France at New Delhi World Book Fair

New Delhi World Book Fair

February 25, 2023 - March 5, 2023

France, the Guest of Honour at the New Delhi World Book Fair

Visit a beautifully-designed French Pavilion in the newly-designed state-of-the-art Hall. Participate in exclusive literary programmes, workshops, book releases, seminars, and a lot more …

After India being country of honor at the Festival du Livre de Paris in France in April 2022, it is now France’s turn to be guest of honour at the New Delhi World Book Fair, which is opening its doors at Pragati Maidan on 25 February 2023.

Program of the French presence at the NDWBF

Conferences and round-tables

Time Event
1 pm Writing through illustrations! Round-table with French graphic novelists Zeina Abirached, Simon Lamouret, Lisa Mandel and Mathieu Bertrand at International Pavilion
2 pm An hour with star children’s book writer Susie Morgenster at International Pavilion
4:30 pm Inaugural session with Nobel Laureate Annie Ernaux at International Pavilion

Time Event
9 am Presentation of the French publishing market at Ashok Hotel
2 pm Fascinating world of children’s books – Round-table with renowned French children’s book writers Susie Morgenstern, Benjamin Chaud, and Laura Nsafou at International Pavilion
4 pm The stories that never leave us! Round-table with award-winning French fiction writers Camille Laurens, Olivia Ruiz, and François-Henri Désérable at International Pavilion
6 pm A Writer’s Place – An evening with Nobel Prize Winner Annie Ernaux at Shri Ram Centre

Time Event
6:30 pm Happening – movie screening and Q&A with Annie Ernaux at Alliance française de Delhi

Workshops and other activities

Time Event
11 am Performance-reading of A Nestful of Light by Karthika Nair and Joëlle Jollivet at Children’s Pavilion

Time Event
11 am Be your own hero – workshop by Laura Nsafou at Children Pavilion
11 am Drawing workshop by Benjamin Chaud at Eureka Bookstore
4 pm Live drawing concert and workshop by Karthika Nair and Joëlle Jollivet at National Crafts Museum

Animations

Time Event
3 pm Live drawing battles with graphic novelists at French Pavilion
4 pm Get yourself clicked in a French café photo booth at French Pavilion

Time Event
Café des poètes – Poetry readings at French Pavilion
Discover the 🇫🇷 French authors visiting NDWBF

  • A market of over €4 billion, one of the most dynamic in the Eurozone;
  • After a record year in 2021, the market is stabilising, but book sales in 2022 are still up significantly vs. 2019 (+11%), as in all European countries;
  • The number of bookshops is very high, thanks in particular to the law on the fixed prices of books;
  • 20,000 to 25,000 book outlets (bookshops, cultural superstores, hypermarkets, supermarkets) including 3,500 independent bookshops. It is one of the densest networks in the world;
  • 67,646 new titles and new editions published;
  • Literature, as well as comics (including Manga) and children’s books are the driving forces of the market, even if all sectors are performing very well;
  • Nearly 10,000 publishing structures in France;
  • After two historically strong years, digital book sales are down by 4% vs. 2021, but up by 11% compared to 2019;
  • Overall digital book sales in publishing are lower than in other markets, mainly because it is so easy to buy a printed copy;
  • Strong evolution of the “audio” market with the emergence of platforms in France;
  • 20% of films released in France are book adaptations;
  • France is a very “open” market (more than 18% of new releases are books translated from a foreign language);
  • French is the second most-translated language in the world after English (17,000 titles translated in 2021)

Celebrating 50 years of NDWBF!

The 31st edition of New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF), held for the past 50 years, is a major calendar event in the publishing world. NDWBF 2023 is scheduled from 25 February to 5 March 2023 in newly constructed Halls 2-5 GF at the centrally located Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The Fair is organized by National Book Trust, India, an autonomous organization of the Government of India under the Ministry of Education in collaboration with India Trade Promotion Organization. Today, Indian publishing stands poised at significant crossroads towards the path of growth. NDWBF offers the exhibitors a unique opportunity for business with this growing book industry. It is also an ideal venue for promoting titles, co-publication arrangements and trade. Besides the many literary and publishing conferences and programmes that are organized during the Fair, it also opens up a gateway to the publishing and intellectual world of South Asia. The Fair attracts participation from major publishing houses across the globe. In 2021, the Fair was organized virtually and the platform had more than 2.8 million hits, visitors from 70 countries across the world, 150 Indian Exhibitors and about 15 Foreign Exhibitors.

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