The London Book Fair 2023 was held at Olympia between April 17th and April 20th 2023 with attendees from all over the world. Busy, buzzy corridors and enthusiastic exhibitors and visitors confirmed that it finally felt like a return to normalcy for many, after these years of the ongoing pandemic. Anna Soler-Pont, Carla Briner, Carolina Martínez, and Clara Rosell attended on behalf of the Pontas Agency, with four packed schedules and many exciting projects to talk about.
It was also a week to connect with some of our UK-based authors, who we met for lovely conversations over tea and dinner. In the photos below, Indian author Bhavika Govil with Anna Soler-Pont at the International Rights Center within the fairgrounds, and at dinner with Carla Briner and Clara Rosell. Bhavika Govil won the 2021 Pontas & JJ Bola Emerging Writers Prize for her debut novel. She is currently finishing her writing process and we could not be more excited.
The team also met with Jill Johnson, the author of the forthcoming mystery novel, Devil’s Breath. Devil’s Breath will be published by Black & White Publishing in the UK on July 6th 2023 and it follows Eustacia Rose, a quirky professor of Botanical Toxicology who finds herself implicated in a crime. The book will also be published in the US in Summer 2024 (publisher to be announced) and Czech rights have been sold to Grada/Metafora.
Swedish author Marie Bennett has lived in London for many years, and she met with Anna Soler-Pont and Clara Rosell for some real English tea. Marie Bennett’s debut novel, Hotel Angleterre, was originally published in Swedish in 2015 and was translated into Norwegian, French, Polish and Spanish. Now, she is working on her second novel, having made the switch to writing in English instead.
Last but not least, we also had the chance to meet Ayo Deforge and Gretel Cuevas in person, two authors who are currently working on their debut titles. In the photos below, you can see Nigerian author Ayo Deforge with Carla Briner, and Mexican author Gretel Cuevas together with Ayo Deforge, at the fair. We are completely taken with what we have read so far and cannot wait to be able to share their manuscripts soon.
