BolognaBookPlus

Celebrating, Showcasing and Trading Translation & Illustration in General Publishing

BolognaBookPlus (BBPlus) is Europe’s vibrant spring gathering for the global trade publishing community, held within the world-renowned Bologna Children's Book Fair.
Focused on general trade adult publishing, it brings together publishers, agents, authors, illustrators, and industry innovators to discover ideas, build partnerships, and do business.
Through its partnership with AIE - Italian Publishers Association, BolognaBookPlus is also the gateway to Italian publishing, connecting international professionals with one of Europe’s most dynamic book markets.

•   International exhibition spaces for publishers and publishing services
•   Industry conferences and training for rights, licensing, and publishing professionals
•   Author and Illustration Ambassador programmes
•   The Designer Studio
•   Audio Forum, AI Summit, and Literary Translation Forum
•   The WritersLab
•   Networking events connecting publishing professionals from around the world

Celebrating Design & Illustration

Visual storytelling is at the heart of BolognaBookPlus. The Designer Studio hosts all things design and illustration at BolognaBookPlus

•   Jackets Off – an annual exhibition celebrating the evolution of an iconic book cover
•   Talking Pictures – exploring the visual book culture of a featured region
•   Special exhibitions including work from the italian artistic duo Anna and Elena Balbusso,  also known as the Balbusso Twins. and the Society of Illustrators

Professional Training

The industry’s definitive rights training returns in 2026:

How to Sell Rights and Understand Licensing in Children’s Books
Sunday 12 April 2026

A must-attend session for publishers, agents, and rights professionals looking to expand their international business.

The WritersLab

A space dedicated to authors of all genres, recognising writing as a professionCreated to offer authors discussion, growth and representation within the fair. it