Back at Bologna in person for networking, insights and ‘the inevitable spritz and gelato!’
Berbay Books founder and publishing director Alexandra Yatomi-Clarke is set to visit Bologna for the 12th time. ‘Bologna is a key event on our calendar,’ she says. ‘For me, it’s an essential event for rights selling.’
At UQP, second-time attendee Erin Sandiford – the publisher’s rights and contracts manager – agrees. ‘I would hope for three to four deals directly out of the book fair, which we achieved last year, as well as pitching/networking meetings that lead to more deals later in the year. In total, I would hope to make at least fifteen individual rights sales for our children’s list in 2025.’
Beyond rights sales, Yatomi-Clarke says, ‘Bologna is about reconnections – catching up with agents, publishers, scouts and editors, while also forging new relationships. It’s an opportunity to see global trends firsthand and create new collaborations.’
Berbay and UQP will be among nine publishers hosted on the Australian Collective Stand at Bologna this year. (You can find the Australian stand at Hall 25, Stand A87.) Meanwhile, other Australian publishers and agents are attending on their own company stands, or as individuals. There are also many Australian creators attending Bologna in 2025: look out for Marc Martin, who has been selected for the 2025 Illustrators Exhibition, and for Australia’s current children’s laureate Sally Rippin, who will be speaking at the Australia party, to be held 1 April at 5pm.
For insights into what Australian publishers are looking to acquire at Bologna 2025, see our feature on several of those attending. We also ask attending publishers to name the one title in each category that they had the highest hopes for in terms of international interest at the fair. See their picks in picture books, junior and middle grade fiction, YA and nonfiction.
We also catch you up on the latest trends in the Australian market, round up recent children’s and YA award winners, and share the latest bestsellers for the year to date.
Australians are back in Bologna in force this year, finding that Zoom and email alone don’t cut it. As Scribble publisher and art director Miriam Rosenbloom explains: ‘The fair provides crucial face-to-face networking with international peers, the discovery of illustration talent, insights into industry trends, and of course the inevitable spritz and gelato!’
We hope you enjoy all of the above!
Matthia Dempsey
Editor
Think Australian is produced by Books+Publishing with support from the Australian Publishers Association and the Australian Government through Creative Australia.
Category: Think Australian editorial
