In spring 2025, İntrotema attended the 62nd Bologna Children’s Book Fair from March 31 to April 3 in Bologna, Italy. Renowned for art, publishing, translation rights, and innovation, the fair offered rich opportunities to connect with publishers, illustrators, and literary professionals across children’s and YA sectors.
The fair welcomed around 1,577 exhibitors from 95 countries and over 33,000 trade visitors. In 2025, it highlighted sustainability, hybrid media, translation, and digital storytelling. Key areas included children’s publishing, BolognaBookPlus, and Licensing/Rights & TV-Film/Games centers.
For İntrotema, the goals were:
-
Showcase children’s, YA, and illustrated titles for translation and cross-media adaptation.
-
Engage with rights directors, agents, and editors exploring new voices and visual narratives.
-
Explore co-publishing, licensing, and adaptation opportunities across Europe and beyond.
-
Track trends in illustrated middle-grade, hybrid formats, and multimedia-ready works.
Meetings with European publishers focused on translating Turkish children’s and YA titles. Discussions included co-editions, collaborations with illustrators, and licensing deals for animation or digital adaptation. A key insight: editors favor “bridge” works that merge chapter books, graphic narratives, or illustrated novels suited for digital formats. Panels emphasized shorter, high-concept stories and visual storytelling as a tool for cultural exchange.
The fair’s awards, including BolognaRagazzi and the BOP, highlighted excellence in content and design. Bologna continues to combine artistic showcase with business rigor, making it a vital meeting point for the global children’s publishing community.
Bologna 2025 left us inspired, with promising leads, new connections, and clear direction for future rights and cross-media projects. We look forward to continuing collaborations, translating more stories, and sharing them across languages and formats.