London Book Fair's Adam Ridgway: 'There's a Lot To Learn'

Adam Ridgway on Tuesday opens his first London Book Fair as its director: ‘A phenomenal event.’

Adam Ridgway. Image: London Book Fair

By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson

In It for the Longer Haul

On the eve of the 2025 London Book Fair (March 11 to 13), it may be of comfort to some that Adam Ridgway is likely the calmest soul at Olympia London.

And as the United Kingdom’s publishing pros clutch their lanyards on stepping in from Hammersmith Road—no, there’s no more space than there was last year—Ridgway has something to say that may offer some consolation: “When I took this job on—which is not that long ago, obviously, but just under a year ago—in fact, I took it on with the with the full knowledge that this this is a complicated event, and it’s very high profile.

“And I made a decision at that time that I would stay here until I retired.”

That, at least, should offer some comfort to the British industry, which has watched its trade show’s directorship turn over from Jacks Thomas (she did seven years) to Andy Ventris (in the seat only one year) to Gareth Rapley (a two-year stint), all between 2020 and 2024.

Granted, Ridgway doesn’t volunteer to his interviewer how far he thinks he may be from retirement. But as with many aspects of this complicated job, he does seem to sense the anxieties of the moment. And he knows that transparency—and even bringing up the plan to stay with the job for a bit—may help industry players to feel that the London Book Fair’s management this year may now offer a consistency not easily spotted since the show was canceled at six days to opening because of COVID-19.

‘This is a Blue-Chip Show’

Ridgway gets it: “This is a blue-chip show. It’s a phenomenal event. I’ll just stick with it, and this will do me.” He doesn’t blame his two most recent predecessors for their relatively quick departures. “You can’t stop someone from wanting to improve themselves in their careers. That’s not fair.

“After a year, you can start to lead, because you’ve then seen it through, and you understand what’s happened, and then you can start making changes based on experience, rather than on someone advising you.”Adam Ridgway, London Book Fair

However, when you get someone like me who’s done a lot of that stuff like myself. Yeah, I don’t really care about that.

“The big deal for me,” Ridgway tells Publishing Perspectives in a late-afternoon interview,” is whether it’s a good show. Is it a good team? Is it going in the right direction? Is there stuff I think I can add to this? It’s those sorts of things that I’m looking for.”

There’s a very rational sense of honesty in Ridgway’s observations, too. Like Gareth Rapley, whom he has succeeded, he had worked in the Middle East, and has relocated to the UK with his wife and two daughters, a pathway that Rapley was following before leaving for a return to the energy-sector shows he enjoys.

Ridgway has worked in both industry- and public-facing shows, and in industry sectors including energy, jewelry, chemicals, and broadcasting, ranging from small scale conference-led events with 1,000 attendees up to large scale shows attracting 130,000 attendees in countries as diverse as Canada, Malaysia, Bahrain, and Norway.

‘The First Three Months, You Don’t Have a Clue’

While some newcomers might tell you they’ve seen it all, there’s a grace to Ridgway’s steady smile when he looks right at a reporter and says, “When you take a show on, there’s a lot to learn, but you can’t learn everything at once. You have to build up the layers of understanding so that things make sense. Learning by rote on this kind of complexity just isn’t really credible. It’s not enough for someone like myself.

Related article: Spatial Realities: London Book Fair’s International Rights Center. Image: Publishing Perspectives, Porter Anderson

“You need to pick up things as quickly as you can,” he says. ” You ask questions, and you need people around you to help you. But it just takes time.

“I would say that in the first three months, you really don’t have a clue what’s going on. I just happens to you because you can’t really understand what the hell is going on. After that, for three months to a year—which is usually what the show cycle is—you’re beginning to be able to contribute and help a little bit.

“So after a year, you can start to lead, because you’ve then seen it through, and you understand what’s happened, and then you can start making changes based on experience, rather than changes based on someone advising you.”

All that being said, Ridgway hardly has arrived at an easy moment.

The news no one wants to hear is that the trade show will be fully as tight on space as last year. And, Ridgway says with characteristic candor, it’s going to be tight next year. The International Rights Center will be entirely on first floor, but in parts of both halls.

Not until 2027 does Ridgway feel there will be room, for example, to add the “Market Focus” factor of an international guest-of-honor nation’s book industry. Probably not until the same year will the Main Stage venue for the lead programming be in a room with more seats and space.

The redeveloped Olympia complex, however, he reminds us, will make it possible to stay in a hotel on-site, “to have a meal upstairs,” as he puts it, “and not have to stumble around West London trying to find a restaurant.

“That will be next year,” he says—holding out a strand of hope to the compressed masses in the facility still under construction.”

As committed as he is to the job, being able to work without nasty surprises about the space you thought you’d been allocated will be, obviously, a blessing.

“I’m looking very much forward to that being a possibility.”

A Programming Note

During London Book Fair, Publishing Perspectives has several Main Stage events to suggest for your consideration. We’re especially pleased with the caliber of speakers who will be with us, and we hope you’ll join us. Descriptive copy here is from the London Book Fair team’s listings.

Tuesday, March 11
1:45 to 2:30 p.m., Main Stage
The Future of Book Licensing and Distribution

Mark Searle, left, and José Manuel Anta

Licensing strategies can play a crucial role in the financial success of publishing ventures, and in the digital age, licensing and distribution have transformed, allowing for more seamless and widespread access to content. But challenges persist, as do opportunities, amid evolving consumer preferences and tech advances. By effectively navigating these changes, publishers can maximize their financial outcomes and remain competitive.

Speakers:

Mark Searle, managing director of DK
José Manuel Anta, managing director of Spain’s Federation of Publishers’ Guilds
Moderation by Publishing Perspectives

Tuesday, March 11
3 to 3:45 p.m., Main Stage
AI and Copyright: Policy Developments in the United Kingdom and United States

Maria A. Pallante and Dan Conway

AI is here to stay and so are the policy debates that will shape its development and deployment for years to come. In particular, many publishers around the world are watching developments in the UK and US, where regulators, legislators, and courts are weighing legal disputes that could have global ramifications for copyright laws: A British, American, and decidedly human discussion on the most important issue of the day.

Conway’s call from the creative industries of the UK that “The Great Copyright Heist Cannot Go Unchallenged” and Pallante’s background as a copyright attorney make them two of the most aptly positioned publishers’ association leaders for this moment.

Speakers:

Maria Pallante, president and CEO, Association of American Publishers (AAP)
Dan Conway, CEO, the Publishers Association
Moderation by Publishing Perspectives

Thursday, March 13
11:15 a.m. to 12 p.m., Main Stage
Turning the Page: Publishing’s Role in Keeping the Focus on Sustainability

Gvantsa Jobava and Mary Glenn

While the industry has embraced a wide range of initiatives such as expanding the list of titles that explore sustainability, engaging new voices and audiences, promoting diversity, advancing accessible publishing, supporting literacy, and adopting greener production methods, it can be difficult to gauge the true impact of these efforts.

This session explores the challenges of staying committed to sustainability in all aspects from acquisitions and marketing to distribution, measuring progress effectively, and making tangible strides on complex global issues—while showcasing what publishers have already accomplished and what more can be done.

Speakers:

Gvantsa Jobava, president, International Publishers Association (IPA)
Mary Glenn, chief of United Nations Publications, United Nations
Moderation by Publishing Perspectives

More from Publishing Perspectives on London Book Fair is here, more on rights and licensing in the book industry is here, more on book fairs and trade shows in the world publishing industry is here, and more on the United Kingdom’s publishing market is here.

About the Author

Porter Anderson

Porter Anderson has been named International Trade Press Journalist of the Year in London Book Fair's International Excellence Awards. He is Editor-in-Chief of Publishing Perspectives. He formerly was Associate Editor for The FutureBook at London's The Bookseller. Anderson was for more than a decade a senior producer and anchor with CNN.com, CNN International, and CNN USA. As an arts critic (Fellow, National Critics Institute), he was with The Village Voice, the Dallas Times Herald, and the Tampa Tribune, now the Tampa Bay Times. He co-founded The Hot Sheet, a newsletter for authors, which now is owned and operated by Jane Friedman.