London Book Fair

Twelve students and the international scout, Aurelio Major, a lecturer on the UPF Barcelona School of Management’s Master in Publishing, recently attended the London Book Fair, one of the most important literary fairs in the world. Every year, the three-day event attracts over 25,000 professionals from the world of publishing, who have the chance to take part in conferences and seminars, network, negotiate rights and distribute contents for publishers, TV, film, digital platforms and all kinds of channels. The UPF-BSM students’ visit was possible thanks to the London delegation of the Institut Ramon Llull and the Gremi d’Editors de Catalunya (Catalan Publishers’ Association).

 According to Javier Aparicio Maydeu, the creator and Director of the Master, "being able to attend some of the biggest book fairs in the world, accompanied by a respected professional certainly generates added value for the Master, ensuring that the students have a comprehensive learning experience, just like the technical visits to printers or design and production workshops”.

Along the same lines, the student Gemma Ribas confirmed “our time at the London Book Fair was non-stop. We visited all the stands of the different publishers to check out their catalogs, met loads of professionals from the sector and saw the real-life negotiations going on between agents and publishers. It was a really rewarding experience thanks to the guidance of Aurelio Major”.

Another student on the UPF-BSM’s Master in Publishing added that “it was great to see the dynamics of the sector first-hand. It was interesting to experience this first taste of such an event that, one day, we may be taking part in professionally. At the Fair, there is a fairly well establishing working atmosphere, giving us the chance, little by little, to discover the particular features of this sector, its pros and cons”.

Previously known as the Specialist Publishers’ Exhibition for Librarians, first held in 1971, it was later renamed as the London Book Fair. Since then, it has grown to become an annual milestone in the calendar of the international publishing sector. Moreover, the Fair attracts participants of all sizes, from the biggest publishing groups right down to small independent firms.

The Master in Publishing at the UPF-BSM: Your doorway to the publishing sector

Created and directed by Javier Aparicio Maydeu, the UPF-BSM’s Master in Publishing is a 100 % professionalizing and internationally acclaimed program. It is the only Master in Publishing to make it into Eduniversal’s Best Masters Ranking, coming 32nd in the global Top 50 in the cultural/creative industry management category. Giving students a detailed overview of how the publishing sector operates, it also enables them to acquire practical, in-depth knowledge of the industry, equipping them with the strategies and skills required to set up a company or publishing venture or to work in companies and institutions in the world of publishing.

Over the more than 25 years that the School has run the Master, two out of every five students have gone on to build a successful professional career in a top-class international publishing  firm, while one out of every ten have set up their own company in the publishing sector. Many of our graduates hold positions of senior responsibility in big corporations.

The Master in Publishing also has a close working partnership with two of the other biggest literary fairs in the world: the Frankfurt Book Fair, which will next be held in October, and the International Book Fair of Guadalajara, which will next take place in late November or early December 2023.