Liber 2024 calls on the publishing industry to boost its business at Fira de Barcelona.. It will be held from October 1 to 3 and coincides with the graphic arts fair, Graphispag
As in even-numbered years, Fira de Barcelona will organize Liber, the International Book Fair promoted by the Federation of Publishers' Guilds of Spain (FGEE). From October 1 to 3, Hall 2 of the Gran Via venue will host the 42nd edition of the most important professional event for the Spanish-language book industry, with exhibitions expected to bring together 350 publishers and companies from ten countries.
Internationally recognized as one of the leading trade fairs for the export, display, and promotion of Spanish-language publishing, Liber 2024 will bring together publishers from all fields who will showcase their bibliographic collections and new releases, as well as companies with products and services related to the production, marketing, and distribution of books, as well as digital content (ebooks, audiobooks, podcasts), as well as professional associations.
This year, the fair—which, as a new feature, will be held from Tuesday to Thursday—will promote the MicroLiber area for young publishers and startups developing technological solutions for the book industry. It will also continue to focus on self-publishing, rights sales, and intellectual property. It will also include an extensive program of professional workshops to discuss and reflect on current sectoral issues related to the book value chain. Topics related to sustainability, the use of artificial intelligence, the promotion of reading, and issues of interest to bookstores, distributors, libraries, authors, and translators, among other groups, will be addressed.
With this commercial offering, knowledge exchange, and professional networking, Liber expects to attract more than 7.000 professionals to Barcelona, 40% of them international, to boost sales of Spanish publishing products both domestically and internationally. Liber's impact on the sector's foreign trade is particularly significant, particularly in Latin American and US markets, as it is estimated that one-third of the Spanish publishing industry's annual exports are generated at the fair.
In this regard, it is worth highlighting the relevance and effectiveness of the Buyers Program, in collaboration with Spain's Economic and Commercial Offices abroad and ICEX Spain Exports, as well as the Priority Interest Prescribers Program, together with Acción Cultural Española (AC/E). Through these programs, the FGEE invites a selection of professionals with the capacity to prescribe, decide on, and/or purchase Spanish books from more than 60 countries to the fair.
Coincidence with graphispag
Another new feature of this edition is the coincidence of Liber with Graphispag, Spain's leading trade fair for the graphic arts and visual communication industry. Printed books represent 95% of the publishing business, and publishing professionals will have the opportunity to learn firsthand about the latest graphic technology, inks, papers, and other printing media, binding, and finishing techniques to create outstanding books and publications. At the same time, they will be able to learn about the advantages of short runs, on-demand printing, the possibilities of personalization, and eco-publishing.
Liber 2024 is organized by Fira de Barcelona and promoted by the Federation of Publishers' Guilds of Spain (FGEE). It is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Sport, ICEX Export and Investment, CEDRO, the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Barcelona City Council, and in collaboration with Acción Cultural Española AC/E, the Gremi d'Editors de Catalunya, and the Association of Catalan Language Publishers.
