MA in Publishing
MA in Publishing
Posted by ns768
22 April 2025On the 12th March 2025, myself and the Publishing MA cohort travelled to London for the 2025 London Book Fair (LBF). As we boarded the train at Exeter St David’s station and settled in for our journey, there was a definite feeling of excitement and anticipation. The LBF is an annually held publishing trade fair attended by thousands of people in the industry, including authors, agents, and publishing houses. We were very lucky as students to have the opportunity to attend such a crucial event in the publishing annual calendar.
Arriving into Paddington, we caught the tube to Kensington and dropped our bags at the hotel. It was then time to set out towards the Olympia exhibition centre. As someone who grew up in a rural area, the rush of London’s people and traffic never ceases to amaze me. It was nice to be able to walk as a group towards the event, which many of us had never attended before.
On arrival, we received lanyards and entered the fair. Immediately, the bustling environment becomes evident. All different kinds of people were rushing between meetings, catching up with colleagues, and conducting important conversations. It is difficult to appreciate the scale of the LBF without having a bit of a walk around, so that is what most of the cohort decided to do first. From the mezzanine, it was fascinating to look down below and observe the energy of both exhibitors and visitors as they navigated various stands and meeting points. Having previously familiarised ourselves with the range of seminars and talks also on offer at the fair, many of us joined queues to attend panels and discussions from industry experts covering a vast range of relevant current topics. I particularly enjoyed attending a panel organised by English PEN titled ‘Writing Others’ Experiences: Freedom and Appropriation’. The experts discussed where writers’ and publishers’ responsibilities lie when representing marginalised perspectives, and encouraged the room to consider the differences between freedom of creative expression and exploitation. I felt very lucky to be able to be in the room as a part of this conversation, and it definitely evoked a sense of the industry’s community in me.
After a busy first day we headed back to the hotel for a bit of rest, narrowly avoiding disaster as the concierge tried to move our bags without telling us. After all the walking and social interactions of the day, I was glad to have a cup of tea and a lie down.
But not for long! Soon it was time for the group to make our way out for a meal together at Pizza Express. It was great to catch up with everyone and hear about the different experiences from the day. At this point we were all pretty hungry, so pizza and pasta was exactly what we needed. A general consensus from the group was that no one had been quite prepared for just how overwhelming the LBF can be. With its constant buzz of noise, and colourful displays, it can be difficult to find a calm moment. However, this atmosphere was also incredibly exciting and made many of us even more hopeful to be able to attend again in the future.
Satisfied by our meal, we headed back to the hotel for some much-needed sleep, ready to do it all again the next day!