Frankfurt Book Fair 2025 Begins Today
Bertelsmann once again has numerous publishers and companies presenting at the industry’s most important meeting place.
The Frankfurt Book Fair, the world’s largest event for the book and media industry, opens its doors today. It will initially be open exclusively to trade visitors from around the world before welcoming the general public starting Friday. The 77th Frankfurt Book Fair is the most important marketplace for new releases from across the globe, a central hub for industry news and major trends, and the largest networking event in the international book business. Numerous Bertelsmann publishers and companies are once again taking part in the fair and look forward, as in previous years, to welcoming an estimated 230,000 visitors.
Penguin Random House publishers worldwide and their authors are once again strongly represented at the fair. Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe has, as always, set up its large joint stand D21 in Hall 3.0. The group’s audiobook publishers – Der Hörverlag, Audio Verlag, Cbj Audio, and Random House Audio – are exhibiting jointly in Hall 3.1, at Stand K17. Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe’s children’s and young adult imprints can be found at Stand C26 in Hall 3.0.
‘Open Books’ opens with the Blue Sofa
Last night, several authors appeared on Bertelsmann’s “Blue Sofa” for the opening event of “Open Books,” the Frankfurt Book Fair’s official reading festival. The guests included Middle East expert and award-winning journalist Natalie Amiri, authors Katerina Poladjan and Kaleb Erdmann, and Dorothee Elmiger, the newly announced winner of the German Book Prize.
For our colleagues in the English-, Spanish-, and Portuguese-language publishing divisions of Penguin Random House, especially those who work in rights and licensing, the Frankfurt Book Fair is also an unmissable event. Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial can be found in Hall 5.0, Stand C112, while the English-language publishing divisions of Penguin Random House are located in Hall 5.1, Stand D19.
‘30-Minute Flat-Share’ with well-known authors
From today through Sunday, many authors will make appearances at the fair. Sixty of them will also take to the stage of the “30-Minuten-WG” (“30-Minute Flat-Share”) at Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe’s joint stand in Hall 3.0, D21. This is the fifth time Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe and RTL Deutschland’s magazine “Stern” are co-hosting this book talk series at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The lineup includes well-known authors such as Michael Lüders, Romy Hausmann, Eva Ebrahimi, Natalie Amiri, Richard David Precht, Robin Alexander, Melanie Raabe, Jan Weiler, Tijen Onaran, Ernie Reinhardt (Lilo Wanders), and Jens Stoltenberg. All “30-Minuten-WG” events will be streamed live on litlounge.de and via the Bertelsmann Content Collaboration Platform (BCCP).
One of the fair’s most high-profile events will take place on Friday, when former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg presents his memoir “On My Watch” (“Auf meinem Posten”) at 1:30 p.m. in the CMF (Congress Center Messe Frankfurt), together with Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner. The book was published on October 1 by Siedler, a Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe imprint.
Modern Book Logistics at the Fair
Arvato subsidiary Vereinigte Verlagsauslieferung (VVA) is once again present at the Frankfurt Book Fair with its own stand (Halle 4.0, G25) . As a “Publishing Partner,” VVA is showcasing the full range of its services – from modern book logistics and digital distribution to complementary financial services. While the publishers’ stands are stacked high with books, the VVA stand invites trade visitors to network and exchange ideas. One highlight of the stand is a barista serving visitors a variety of coffee specialties. In 2024 alone, Arvato shipped an impressive 120 million books and games through its subsidiaries Vereinigte Verlagsauslieferung (VVA) and Verlegerdienst München (VM) from three locations in Gütersloh, Verl, and Gilching. Many well-known publishers are among Arvato’s clients.
‘The Global Village of 100 People’
In addition to the Penguin Random House publishers, the Bertelsmann Stiftung publishing house also has its own stand at the fair in Hall 3.1, D58. The publishing house is celebrating its 40th anniversary at this year’s fair. On Sunday, October 19, from 12:00 to 12:45 p.m., the publishing house, together with the Liz Mohn Foundation, will host an event dedicated to the book “The Global Village of 100 People” at the Education Forum in Hall 3.1, D12. Using 40 categories – such as press freedom, health insurance, and internet access – the book paints a picture of the global community through striking graphics.
