Towards
2007
- TheBookGuide takes stock. 2006
seems to have been another difficult year for all but the top end of the secondhand
and out-of-print book trade, and book fairs didn't buck the trend. I will take
a detailed look at the statistics at a later date, but below are a few of the
things we have done to help support the UK's book fairs this year. TheBookGuide
's commitment to hands-on book browsing has seen its popularity grow by more than
30% this year. Visits to the book fair page have increased by a similar amount,
while searches of the fair database are up by over 35%. With
declining exhibitor and visitor numbers at some fairs a major concern; growing
numbers of people looking for fairs to visit must be encouraging. In
August we started providing monthly book fair dates for an Out and About
page in Book & Magazine Collector. In the past, book fairs have receive relatively
little coverage in this magazine, something I hope we can address next year. Recently,
increasing pressure on editorial space in the News section has prompted us to
add a "small
ads" advertising option. This allows organisers to highlight their forthcoming
event at a very modest cost.
Looking to the future, the 2007 calendar will be driven by a new online database,
which will offer both organisers and readers a number of advantages. For example,
registered organisers will be able to update and amend their details via their
own web browsers. And as a result, readers will have access to a rolling calendar,
with no year end cut-off point. Mike
Goodenough
Editor
16.11.06 | 
