Visitors walk into the exhibition hall of the 75th Frankfurt Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany, Oct. 18, 2023. Photo: Xinhua

The 76th Frankfurt Book Fair, running from October 16 to 20 in Frankfurt, Germany, will feature Italy as the guest of honor and showcase a range of focus areas that reflect evolving trends in global publishing, such as young adult literature, artificial intelligence (AI), and the responsibilities of children's publishing. 

A key addition this year is the young adult literature pavilion, highlighting the growing popularity of books targeting teenage readers. The romance and fantasy genres, in particular, have enjoyed rising demand fueled by social media platforms. 

In recent years, as social media has played an increasingly significant role in book recommendations and marketing, the works of some authors and young adults have gradually gained favor in the market. 

In collaboration with the Bologna Children's Book Fair, the event will also launch a new gaming business center this year. This initiative seeks to strengthen ties between the publishing and gaming industries, creating opportunities for rights collaborations similar to those between publishers and the film industry. 

AI will be another major theme at this year's fair. On Thursday, Néstor Bustamante, global manager of AI at Springer Nature, presented at The Hof virtual live experience event, exploring the role of AI in leading global scientific publishing houses. 

To enhance year-round engagement, the Frankfurt Book Fair is launching "Frankfurt Connect" this year, a new digital platform aimed at extending networking and business opportunities beyond the five-day event. The platform will enable users to create digital business cards, schedule meetings, and share marketing materials. 

Based on the registrees's professions and their areas of interest selected during registration, the platform will recommend potential matches, including exhibitors, products, events, other users and guest speakers, helping users expand their network. 

As the world's largest book fair by the number of participating publishing companies, the event provides a platform where industry insiders can look forward to a range of B2B opportunities, networking occasions, and presentations with eminent speakers, while private visitors can take in readings and live events with renowned authors from around the world.

This year, China will host a collective booth, featuring events such as an international publishing rights promotion event for the graphic novel adaptation of The Three-Body Problem. Additionally, the signing ceremony of the "Sino-German Translation Project" strategic framework agreement between Deutsche Übersetzerfonds and Yilin Press is set to be held.