Book fair to incorporate magazines

Vanessa Badroodien, MD of the CTBF, says that as a result of the overwhelming response from publishers, exhibitors and visitors to the Fair, over 10 000m² of space have been booked for next year, more than double the size of the 2006 event.

"It is reassuring to be in the implementation phase of our second Cape Town Book Fair with most of our initial exhibitors already signed up for space at 2007.

"We are looking forward to consolidating the successes of our first fair and improving our event," she continues. "In addition, we want to determine how we can expand the fair so that it makes a more significant impact on the Western Cape, both economically and creatively. This is one of our exciting challenges for 2007 and beyond."

One of the highlights of the 2007 CTBF will be a focus on book collections, including Nelson Mandela, wine, science fiction, psychology and African classics. Pavilions at the 2007 event will include a children's zone, unseen to date in this country and a comics section aimed at all who read comics.

Magazine sector

"An interesting addition is the incorporation of the magazine sector into the fair. With the proliferation of new magazines and the growing readership figures within this media sector, we felt it was important to allocate a specific section to them," says Badroodien. "It's a small first step and we look forward to working with magazine publishers to expand this focus."

"We also have the privilege of being associated with two prestigious awards during the Fair viz. the Sunday Times Literary Awards - which comprise the Alan Paton Non-Fiction Award and the Sunday Times Award for fiction - and the Freedom to Publish prize of the International Publishers' Association," said Badroodien. "The Freedom to Publish prize is awarded annually to recognise a person or an institution that has made a notable contribution to the defense and promotion of freedom to publish anywhere in the world. This is only the second time that this prize has been awarded and we are honoured that it is in Cape Town 2007."

Juergen Boos, CEO of the Frankfurt Book Fair, says, "The success of the first Cape Town Book Fair surpassed our expectations. It hosted 418 exhibitors from 36 countries; was visited by more than 26 000 people and attracted 2000 international trade visitors. It has placed Africa firmly on the international literary map and we are delighted to be returning to Cape Town in 2007."

Headline sponsor

According to Sunday Times GM marketing Susan Russell, the newspaper is thrilled to once again be the headline sponsor of the Cape Town Book Fair. "Sunday Times has long been committed to promoting reading and literacy in South Africa, through the annual Sunday Times Literary Awards and our Readright supplement," Russell says. "Our support of the Cape Town Book Fair is an extension of this commitment.

The Cape Town Book Fair will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, 16 - 19 June 2007. For further information, go to www.capetownbookfair.com. A final programme will be available by the middle of April 2007.