LONDON, 13 March 2025: On the final day of The London Book Fair, the largest book trade and publishing event of the spring, the Fair reported over 1,000 exhibitors, more than 550 tables in the International Rights Centre [a 10% increase from last year], and solid visitor figures, with around 30,000 attendees over the three days.

Visitors lined up for a selection of riveting sessions focused on the next generation of readers, including sessions with Merky Books authors William Rayfet Hunter and Taylor-Dior Rumble, Waterstones Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, The Women’s Prize Trust, and the Reading Agency.

Adam Ridgway, Director of The London Book Fair, said: “With the third and final day of The London Book Fair coming to a close, we're delighted with the feedback we've received from exhibitors saying what a successful Fair this has been for them. We have welcomed fascinating speakers and experts who have explored books from a global perspective, creative content across the industry, and – in today’s sessions – fostering the next generation of readers. Thank you to everyone who came along and made this year’s LBF such an uplifting moment in the book industry calendar."

Throughout the Fair, the International Rights Centre was the site of many exciting deals with agents and publishers exchanging rights for books by the likes of Lucy Foley, Sylvester Stallone, Mariella Frostrup, Tom Holland, Rebecca Yarros, Nicholas Sparks, and M Night Shyamalan, and more.

Highlights from Day Three of the Fair (Thurs 13 March): 

Natasha Poliszczuk, Journalist, Editor, and Content Director of BookBrunch, gave the welcoming address. Joined by Keynote Speakers, non-fiction author William Rayfet Hunter and Taylor-Dior Rumble, author of The Situationship, they discussed the importance of diversity and representation in literature and how this can shape the future of reading. 

Children’s Author of the Day, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, spoke at the Main Stage. The screenwriter and novelist is currently the Waterstones Children’s Laureate, best known for his debut children’s novel, Millions, (which won him the CILIP Carnegie Medal). He chatted to Louisa Lewis, Deputy Editor at the Today Programme, about his laureateship and career.

In the Spotlight On: Dyslexia at Author HQ, Barrington Stoke Publisher Ailsa Bathgate, Author Gil Lewis, Accessibility Manager at Bloomsbury Publishing Elizabeth Kellingley, and Dr. Alistair Sims, Publisher and Manager of Books on the Hill/BOTH press, discussed their thoughts on whether the publishing industry is accessible and how to best meet the needs of those with dyslexia. 

The Turning The Page: Publishing’s Role in Keeping the Focus on Sustainability session with Gvantsa Jobava, President of the International Publishers Association and Mary Gleen, Chief of United Nations Publications in the Department of Global Communications, focused on the challenges of remaining committed to sustainability. It also examined what publishers have done to meet sustainability goals and what more needs to be accomplished. 

At Author HQ, The Women’ Prize for Fiction celebrated its 30th anniversary. The Women’s Prize Trust, the charity behind the global prize, reminisced over its achievements across the last three decades, whilst exploring what is now needed to achieve genuine equity in the world of books. Claire Shanahan, the Trust’s Executive Director, spoke to writers Kit de Waal and Chloe Timms about how to remove barriers for writers from all backgrounds.

Cassie Rocks, Co-Director of The FLIP (Female Leadership in Publishing), Rowzat Burton, Head of Talent and Development at Hachette UK, Cally Poplak, Managing Director and Publisher of HarperCollins’ Children’s Books and Farshore, and Briony Grogan, Director of People & Culture for Pan Macmillan, addressed what advocacy should look like at a publishing workplace, and how to advocates for ourselves better, focusing on The FLIP’s “3 Ms” philosophy; money, management, and mentorship. 

Dr. Carina Spaulding, Head of Research and Evaluation at The Reading Agency – the 2025 Charity of the Year – with authors Clare Mackintosh and Kit de Waal shared and discussed the current statistics on the reading and literacy crisis, alongside how we can work together to build the next generation of readers and consumers at the Quick Reads: Building a Diverse and Inclusive Reading Communitytalk on the Main Stage.

In the Why We Need Working Class Writers and Readers panel session, Richard Benson, Editor in Chief for The Bee/New Writing North, Damian Kerlin, Journalist with bylines in Attitude, The Telegraph, and The Independent, Claire Malcolm, the CEO of New Writing North, and Nosa Novia, Writer and Novelist at New Writing North, discussed the topic of what working class people want to write about and read about.

The Literary Translation Centre’s Behind the Book session examined the process of translating literature, its journey from idea to publication and readership. This panel – chaired by Author and Chair of the International Booker Prize Max Porter and comprised of  Agent Laurence Laluyaux, Translator Martin Aitken, and Jacques Testard, Founder and Publisher at Fitzcarraldo Editions demystified the journey from the very earliest stages of a translated book's beginnings. 

LBF 2025 TOP DEALS

Day One Deals

• Publisher Natasha Bardon at HarperVoyager acquired Commonwealth Rights of a new fantasy series from author Jay Kristoff. 
• New independent Akoya Publishing has acquired world rights for North of the Winter Sun: What I Heard in the Waves by Norwegian author Veronica Skotnes from Cappelen Damm Agency.
• Little Brown imprint Abacus has swooped for the debut memoir, Splav: Adventures with My Family on the River Spava, from prize-winning writer Dr Mary Ethna Black.
• HarperCollins acquired author Lucy Foley’s new book The Guest List, which will be a full-length continuation of Agatha Christie’s Sleeping Murder  featuring Miss Marple.
• Dead Ink Books’ editor Harriet Hirshman has acquired the rights to No Body, No Crime, a romance-action thriller book by American author Tess Sharpe.
• Cara Armstrong, Editorial director at DK RED, has bought the world rights to Menolicious: Eat Your Way to a Better Menopause by broadcaster and menopause campaigner Mariella Frostup and chef and founder of The Great Taste Company, Belles Berry.
• Comedian, actress, and Taskmaster champion Sophie Duker’s first novel, Dong,  has been acquired by Suzie Dooré, The Borough Press’ editor-at-large. 
• Macmillan Children’s Books has acquired five middle-grade titles from bestselling author and illustrator Rob Biddulph in a major six-figure deal kicking off with The Moonhaven Chronicles.
• Bonnier Books UK imprint Zaffre has acquired Jesse’s Wish, a new novel from bestselling author Heather Morris.
• Simon & Schuster has acquired the rights to Catriona Byers’ new novel Morgue: Death, Tragedy and the Birth of True Crime in Nineteenth-century Paris. 
• Anne Meadows, director of Picador publishing, has acquired prize-winning poet Stephanie Sy-Quia’s debut novel A Private Man.
• Sphere has acquired a three-book deal for a romance series from BookToker Tierney Page, beginning with The Other Brother.
• Fig Tree has pre-empted the UK and Commonweath rights to Miss Archer, a debut novel from screenwriter and playwright, Jordan Harrison, while the US rights were acquired by William Morrow in a 13-way auction.
• Canongate has acquired the world English rights to author Chloe Dalton’s second book, Pet.
• Oxford University Press Children’s has acquired a four-book diary-format book deal from author-illustrator Harriet Muncaster, with the first being The Diary of Wiska Wildflower: The New School. 
• Ten Speed Graphic, Piatkus, and Entangled Publishing have acquired a six-book deal to publish graphic novels of romantasy superstar author Rebecca Yarros’ bestselling Empyrean series.

Day Two Deals

• The Borough Press has acquired the rights to Henry, a contemporary retelling of Henry VIII’s six wives by debut novelist Caroline Wray.
• Seven Dials has triumphed in a 16-publisher UK auction to land The Steps, the long-awaited memoir from film-maker and global superstar Sylvester Stallone.
• Canongate is now set to publish At Sea, the debut adult novel from former engineer turned author and activist, Yassim Abdel-Magied, writing as YM Abdel-Magied.
• Pan Macmillan has acquired the rights to We are Not a Family, a “survival guide to personalities” by Nell Montgomery and Elisa Morris.
• Ebury Self has acquired We Can Do Hard Things by sisters Glennon and Amanda Doyle and Glennon’s wife Abby Wambach.
• Canongate has acquired the rights to Meridian, a new genre-bending romance novel from Patrick Ness. 
• DK Children’s has signed Classics podcaster Liv Albert’s first two children’s books: two illustrated retellings based on Greek and Roman myth.
• Headline has pre-empted The Sea Stone Sisters, a duel-timeline novel by Eleanor Buchanan.
• Granta Books has acquired Open Heavens, a new novel by Danish author Jonas Eika in an exclusive submission.
• Sphere has acquired Remain, a romantic-thriller collaboration from Nicholas Sparks and M Night Shyamalan.
• John Murray has acquired Alan Opts Out by author Courtney Maum in a five-figure pre-empt.
• Baskerville has acquired The Burning Library, a page-turning, escapist thriller from bestselling author Gilly Macmillan. 
• Sphere has acquired academic rivals novel, Heart Racer, by Kentucky-based author Megan Avery.
• HarperVoyager and eight other global HarperCollins divisions will be publishing a trilogy from bestselling American author Lexi Ryan in her first move into adult fantasy, beginning with Night Tide.
• Faber has acquired About to Fall Apart from author Ashley Hickson-Lovence. 

Day Three Deals

• John Murray Press imprint Renegade Books and Hachette US’ Grand Central Publishing have jointly pre-empted Faith Gladwin’s horror debut Révérence for six figures.
• Little Brown imprint Abacus bought UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, to historian Tom Holland’s new title The New Reformation: How the 60s Created Our Moral World, from Patrick Walsh at PEW Literary. Walsh sold North American rights to Lara Heimert at Basic Books.
• Chatto & Windus acquired world English-language rights for Anders Lustgarten’s novel Kill Billionaire. 
• Serpent’s Tail has snapped up actor Rosie Day’s Vipers from YMU.
• Joe Wicks will move to Bonnier Books UK’s new wellness and lifestyle imprint LEAP for a two-book deal.
• Batch has announced a new period of expansion following landmark US deals with Hachette and Simon & Schuster.
• HarperVoyager has scooped Katie Ellis-Brown and Becky Hunter’s Blood Bound – written under the pseudonym Ellis Hunter – in a six-figure deal.
• Phoenix will publish the “heartbreaking and revelatory memoir from bestselling novelist Louise Doughty, On This Spot Fell One Tear of Love.
• Penguin Michael Joseph senior commissioning editor Grace Long has acquired Iliana Xander’s self-published Love, Mom in a 24-hour pre-empt, plus two other books.
• HQ has triumphed in a “hotly contested” seven-way auction for Rose Ferguson’s The Reset “ground-breaking guide to reclaiming health and balance.”
• Harper NonFiction has bought a “raw” memoir from tennis legend Boris Becker about his life during and after his prison sentence for hiding £2.5m in assets and loans.
• DK RED is set to publish a “game-changing” book on intrusive thoughts and OCD from anxiety specialist, counsellor and podcaster Jenna Overbaugh. 

Ends     -

For further information, please contact Tom Neilson and Madison Sotos at Midas:

tom.neilson@midaspr.co.uk / madison.sotos@midaspr.co.uk / +44 (0)20 7361 7860 

Notes to editors:  

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. The London Book Fair 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. The London Book Fair 2024 will take place 12-14 March 2024 at Olympia London. Find out more at www.londonbookfair.co.uk

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