The Guadalajara International Book Fair, which is also known as Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara (FIL), is the second grandest book fair in the world. A certain country is invited every year to be the guest of honor showcasing their culture and literature. In FIL 2015, which took place last November 28 to December 6 at the Expo Guadalajara Convention Center, the United Kingdom took the spotlight as the guest of honor.

The book fair has been successful for the past 28 years. This year, on its 29th, it gathered over 800,000 attendees. They are composed of publishers, authors, booksellers, librarians, and many other professionals in the publishing industry. We, at LitFire, had a great time as one of the exhibitors at the event. And what made the experience even better was that we had some of our prized authors with us during the fair.

Cami Onolfo (author of Miracle Herbs and Plants: Medicinal Recipes Manual), Robert Sherman (author of Magical Wings), and Ernesto Amaranto (author of 3 Little Swallows) graced our booth with their presence and signed copies of their books for the visitors. Our representatives were able to spend some time with these wonderful authors outside of the event as well, and greatly enjoyed their company.

Luck was on Cami Onolfo’s side because her book was picked up by a Spanish publisher, earning her a contract with them. We are so happy for Cami. After all, that’s our goal. That’s why we join book fairs – to help authors make their dreams come true!

All in all, the event was not only enjoyable, but it has paved the way for many opportunities. It was one of the best events we’ve been to so far, and we’ll surely be participating in the Guadalajara International Book Fair again next year! Next up for LitFire is the Tucson Festival of Books. Will you be joining us?