Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Italy
The Bologna Children’s Book Fair is the most important international event dedicated to the children’s publishing and multimedia industry.
This book fair is strictly for professionals and closed to the general public. However, among the many categories of exhibitors admitted, illustrators are certainly welcome! In 2010, with the sponsorship of my book publisher, I got to visit the fair. Being an illustrator myself, I quickly feel belonged. It is such amazing to see children’s books everywhere. There must’ve been millions of books! Great works from great illustrators from around the world were all there.
One thing that I observed here, illustrators brought their portfolios and approached publishers to show their works. Some even brought mock-up books of what they have written and illustrated. I am very amazed at how they promote themselves and the effort they took to wait in a long queue just to have publishers look at their works. This I have yet to see at our local children’s book fair.
And to make it interesting, the organiser have a wall where illustrators can share their artworks. Some put up their postcards and some put up a box with flyers and namecards. I managed to grab some interesting postcards and namecards as keepsakes.
For your information, Bologna Children’s Book Fair has been around for 49 years. Bologna Children’s Book Fair is an annual event where authors, illustrators, literary agents, licensors and licensees, packagers, distributors, printers, booksellers, and librarians meet. Here they sell and buy copyright, find the very best of children’s publishing and multimedia production, generate and gather new contacts while strengthening professional relationships, discover new business opportunities, discuss and debate the latest sector trends.
I really really had fun visiting the book fair. Hope to visit again next year to stick something on the wall.
70 Comments
Whitey Mommy
akk..:)
marvic
jom kak emi kita pegi sekali.. hehe
marvic
ok.. nanti sambung balik.. skrg nak buat minum pagi 🙂
Syuq
Seronoknya..tapi jauh sangat tu. Pesta buku kanak2 malaysia best tak k.em?
emila
OK la tetapi tak semeriah pesta buku di sana. Banyak yang boleh diperbaiki.
Syuq
Nanti bila k.em dapat ke Bologna lagi, saya nak kirim poskad saya boleh? nak minta tolong lekat dekat dinding tu… baru rasa hebat sket hehehe
marvic
nak jugak :p
marvic
xnak letakkan postcard kat dinding tp nak letak dlm album khas..baru leh nampak depan dan belakang postcard
marvic
depan postcard cantek..
marvic
pastu bahagian belakang ada stamp, pesanan dan nama pengirim
marvic
rasanya paling berharga bagi setiap postcard adalah stamp yg telah dicop oleh post office tempatan luar negara.. mahal wooo
Syuq
ha a kan… kalau untuk simpanan sendiri, kena pakai album yang transparent, baru nampak depan belakang.
Syuq
marvic… kita buat poskad dan bagi kat k.Em la. kita tak sampai bologna, tapi poskad kita terpampang kat sana..bestnyaaa..
Syuq
haaa..lagi satu. lepas tu kita minta k.em snap gambar poskad kita kat dinding tu.. fuhh..terbaikk 🙂
Insyirah
my mother went there too 😉 😀
Aujinz
bertuahnya dapat pergi.. XD
emila
Syuq, boleh no problem! Lepas tu Kak Emi snap gambar poskad Syuq di kalangan postcards oleh illustrators dari serata negara!
emila
Boleh. Sebulan sebelum pergi, kak Emi akan ingatkan korang suruh lukis poskad. Buat namecard banyak-banyak ok.
emila
I know! And she showed me the diary she bought! Beautiful!
emila
Rezeki buku pertama, Aujinz 😀
Syuq
Yess… you read my mind 🙂 seronoknya!!
Syuq
Buat kempen “Postcards to Bologna”.. Mesti ramai dari illustration Friday yang pergi kan!
emila
Wah best idea ni! Kita buat nanti, ok. Tapi let me confirm dgn my partner boleh pergi ke tak? Tapi hari tu dia kata boleh pergi tahun depan sebab tahun ni Kak Emi banyak buat buku.
bubbles182
best nye kak emi asyik dapat jejalan…. jeles T___T
emila
Jom pergi nak?
Syuq
semoga k.em dapat pergi.. dan semoga poskad saya pun dapat sampai ke Bologna..amin 🙂
marvic
Amin
marvic
wahhh.. saya suka la idea itu.. i like i like
marvic
itu la.. mencari jugak kat kedai buku tp xder yg sesuai 🙁
soulie
i like that idea!!! leh tumpang bangga and glam hehe
soulie
sangat sangat suke the wall concept! very creative!
soulie
I would love to collect some for keepsakes as well.
soulie
not really some…but loads of it heheh
soulie
illustrators promoting their work to publisher is something new for me! interesting info.
soulie
sure masing2 very competitive kan! to impress the publisher.
soulie
best ada dedicated book fair only for children’s stuff
soulie
did u buy anything interesting there k.emi?
emila
From the bookfair tak ada because buku tak dijual di sini. But I did went to BookLibri yang bought one of the award-winning books. Other than that I bought postcards, magnets, etc. 😀
emila
Yes, I love it too so much!
Syuq
Dulu kalau cuci gambar di kedai, selalu akan dapat album plastik. Saya guna album tu untuk simpan poskad 🙂
Syuq
Ramai dah berminat ni… mesti jadi punyalah 🙂
zul
i cant see a malaysian flag there anyway……….. vary upset
azah
kak emi buat la 1 program dengan kami semua.. hehehe
azah
Phew!
azah
bestnye kalau ada kat sana 🙂
azah
kak emi tak nak cuba buat exhibition kat sana?
azah
saya pun nak!
marvic
wow… great idea.. x terpikir plak mcm tu.. hehehe
marvic
tp saiz postcard dgn saiz plastik album gambar tu x sama la.. postcard yg me dpt ada yg pjg, lebar etc
soulie
owhh takde jual buku kat bookfair nie
soulie
i love postcards! betambah bes kalo menang 20 postcards from you! hehe
emila
Boleh, Azah!
emila
Soulie buat juga poskad, ok?! Kak Emi tolong tampalkan.
emila
Program macam mana tu Azah?
emila
Azah, exhibition akan ada nanti. Kak Emi masuk bawah Majlis Buku Kebangsaan Malaysia.
emila
I think ada but I forgot to snap the overall flags 😀
Syuq
mmm..betul tu marvic. Saiz album agak kecil. Saya guna untuk simpan poskad tertentu saja 🙂
Syuq
Setiap tahun saya akan dapat poskad dan diari dari sebuah institut di Taiwan. Kebetulan saiznya kecil. Poskad itu yang saya kumpul.
azah
wah! Bila tu? tak nak bagi the best commentator ikut sekali ke?hehehe
emila
Good idea tu! Kak Emi wish ada duit lebih dan boleh sponsor. Tapi tengoklah kalau boleh cari sponsor untuk pergi dua orang. Kak Emi nak pergi ni pun kena cari sponsor hehe.
marvic
oh..nasib baik saiz kecil.. :p
azah
program travel, tak pun perjumpaan2 ke… antara blogger fans kak emi.
azah
yea! ni best nih! 😀
azah
aujinz ada kat sini. *kohkoh*
marvic
hepp hepp..LOL
mazny
Wah, nak join sekali dalam projek poskad ni, boleh tak? 🙂
mazny
I was about to ask the same question “Where is the Malaysian flag?”
mazny
Wah, meriahnya Illustrator’s wall tu. Kak Emi ada post gambar poskad yang akak ambil dari wall tu?
Robyn Mitchell
Oh wow! I’m sooooo envious! I’ve heard of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair – I actually submitted work to them last year, but didn’t get through. Looks like an AMAZING event to go to, thank you for this post and insight into the festival! Motivation to keep working on my illustrations so that one day I can make it there!!
emila
You found this post! It was great experience I tell you. I wanted to submit as well but that time when I knew about the illustrator’s exhibition and awards, it was too late for me to enter. But I am trying to write and illustrate something this year. Planning to go next year. Come and join me in Bologna? It’ll be great to meet you there!