#ReadThis #LondonPeachy @LondonBookFair @PublishersAssoc #LondonBookFair #LBF #WhomYouKnow THE LONDON BOOK FAIR INTERNATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2019: WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The winners of The London Book Fair (LBF) International Excellence Awards have been announced at a prestigious ceremony tonight, on the first day of the Fair.
Recipients of the awards, held in association with the Publishers Association, came from countries across five continents.
The Espoo City Library in Finland took home The Library of the Year Award, with judges calling it “a fine example to the world of an open and innovative service for everyone, with an enormously successful reading challenge open to all ages. Its locations and its community programs ensure it reaches the hearts and minds of everyone in the city, embracing new technology and reaching out to the elderly, special needs groups and refugees.”
The Bookstore of the Year Award, sponsored by Gardners, went to Fang Suo Commune in Guangzhou, China. “This award goes from strength to strength and the entries were exceptionally strong this year,” the judges said, “Fang Suo is…breath taking in scale and conception. A vast range and constant activities and events…that gives you a glimpse of what bookstores of the future will be.” A special mention was also given to Yemen Book Shop, Yemen, which was praised for “importing and promoting books and multi-cultural understanding in extraordinarily difficult circumstances, where the mere fact it is there and functioning is remarkable.”
The Literary Festival Award went to the Book Arsenal Literary Festival, which takes place in Kiev, Ukraine. The judges said that the Festival “particularly impressed us because of the commitment of the curators and the breadth and innovation of the programming which engages with cross-disciplinary themes designed to attract a range of different audiences without losing the core literature focus.”
Returning for a second year, the Audiobook Publisher of the Year prize was taken home by Booklava in the UAE. The judges congratulated Booklava on “creating and driving a new market, using successful audiobook models as their starting point, then twisting and reshaping them to create a new model for their own market.”
Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of Publishing Perspectives (USA), was awarded the inauguralInternational Book Trade Journalist prize. Recognising the talent in the shortlist, the judges said, "from a strong shortlist of international reporters, Publishing Perspectives' Porter Anderson emerged as our winner. We were impressed by the international nature of his coverage, moving from Greece to Brazil, by the mix of news and analysis he provides, and by his energy and dedication in championing the books industry."
In the Market Focus Indonesia categories, PT. Bestari Buana Murni was awarded The Market Focus Indonesia Children’s, Young Adult and Education Award, with judges remarking on “their ambitious and vast children’s publishing programme which sees over 300 new titles published each year, and their support of reader development through partnerships with libraries, UNICEF and Room to Read amongst others”. Bentang Pustaka won the Adult Trade Award, winning praise for their “broad scope in genres and innovative ideas to connect with readers”.
The Literary Translation Initiative Award went to India’s Tulika Publishers. Judges praised the children’s book company, commenting, “Tulika is a unique and important initiative. Its ambitious, energetic and inclusive publishing programme is driven by a real social imperative, to promote multilingualism and give children stories in the languages they speak at home. Resisting the absolute dominance of English is vital work, and Tulika does that work with charm and humour. Their books, and the messages from the children who read them, brought a smile to our faces.”
This year’s Inclusivity in Publishing Award, supported by the Publishers Association, was awarded toJacaranda Books. The judges said that they “were really impressed by Jacaranda’s submission and felt they were an inspiration to some of the other diversity-led imprints that have followed them. The company is run by senior BAME women who themselves are excellent role models and their Twenty in 2020 project is an ambitious and exciting one, backed up strong promotional and marketing campaigns.”
The Nick Perren Publishing Foundation – established in memory of the “publisher’s publisher” and former Profile chairman Nick Perren presented its inaugural Post-Graduate Publishing Award, in support of African publishing careers, to students Tsholofelo Matlhadji and Kirsten Benecke.
Jessica Kingsley was awarded The London Book Fair’s Simon Master Chairman’s Award. She took a subject area that few were looking at – the autism spectrum – and made it her own, the company she founded at her kitchen table in 1987, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, has gone on to achieve profitable growth for every single one of the next 31 years.
At the end of 2017 Jessica sold her company to Hachette UK where it continues to provide a highly respected social and mental health list that appeals to both a professional and a lay readership.Her work has been recognised in the highest places including in this year’s New Year’s Honours list, she was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to people with autism.
Jacks Thomas, Director of The London Book Fair, said “The International Excellence Awards always remind us of the innovative, important and inspiring work being done by all those in the global publishing community. From translators in India and librarians in Finland to literary festivals in Ukraine and literary agents in France, these awards show the breadth of talent working in the publishing industry around the world today. It is absolutely brilliant to recognise and celebrate individuals and organisations here at The London Book Fair, in the creative capital of the world.”
Stephen Lotinga, Chief Executive, The UK Publishers Association, said: “From Brazil to Kenya, this year’s winners epitomise the potential of publishing to build a better world, making us proud to be part of this global community. We are particularly delighted to see Jacaranda take home the Inclusivity in Publishing Award in recognition of their proven track record and vision in championing diverse talent. It is inspiring to see that the next generation of publishers are equally passionate about reaching every reader – the future is in good hands.”
The full list of this year’s International Excellence winners is below:
The Academic and Professional Publisher Award
De Gruyter (Germany)
The Audiobook Publisher of the Year
Booklava (UAE)
The Bookstore of the Year Award sponsored by Gardners
Fang Suo Commune (China)
The Educational Initiatives Award
Tata Trusts (India)
The Educational Learning Resources Award, supported by The China Publishing & Media Journal
Virtual Reading Gym (South Africa)
International Book Trade Journalist
Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief, Publishing Perspectives (USA)
The Library of the Year Award
Espoo City Library (Finland)
The Literary Translation Initiative Award
Tulika Publishers (India)
The Literary Agent Award
Pierre Astier, Founder and Director, Astier-Pecher Literary & Film Agency (France)
The Literary Festival Award
Book Arsenal Literary Festival (Ukraine)
The Rights Professional Award
Rose Janssens, Foreign Rights Key Account Manager, Clavis Publishing (Belgium)
Eligible for entries from Market Focus Indonesia only:
The Market Focus Indonesia Adult Trade Award
Bentang Pustaka
The Market Focus Indonesia Children’s, Young Adult and Education Award
PT. Bestari Buana Murni
Eligible for entries from all countries, including the UK:
The London Book Fair Simon Master Chairman’s Award
Jessica Kingsley, Founder, Jessica Kingsley Publishers (UK)
Accessible Books Consortium International Excellence Award: Publisher
EDITORIAL 5 (Brazil)
Accessible Books Consortium International Excellence Award: Initiative
eKitabu (Kenya)
Eligible for entries from the UK only:
Inclusivity in Publishing Award, supported by the Publishers Association
Jacaranda Books
The Association for Publishing Education (APE) Dissertation and Project Prizes
Postgraduate Dissertation Prize: Emilie Hames (LCC UAL), ‘Environmental Sustainability Within the UK Book Publishing Industry’
Undergraduate Dissertation: Fanny Laetitia Allart (Oxford Brookes University), ‘#PublishingSoWhite: To What Extent is the Lack of Diversity Impacting the Anglo-French Publishing Industry?’
Major Project: Leanne Manfredi (LCC UAL), ‘Re-imagining the archive: activating creativity through publishing’
Overall Winner: Emilie Hames (LCC UAL), ‘Environmental Sustainability Within the UK Book Publishing Industry’
THE LONDON BOOK FAIR (LBF)
The London Book Fair (LBF) is the global marketplace for rights negotiation and the sale and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film and digital channels. Taking place every spring in the world’s premier publishing and cultural capital, it is a unique opportunity to explore, understand and capitalise on the innovations shaping the publishing world of the future. LBF brings you direct access to customers, content and emerging markets. LBF 2019, the 48th Fair, will take place from 12-14 March 2019, Olympia London. LBF’s London Book and Screen Week will run for the third year, with the book fair as the pivotal three-day event within a seven-day programme. For further information, please visit: www.londonbookfair.co.uk
THE PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION (THE PA)
The Publishers Association (the PA) represents book, journal, audio and digital publishers in the UK, spanning fiction and non-fiction, academic and education publishing. UK publishing has a turnover of £5.7bn, with export income accounting for 60% of revenues. Our membership includes global companies such as Elsevier, Wiley, Pearson, Penguin Random House, Hachette and the University presses, as well as many independent publishing houses. Our objective as an association is to provide our members with the influence, insight and support necessary to compete and prosper.
REED EXHIBITIONS BOOKS & PUBLISHING
Reed Exhibitions Books & Publishing portfolio consists of six trade and public book fairs taking place in some of the most important and dynamic book markets in the world: Brazil, France, Japan, UK and USA. Bienal do Livro São Paulo, BookExpo America, eBooks, Salon du Livre, The London Book Fair and Tokyo International Book Fair, collectively attract over 770,000 participants and 2,600 primary exhibitors and rights centre table holders, interested in buying or selling intellectual property rights, buying, selling or specifying titles, discovering the latest trends in publishing, understanding new markets or meeting authors and discovering new titles.
Working closely with professional bodies, trades associations and government departments, Reed Exhibitions Books & Publishing portfolio ensures that each and every event is targeted and relevant to the book and publishing industry’s needs. As a result many of Reed Exhibitions books and publishing events are leaders in their markets.
REED EXHIBITIONS
Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events organizer, with over 500 events in 41 countries. In 2012 Reed brought together seven million active event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and organized by 34 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 44 industry sectors with trade and consumer events and is part of the Reed Elsevier Group, a world leading provider of professional information solutions. www.reedexpo.com
GARDNERS
Established 30 years ago, Gardners has grown to become a leading international wholesaler of books, eBooks, music and film to retailers in the UK & around the world. Based out of a 350,000+, square foot facility in Eastbourne, Gardners stock range offers retailers access to over 500,000 lines in-stock and ready to ship same day to any UK address, as well as 1.8 million eBooks available for instant fulfilment to consumers.
We work with thousands of multi-channel retailers, both online and on the high street, to supply physical & digital product to their exacting standards, either back to store or direct to consumer through our proven consumer direct fulfilment service (CDF)
Gardners parent Company ‘The Little Group” was listed in this years ‘Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200’ which ranks Britain’s mid-market private companies by fastest-growing overseas sales. The Little Group - www.littlegroup.com - includes specialist companies trading in Public and Academic Library Supply, School & FE supply and music exporting & importing, with bases in Preston, Hull, London and Florida.
