New to the translation business, I attended this year’s 2026 London Book Fair on Thursday 12 March, with an interest in the general market trends and workings of the publishing industry. Although the talks I attended were not specifically translation-oriented, they all dealt with themes dear to the writing community: gatekeeping, reach, publishing, passion and voice.
- The Future of Black Literature: Ownership, Power & Global Reach
- A Look Into Non-Fiction
- Growing Your Author Business: Double Down or Diversify?
- Publishing Pathways – What are your different routes to publication?
The Future of Black Literature: Ownership, Power & Global Reach
The day began with a feisty panel of authors and publishers. Writers Nic Stone and Dhonielle Clayton (Dhionelle’s website states she is ‘always on the hunt for magic and mischief’) represented an authorial point of view. Also present were Valerie Brandes and Magdalene Abraha, respectively founder and publishing director of Jacaranda Books.
The panel celebrated the creativity of the movie Sinners (it had not yet won four Oscars) but pointed to the current trend in adding Black actors to classic scenarios in an effort to ‘diversify’. Much as the panel loved Bridgerton, they pointed out that it remains a classical setting, and is an example of the way in which fresh narratives for Black writers can be stifled. Dhionelle likened the black diaspora to a ‘pot pourri’ whose full range of diversity is yet to be seen.
Valerie Brandes created Jacaranda Books to allow space for books written by voices she could relate to, and while the market often favours tales of hardship, Jacaranda actively seeks out fresh uplifting narratives. The publishing house will be present at the Cannes and Venice film festivals, as there is a demand for Black book-to-film projects. This is a useful insight for any translators working with subtitles, screenplays or scenarios. In the meantime, translators might be interested in the translated titles on Jacaranda’s website.
A Look Into Non-Fiction
What does it take to succeed in non-fiction? How does the current market respond to the genre? The panel for this discussion was made up of publisher Sarah Emsley, from Harper Collins, and authors Simon J. Woolf, Sarah Gristwood and Manni Coe. Experience told Simon Woolf, for example, that unless your topic is on trend, the demand will be insufficient to financially interest a publisher. A wine enthusiast, Simon spent a year approaching publishers with Amber Revolution, his book on orange wine. After receiving, in his own words, ‘almost as many rejections as J. K. Rowling originally did for Harry Potter’, he decided to self-publish. Six years later, the book continues to draw readers and has been translated into Korean, Taiwanese, Japanese, Italian and Ukranian. This leaves room for translators specialising in wine to get in touch!
Manni Coe co-wrote a touching book with his brother Rueben, who was born with Down’s syndrome. Manni found that a literary agent was helpful in getting his book Brother. Do. You. Love. Me? published. In it, he describes the physical and emotional journey of ‘bro-napping’ Rueben from a care home where he was suffering from isolation during Covid. The book became a literary sensation and another personal book, Little Ruins is currently being released.
Growing Your Author Business: Double Down or Diversify?
This was sponsored by Kindle publishing, and authors Jason Dalgliesh, Beverley Watts and Adam Beswick discussed balancing successful achievement with a search for further growth, and shared insights on turning a ‘hobby’ into a profession. For Beverley Watts the gears began to shift at book number nine, but for Adam Beswick within a year of book three he was earning a decent salary. With a professional background in mental health, Adam discreetly weaves related issues into his storytelling. As a business strategy, Adam built foundations by investing money earned in marketing. He sells directly to readers, having grown from a small home office to a large space directly dealing with distribution.
Jason didn’t have an editor for his first books, and self-published through Amazon and Bookouture. However, he recently came under contract with Penguin, who are buying his backlist print books. He still self-publishes as well to diversify. ‘I do the digital; they do the print.’
With regards to translation, Beverley Watts is interested in translation and open to French and Dutch versions of her work.
The panel shared some valuable advice:
- Jason Dalgliesh: Don’t copy other successful people. Find what works for you.
- Beverley Watts: We tend to assume that other people know more than us. Don’t let it worry you. Other people don’t necessarily know more than you do.
Publishing Pathways – What are your different routes to publication?
The title says it all. The session was led by Justine Solomons of the network Byte the Book. A variety of publishing routes were explored: Paige Allen, director of IngramSpark, represented self-publishing. Laura Deacon represented Bookouture, a division of Hachette that specialises in digital publishing. Ashleigh Gardner, vice-president of Rakuten Kobo, represented digital publishing, and James Wills is the managing director of literary agents Watson, Little Ltd.
Navigating the literary world can be overwhelming, but it was inspiring to see how authors chase their goals despite setbacks, showing how passion and persistence pay off.
Creative Neighbours
During the non-fiction talk, I noticed the author next to me had her book cover embroidered on the back of her jacket. A clever touch. I admired the ‘jacket on a jacket’! I also spotted Napoleon Bonaparte wandering the alleys at one point and would be interested to see if more authors embrace this in future years.
And for those craving fresh air and the great outdoors, another neighbour at one point was Rebecca, who runs writing retreats in Scotland on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond: Acorn Writing Retreats
By Carol Hebden, a French to English subtitler, literary translator.
