Claire Mauguière, project director for France Livre’s upcoming Paris Book Market. Image: France Livre
By Eric Dupuy | @duperico
See also: France’s BIEF Rebrands Itself ‘France Livre
Some 269 International Publishers This Week
Coming Thursday and Friday (June 5 and 6), the Paris Book Market has become a key meeting point for francophone publishing.
Claire Mauguière—project director at France Livre (formerly BIEF, the Bureau International de l’Édition Française) and head of Paris Book Market event—is staging this year’s edition of this professional rights fair.
“The fourth edition looks very promising,” Mauguière says, noting that the format remains similar to previous years’, with the exception of the preliminary day, which has been removed. It was mainly dedicated to French institutes, which now come to Paris slightly before the event.
“We realized that on the eve of the event, many foreign publishers are already present and have meetings in their partners’ offices. It wasn’t a time when people were very available to attend conferences.”
The success is already measurable. The event continues to grow with approximately 269 publishing houses represented this year, corresponding to 150 meeting tables.
Nicolas Roche
Nicolas Roche, France Livre’s general director, says that more than 3,500 meetings have already been booked on the platform, which is considerable.
“Paris Book Market”, Roche says, “demonstrates the attractiveness of French publishing, which holds a well-recognized position.
“This increase [in engagement] is largely because of many small publishing houses joining BIEF in early 2025, attracted by the financial accessibility of Paris Book Market compared to other international fairs like Frankfurter Buchmesse (October 15 to 19) or London Book Fair (March 10 to 12).
A Springboard for Small Publishing Houses
“Participation fees are much lower since we organize the event ourselves, and it takes place in France,” Mauguière says.
She also points to a strategic advantage of Paris Book Market. Unlike major international fairs in which all countries sell their rights, here only French and francophone publishers are sellers.
“It’s easier for a small publishing house venturing into foreign rights to secure meetings and find its place.”
Balanced International Participation
On the buyers’ side, around 260 publishing houses are participating, predominantly European (Italy, Spain, Germany), but with a notable increase in British publishers this year. BIEF covers accommodation for approximately 120 foreign participants, who must finance their own travel.
The francophone presence beyond France has also strengthened with eight Quebec publishers, three Belgian houses, seven Swiss presses, five from Tunisia, one from Morocco, two from Algerian, and two Lebanese publishers participating as sellers.
A Strategic Meeting Before Frankfurt
While France Livre doesn’t have precise data on the number of contracts signed, Mauguière confirms the positive impact of the event: “Many foreign publishers tell us they’re returning this year because last year they found many titles.”
She also says that Paris Book Market plays a complementary role to the Frankfurter Buchmesse: “It prepares participants for Frankfurt and, unlike Frankfurt, publishers allow themselves to meet publishing houses they don’t know at all and discover new partners. At Frankfurt, they prioritize those they already know well.”
A Growing Interest in Literature
While all publishing sectors are represented, Mauguière says she’s seeing a growing interest in literature and humanities: “Foreign publishers register extremely quickly,” she says, “as soon as registration opens, and especially for literature and essays.”
This phenomenon is partly explained by the calendar: “It’s really the time to discover the French literary season a bit before everyone else does,” she says, “before it’s presented at Frankfurt. It’s a kind of preview and it’s extremely attractive to them.”
A Fair and Sustainable Model
Paris Book Market’s organizers say the program maintains a commitment to equity with pricing adapted to the size of publishing houses, now on three levels—small, medium, and very large companies. The event has also expanded its spaces for 2025 to accommodate more participants without disadvantaging smaller presses.
As for the future, Mauguière says she believes the event has found its cruising rhythm with a balance between sellers and buyers.
“We have a well-balanced situation where everyone gets meetings,” she says.
And while the idea of opening the fair to other selling countries exists, it remains debatable. “It would make the event a Parisian event truly established on the international fair scene, but it would cause the French publishers to lose their advantage of being the center of attention.”
New Synergy with Dutch Publishers
A notable development for the 2025 edition is a strategic alignment with the Dutch embassy in France and the Dutch Foundation for Literature.
Claire Mauguière says, “The Dutch embassy and foundation previously organized an annual B2B meeting day in Paris at the Dutch Workshop, bringing together Dutch publishers—both selling to and buying from French publishers. Traditionally held in early June, we inadvertently selected similar dates for Paris Book Market when we launched.”
This year, the Dutch have scheduled their event for June 4, on the eve of Paris Book Market.
“This timing creates a perfect synergy,” Mauguière says. “Dutch publishers coming to buy rights can maximize their trip by attending their national day on June 4, followed by our event on the 5th and 6th. Similarly, French publishers can participate in both events.”
While the Dutch meeting remains independently organized, France Livre has partnered with it to mobilize French participation and has extended invitations to all Dutch attendees for the Paris Book Market evening reception.
“We’re not organizing their event, but we’re creating connections,” Mauguière adds. “This kind of international cooperation strengthens bilateral publishing relationships and adds value to the entire Paris Book Market week for all participants.”
More from Publishing Perspectives on the formerly named Bureau international de l’Édition française (BIEF), now called France Livre, is here; more on international rights markets is here; and more on the French book publishing industry is here.