The 2024 Frankfurt Book Fair: Delegate Life and Germany!

I know people talk a lot about how “well this wasn’t on my bingo card this year.” And when I tell you that attending the Frankfurt Book Fair as a delegate for the Philippines was not on my bingo card, it really wasn’t. I had seen the application and considered it. But by the end of that day told myself, “why would I?” Beh I’m a self published romance author! Rights management is not my thing, and I didn’t really want it to be my thing?

Life had other plans, apparently.

Of course I knew what the Buchmesse was for—rights selling seems like a completely new territory, especially for a self published author who never really considered it. But when the opportunity came along, I said ‘sure why not?’

I was very aware that people who wrote the kind of books I wrote would never be asked to join things like these, let alone be asked to speak in a Zoom about them. But this came along, and suddenly I was in the same room, the same table as people who thought less of my work because I chose to write romance. And if that didn’t scare me already, the idea of a new, unfamiliar country also did (but only a little).

But I had already said yes lol, so we went.

The scale of the messe was overwhelming. I definitely didn’t get to visit every booth (but made a solid, one day effort to try) but I did see a lot! I saw a Gutenberg printing press! I saw Julia Quinn! I saw how German self published authors sold their romance novels! I wished I could read German just so I could buy those gorgeous special editions! I met people interested in reading our books, and talked with us about it! The days were exhausting but it was exhilarating to get caught up in the rush of it all. Talking about books was great, but exploring what was being offered was even better.

I wasn’t really sure what my takeaway here is supposed to be. My participation in the delegation wasn’t really for the sale of book rights (which is the goal) but more to support the New New Adult and Romance booth, which I did! There was just a mental gap there for me that I’m still wrapping my head around. But as Mina told me when we had our last messe dinner, it was important that we were in the room. That sometimes, it’s just that. To be able to be in the room and say things like, “I think it’s great that I’m part of a genre where people are happy.” Revolutionary concept pala!