The Book Fairs & Rights Pack: Fairs, Rights and Trade Contacts 2026–27

Book fairs are where the rights to books get bought and sold. This pack shows you how they really work, which ones are worth your money, and who to contact across the trade. It's written by Sajeda Faraz, a children's publisher, for authors, illustrators and small presses who want to take their books further: into bookshops, libraries and other countries.

What's inside

• 18-page guide (instant PDF). It covers what happens at a rights fair, whether you should go, the 2026–27 fair calendar, and the six fairs that matter most: Bologna, London, Frankfurt, Sharjah, Shanghai (CCBF) and Abu Dhabi. For each one you get the dates, how to get in, ticket options and what happens there.
• Ten more fairs worth knowing, from Riyadh, Cairo and Doha to Guadalajara, Kuala Lumpur, ALA Annual and the ABA Winter Institute.
• A 12-week fair plan and Rights 101: translation, territory and co-edition rights, how a deal flows, and the red flags to avoid.
• Trade contact list (printed in the guide, plus a spreadsheet). Nearly 40 organisations, each with what they do, how to approach them and a published contact route:
  • publishers' rights teams
  • rights platforms
  • booksellers and library suppliers
  • wholesalers, distributors and sales agents in the UK, US, Ireland and the Gulf
  The spreadsheet has status and follow-up columns so you can track your outreach.
• Templates for a meeting request, a one-page rights sheet and a post-fair follow-up, plus a fair planner.

Good to know

• Every detail was checked in November 2026. Dates, prices and contacts change, so confirm on the official site before booking or sending.
• Only published department or general contact routes are listed. No personal email addresses.
• This is general guidance, not legal advice. Have any contract checked before you sign.
• Instant download: one PDF. The Excel spreadsheet is attached inside it: open the attachments (paperclip) panel in Adobe Acrobat Reader or Apple Preview to save it. It also opens in Google Sheets and Numbers.

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