My experience of Bologna Children’s Book Fair
All that I have learned from my first experience of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
One of the first things I have learned about the fair is that no matter how much you read from others about their experiences; no matter how much you have prepared your portfolio, nothing can really prepare you for the event itself. As an unpublished and un-agented author-illustrator, this was my first visit to the fair and I had a lot to learn.
Preparing for the Fair
Articles: Read all the articles you can. Some great ones I found were written by Jen Jamieson, Katie Stacks, Damjana Loddelina, Carla Hoffenberg, Zoe Tucker and the Cardboard Crown Collective as well as the AOI. These give you great advice about what to expect and how to prepare for the fair. You can find links to these articles at the end of this post.
Promotional materials: I was only attending the fair for a day and a half and printed 50 postcards and 100 business cards. The business cards can go quickly if you put some on the illustrator’s wall so if you are going for longer, you may need more. I used a company called Moo to print mine and while the quality of the card was good a lot of my images were darker than I would have liked. So next time, I will make sure to adjust the levels in Photoshop before sending to the printers. I have come home with postcards which I intend to send out in a couple of months to agents and publishers once the aftermath of the fair is over.
Portfolio: I decided to have my portfolio printed as a hardback book as I thought it would be ideal to take to the fair. I used a company called Bonus Print (based in the UK) and I have to say the print quality was excellent and the book itself seemed (and indeed was) robust to carry around with me. What I hadn’t thought about was about how heavy it would feel after several hours of walking. I had my dummy book printed in the same way and again I realised this was a mistake and, as a result, decided to leave the dummy book at my hotel on the second day and use a PDF on my iPad instead. Next time, I will take a more traditional portfolio with some loose-leaf illustrations in it that I can interchange as I believe it will be a lot lighter.
Booking workshops, masterclasses and portfolio reviews ahead of time
Workshops, like some of the portfolio reviews, are booked in advance a few days before the fair and sell out within seconds. I’ve found concert tickets easier to get than that. So no pre-booked reviews or workshops for me. I don’t know what the secret is in managing to snag these but good luck if you try. The workshops looked fun and interactive and I definitely would have liked to take part in one but maybe next time.
Masterclasses, however, you can just turn up for and if they’re popular, get there early. I arrived 20 minutes before and did not get a seat.
Moral support
I travelled to Bologna with my son (23) who I asked to accompany me for moral support as I did not want to travel alone. This was one of the best decisions I made. The fair definitely felt overwhelming at times as I had expectations and hopes of what was to come and I was looking to present my work to publishers for the very first time. To have someone with you that you know, or perhaps an illustrator friend who has experienced the fair before, I believe, is truly invaluable.
If you have to travel alone, join a WhatsApp group with others that are going and try to arrange to meet up in the evenings. Perhaps for a meal or a drink in Bologna. Meeting during the fair is tricky, as everyone is trying to get portfolio reviews or have meetings. The BolognaFiere is so vast, that you are often in different areas with a large distance between, which can make it difficult to find each other. On the last night, I snapped up the opportunity to meet up with a few illustrator friends and we all went for a pizza. It was so interesting hearing their stories and experiences of the fair and we had the opportunity to share postcards and Instagram handles.
Getting to the fair
On the day of the fair we decided to walk from our hotel which was very close to the main train station. It was roughly a 30-minute walk through the more industrial part of Bologna next to the busy roads. The weather was nice so we didn’t mind and we felt quite safe walking that way. It was quite easy to spot others heading to the fair so we began to follow them rather than use Google Maps. Lots of people used the local buses or you could share a taxi. We downloaded an app called Taxiclick but often found it was easier just to get one off the rank. When leaving the fair however, be mindful that the rank outside the BolognaFiere gets very busy near the end of the day so you may be waiting a while.
Doors Opening
We arrived at the fair at 8:30 and it was due to open at 9. Everyone who has purchased tickets join the main queue and the doors opened promptly at 9. Once the doors open, the queue moves quickly and there is a large rush as people run to get lanyards and the guide to the fair, followed by grabbing a spot on the illustrator’s wall or a review slot at the Illustrator’s Survival Corner. I think when you arrive on the first day, you need to decide where your priorities lie: will it be the wall or the reviews? I decided to put my poster on the wall instead of rushing to the Survival Corner in an attempt to put my name down for a review. The Survival Corner was right at the other end of the fair and you had to go through 3 large halls to get to it. I had already decided I was not going to run. But if you’re up for it, do it.
The Illustrators Wall
The wall is absolutely huge and stretches a long way around the perimeter of the first main hall. There is plenty of space for everyone. There really is. I went to the second wall which was already very busy but next time I will move further into the hall in the hope that it is less crowded. I had already prepped my posters with double sided tape so all I had to do was peel it off and my posters could go up. I had a QR code pointing to my Linktree and my name on the front and I attached a box of business cards. Whenever I went back to check, my posters were still secure but I did have to top up my business cards. One thing I would say is try to be inventive with what you put on the wall. I saw lots of different pop ups, dummy books, mini portfolios and lots of interactive promotional material. If I was to attend the fair again, I would definitely make more of an effort to make something a bit different and 3 dimensional.
The Publishers Stands
Some of the stands were absolutely huge and some were quite tiny. Most of the stands have a reception desk, behind which you can see lots of meetings in progress. On first glance, it definitely seemed to me that most of the stands would not welcome an interruption from an emerging illustrator wanting to share their portfolio. The publishers are there primarily to sell the rights to their books to other countries. However as I began to explore, this is what I noticed:
Some stands had a box, or bucket that you could pop a business card in.
Some stands had a wall space with pins so you could pin up postcards in a similar way to the Illustrators wall.
Some stands had signs saying they would be giving reviews on certain day at certain times, with either a QR code to scan or a sign-up sheet. Those were good as I felt that I could leave my details without interrupting any important negotiations.
Some stands had signs up saying they were not doing portfolio reviews.
Some stands had nothing to indicate whether or not it was ok to ask to show your portfolio.
Some stands advertised review times on social media for certain times.
It took a while for me to gather enough confidence to approach some of the stands and I tried hard to choose my moment. If there were lots of meetings going on and there was no-one at the reception I would walk past and try again later. If there were no meetings in progress and I wanted to look at some of the books on display, I walked onto the stands so I could discuss what I liked about their books and, as a result, had an opportunity to hand them my details. In this scenario, I found the people to be very friendly and approachable and the conversation could be relaxed as a result. A lot of the people I spoke to were not the art directors or agents, but if they were happy to pass my details on, that was good enough for me.
Whenever I returned to a stand that was offering reviews at a certain time, the queues were already very long so if you’re going to do that, I would suggest arriving well ahead of the start time. I have to admit that I did not join any of those queues. My time at the fair was precious so instead I decided to visit as many stands as possible and hand them some samples of my work.
Portfolio Reviews
I was lucky enough to get a review with a publisher who had a sign-up sheet on their stand. At first glance, it appeared that they were only offering timeslots for Mondays and Wednesdays which were already full but my son flipped the page and found that Tuesday still had space. I knew there was a reason why I had brought him! This was great. I knew when to come back and that time was just for me, so remember to flip the page. If you have a dummy book with you, take it to the review. I found that they always ask to see that first.
Masterclasses
This was one of my highlights of the fair. I am a huge fan of Oliver Jeffers so when I knew he would be speaking, I made sure to arrive about 20 minutes before it was due to start. The room was already full but I was happy to stand at the back and listen. So if there is someone you want to see, arrive early.
Exploring Bologna and the surrounding area
Even though I was only attending the fair for 2 days, I already knew I wanted to visit Florence while I was in Italy. It is somewhere I have always wanted to go and was only a 40-minute train ride away. This was another good decision. Not only because I would be seeing one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but because I could just step back from the pressure of the fair and enjoy my time in Italy. We left the fair on the first day around 1pm and had plenty of time to sightsee, enjoy the food and just relax in Florence before catching the train back to our hotel. My son did a food tour of Bologna on the second day which he thoroughly enjoyed and what he doesn’t know now about balsamic vinegar isn’t worth knowing!
If you’re still reading, I hope you enjoyed hearing about my experience of the fair. If you have any questions about it, please leave them in the comments.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Josie! I’ve never been to Bologna fair but it’s on my bucket list. Your post is so helpful for anyone planning to visit the fair someday. I hope lots of wonderful opportunities will come your way! 🌸
Thanks for the in-depth review of Bologna, Josie! Sounds like you had a busy and amazing time there. Great idea to explore other parts of Italy whilst you were visiting. Hoping lots of fantastic opportunities are heading your way as a result! 💕