In difficult times for the industry, the Leipzig Book Fair has recorded stable participation from publishers and a slight increase in exhibition space. As trade fair director Martin Buhl-Wagner said, 2,044 exhibitors are taking part in Leipzig this year (previous year: 2,040 exhibitors). They come from 54 countries.
The exhibition space has been expanded slightly. "Growing space, stable exhibitor numbers - that is not a matter of course in a market that is under pressure," said Buhl-Wagner.
The book fair is open to visitors from Thursday to Sunday. It is accompanied by the reading festival "Leipzig reads" with around 3,000 events at 300 reading locations.
Book trade sales in 2025 fell by 2.9 percent compared to the previous year. The first months of 2026 were also characterized by a weak consumer climate, said Peter Kraus vom Cleff, Managing Director of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association.
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