London Book Fair cancelled over coronavirus fears

This yr’s London E book Honest, one of many UK’s largest guide occasions, has been referred to as off because of issues over the coronavirus outbreak.

“It’s with reluctance that we’ve taken the choice to not go forward with this yr’s occasion,” mentioned organiser Reed Exhibitions in a statement.

The announcement follows plenty of publishers and businesses pulling out of the occasion.

It had been scheduled to happen at Olympia London from 10 to 12 March.

Reed Exhibitions mentioned lots of the truthful’s members had confronted journey restrictions within the run-up to this yr’s occasion.

The corporate mentioned London E book Honest would return “higher than ever” in 2021.

Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster have been amongst a number of main publishers to withdraw from the truthful earlier than its cancellation.

Amazon additionally pulled out earlier this week “out of an abundance of warning, and with the well being and security of our staff, prospects and companions as our No. 1 precedence”.

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The annual truthful sees greater than 25,000 individuals concerned within the publishing business collect to advertise their books, promote rights and negotiate offers.

The occasion, first held in 1971, had been because of have a good time its 50th anniversary this yr.

Cressida Cowell, Lynda La Plante, Edna O’Brien and Gyles Brandreth had been among the many authors set to attend.

‘Precautionary choice’

Issues about coronavirus have additionally put paid to a World E book Day occasion that was because of happen on the New Wimbledon Theatre in south-west London on Thursday.

Greater than 1,000 youngsters from 17 colleges had been because of attend occasions that includes authors together with Karyn Parsons, Konnie Huq and Sita Brahmachari.

The organisers of Wimbledon BookFest mentioned they’d taken “the precautionary choice to cancel”. It got here days after a workers member at Wimbledon Faculty examined constructive.

“Though right now formal steerage on massive gatherings has not modified, we perceive issues that colleges and oldsters could not need their youngsters mixing in massive teams of this sort,” organisers mentioned in a statement.

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