In 2022, I was drawn back to the Frankfurt Book Fair, and since many COVID-19 restrictions were eased or even lifted last year, it was as crowded and well-attended as ever. The 2022 Frankfurt Book Fair was a resounding success, with thousands of visitors coming together to discover the latest books, authors, and trends. Here are some of the highlights and trends that were on display at the fair.
Diversity and inclusion
The 2022 Frankfurt Book Fair focused on diversity and inclusion, with numerous events and discussions on these topics, concentrating on the representation of underrepresented communities in the book industry. This issue is also currently being hotly debated in the field of young adult literature, not only in connection with the Winnetou controversy, but because readers are developing a growing awareness of these issues. Authors have also been discussing this topic extensively, as this development influences how books are written. This leads to questions such as, "Can I, should I, and am I even allowed to write this way in 2022?"
I believe that the written word itself is not judgmental, and that the interpretation of a text only begins in the reader's mind. Of course, the author can implicitly suggest a certain direction through their writing style, but the written word itself remains neutral because it is instrumentalized from two sides: firstly, by the author and their intention regarding what the word or text should aim at, and secondly, by the reader and what the word evokes for them, triggering their own mental imagery.
What I personally always appreciate are the conversations in front of the hotel over a good drink in the evening...
sustainability
Sustainability was a major theme at the 2022 Frankfurt Book Fair, with publishers highlighting their efforts to implement more environmentally friendly practices, including the use of recycled materials and the promotion of digital books. There's still plenty of room for improvement, and sustainability is becoming increasingly important across all industries and sectors. Given the general state of the world (climate change, resource scarcity, and so on), this makes perfect sense and is slowly becoming a necessity.
Artificial intelligence and technology
AI and technology played a key role at the fair, with publishers and authors discussing how technology can be used to find new ways of creating, publishing, and consuming books. Since AI, or rather the open-source chatbot ChatGBT, has gained more public attention, it's naturally a hot topic. There are already authors who have written and published books using this AI. This naturally raises several questions. Firstly, can one still call someone an author if they are writing entire books with the help of artificial intelligence? Secondly, the issue of copyright is a gray area, because the AI is trained on existing texts, which is what enables it to create texts according to defined specifications. Does the copyright for this text then belong to the person or people who define the specifications, or does it belong to the authors of the texts with which the AI was trained?
A lawsuit has now also been filed in America regarding image-generating AI/AIs, based on the definition described above, but specifically for the image/art sector.
Regarding new technologies, I was surprised that Spotify wants to position itself as a new audiobook provider. While the podcast market is still booming in Germany, and podcasting is practically over in America, Spotify probably wants to get ahead of the curve and "buy" more content for its listeners. I've already written another blog post on this topic, which I see as having many parallels to the music industry...
Popular genres
Fantasy, crime novels, and thrillers remained very popular with both visitors and readers, but pop culture, romance, and non-fiction also experienced a surge in popularity. This may well be related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and only the coming years will tell whether this trend continues or whether reading habits will change again. What the pandemic has brought about, however, is a shift in awareness across many different areas, including the book industry. For me, this has brought a breath of fresh air, a sense of change that is slowly but surely spreading. For others, it's rather frightening—this unstoppable change that is coming, regardless of what it ultimately looks like. The new always presents an opportunity to contribute to a better future, and one shouldn't close oneself off to it.
Overall, the 2022 Frankfurt Book Fair was a great success, with a wealth of new books, authors, and trends that will enrich, and already have enriched, the industry. For me, it was another wonderful fair with great conversations, interesting panels, and many fun moments. I'm already looking forward to the 2023 Frankfurt Book Fair...
