London Book Fair 2026 – Opportunity for Independent Publishers

Inpress are working with Arts Council England (ACE) to offer up to twelve independent publishers full delegate access to London Book Fair (LBF) 2026. The opportunity will cover all three days of LBF, from 10–12 March at Olympia London. 

The selected publishers will receive tickets to LBF 2026, get an Exhibitor Profile Listing in the LBF Directory, have the use of a stock display shelf on the stand hosted by ACE/Inpress, and will be given access to bookable meeting tables on the shared stand during the fair. We are also able to offer each successful publisher a bursary (on evidence of need) toward travel, accommodation and/or subsistence costs.

The London Book Fair is one of the world’s biggest international literary and publishing   events. It offers a valuable space for the global publishing community to network, conduct business meetings and build brand awareness. We recognise, however, that the cost of attending LBF can be a prohibitive barrier for many small publishers which are crucial to national excellence in literature. 

To qualify for this opportunity, we ask for the following criteria:

• You are a small independent publisher, based in England. We would define ‘small independent’ as owner-operated and fewer than five FTE staff.
• You have a list(s) foregrounding fiction, poetry, comic art, creative non-fiction, or translated fiction in the above genres (we are unlikely to consider academic or educational publishers).
• You plan to publish one or more titles between February and August 2026, that would benefit from LBF market exposure.  
• You are not self-publishing, or operating a hybrid publishing model.  

An invitation to submit an application will go live on Monday 1st December 2025, with a deadline of 12pm, Monday 22nd December 2025. Decisions will be made by Inpress, with the support of ACE, and will be communicated by Friday 23rd January 2026. The chosen publishers will be selected on application merit, geography and representation of contemporary England. 

We expect successful applicants to attend the three days of LBF and all publishers must contractually abide by LBF’s Terms & Conditions. Publishers will have capacity to develop meeting plans and contacts in advance of LBF attendance, to maximise the varied commercial opportunities. 

We look forward to hearing from you! To make an application, please click here from Monday 1st December. If you have any questions, please contact enquiries@inpressbooks.co.uk.