds of booths
I saw again how important a "fresh" look is to stand out from the crowd. It is amazing how a beautiful cover can
Illustrator's Books -- Bologna Book Fair
stop you in your tracks. Make every piece count, because you never know what people are going to see, and what
a publisher is going to promote. Only ever turn in your best work.
In summary, I highly recommend this fair to our artists and clients who want to be on the cutting edge of what
is happening globally. You will not be disappointed.
