Better orientation on the site, tailor-made offers for fans: The Frankfurt Book Fair reinvents itself a little bit every year. The 78th edition is special for several reasons. The most important facts:
Earlier appointment with consequences
The book fair will take place earlier than usual this year: from October 7th to 11th. After the opening ceremony on Tuesday evening, the first two days are reserved for trade visitors. From Friday everyone who likes to read is welcome.
The earlier date means that the Nobel Prize in Literature will be announced in Stockholm while the fair is running (October 8).
The number of exhibitors is “at the same level as previous years,” says book fair spokesman Torsten Casimir. Most recently, 4,350 exhibitors from more than 100 countries and 238,000 visitors came to Frankfurt.
Who is coming?
One of the most prominent guests is the musician and author Wolf Biermann, who will be publishing the first volume of his diaries, a new volume of poetry and a new edition of a children's book in October. He will be 90 years old this year; 50 years ago he was expatriated from the GDR. The event “You put out the fire with gasoline” at the book fair (October 7th) is the start of his tour.
At the same time, Gisèle Pelicot will be appearing on Wednesday evening. With the words “Shame must change sides,” she went from victim to heroine in the trial against her ex-husband and over 50 other perpetrators. The sentence is also the title of her book, which she is presenting in the National Library.
The US author Colson Whitehead is an international heavyweight. He received the Pulitzer Prize in 2017 for “Underground Railroad.” He can be seen on the stage of ARD, ZDF and 3sat on the Friday of the trade fair, where he will talk about his new novel “Cool Machine”.
Well-known German authors include Charlotte Link, Sebastian Fitzek, Jenny Erpenbeck and Cornelia Funke. Politicians like Robert Habeck and filmmakers like Volker Schlöndorff are also expected. There are several astronauts there and a Japanese yodeler.
Czech Republic says Ahoy
The guest of honor this year is the Czech Republic. The guest country appearance has the motto “A country on the coast”. For anyone who doubts their knowledge of geography: what we mean is “a coast where language, stories and ideas land,” as the director of the guest of honor appearance, Martin Krafl, explains.
75 Czech authors travel to Frankfurt for the fair. 150 new publications by Czech authors appear in German-language publishers. 100 events are planned.
Artificial intelligence (AI) will play a major role in the guest of honor pavilion. Inflatable elements serve as room dividers, seating and screens at the same time. Quotes from Czech literature are projected from a lighthouse and buoys with the help of AI.
Grounds rearranged
The exhibition grounds were rearranged for the 78th edition. The background is that Hall 6 can no longer be used due to construction defects. The book fair used the necessary rescheduling to ensure greater clarity, shorter routes and hopefully less crowding, as book fair spokeswoman Ines Bachor explains.
This time, all trade publishers are housed on the ground floor. While business is being done upstairs, “a huge literary festival” is taking place downstairs, says Bachor. In the open space in the middle of the site you can meet authors, take selfies and collect autographs.
The event program has been expanded again. More than 1,000 speakers can be experienced on ten stages. Thematic “worlds of experience” are new, for example for crime thriller fans (on the public weekend with real police officers), podcast listeners (with podcasts that are recorded in studios on the exhibition grounds) or comic book lovers (for example with manga drawing courses).
Accompanying two prizes
Before the start of the fair, the German Book Prize for the best novel of the year will be announced (October 5th). Nominated on the shortlist are Shida Bazyar (“The Gaps”), Franziska Gänsler (“Orca”), Valeria Gordeev (“The cicada escapes from its shiny gold shell”), Elias Hirschl (“Grinding”), Peggy Mädler (“Self-regulation of the heart”) and Dana Vowinckel (“Anton and Alma”).
At the end, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade will be awarded in the Paulskirche (October 11th). This year it goes to the Franco-British human rights lawyer Philippe Sands. The award winner is committed to “justice, peace and the persistent defense of international law,” as Sebastian Guggolz, head of the stock exchange association, explains the honor.
Clouded mood
Meanwhile, the book industry is in crisis. At 9.62 billion euros, sales in 2025 were 2.7 percent lower than in 2024. In the first half of 2026, sales fell by 4.1 percent compared to the first six months of the previous year. The number of book buyers is shrinking - by almost five percent from 2024 to 2025.
One reason: “Decades of failures in education policy have led to a progressive deterioration in reading skills,” says the head of the Börsenverein Guggolz. “Attention is increasingly competitive,” says book fair director Juergen Boos. For Boos, this trade fair is the last after 21 years. He's retiring. The new book fair boss will be Joachim Kaufmann, long-time managing director of Carlsen Verlag.
