The publishing industry seeks new markets at Liber 2026

The international Spanish-language book business will look towards Barcelona once again for Liber 2026. The fair, which will be held from September 29th to October 1st at the Gran Via venue, will open new commercial opportunities in emerging markets and will focus on boosting the growth of publishing rights sales and sector debate.

Liber will take place at a time of strength for the Spanish publishing industry. In 2025, the sector recorded a turnover of 3.138 billion euros, 3.3% more than the previous year, marking twelve consecutive years of growth. For its part, the value of exports will approach 400 million euros, according to data from the Federation of Publishers' Guilds of Spain (FGEE).

The fair will bring together nearly 250 exhibitors from 19 countries and an estimated attendance of 9,000 professionals (nearly 40% international), who will find at Liber a space for business, training, and the exchange of experiences with the capacity to project the Spanish publishing ecosystem beyond its borders.

Liber's commercial offering ranges from large publishing groups to independent publishers, academic and scientific-technical publishers, as well as companies specializing in children's and young adult literature, educational, didactic, or religious books, with prominent institutional participation from the autonomous communities. Companies providing services for the production, distribution, and commercialization of books also participate, as well as professional associations in the sector, with international exhibitors from countries such as Germany, the United States, France, China, Greece, Italy, Ukraine, or Peru, among others.

New markets

"We have a solid publishing industry and a language spoken by almost 600 million people around the world. Liber is the best showcase to connect this potential with new markets, strengthen exports, and continue expanding the international presence of our authors and publishers," asserts Manuel González, president of the FGEE and Liber.

In collaboration with various institutions and organizations, Liber 2026 has strengthened its International Buyers Program, as well as those for Priority Interest Prescribers, US Librarians, and Publishers and Literary Agents. The goal is to incentivize commercial agreements and the international purchase and sale of publishing rights.

Through these initiatives, the fair has invited more than 700 professionals from 70 countries, including buyers, distributors, booksellers, librarians, literary agents, publishers, and other prescribers with direct decision-making capacity and influence in the acquisition of books and editorial rights. The organization expects these key guest programs to generate more than 4,000 business meetings with exhibiting companies, favoring new commercial opportunities and the international expansion of Spanish books.

Rights Hall

Precisely, one of the key spaces that will be consolidated in this edition will be the Rights Hall, which was inaugurated last year and is intended for the sale, purchase, and management of editorial and literary rights. This area will concentrate business meetings previously scheduled between agents, international publishers, and publishers to negotiate agreements for translation, territorial transfer, co-edition, distribution, and adaptation of works into different formats.

With the support of a specific international program that has invited 120 specialists from 46 countries, the Rights Hall aims to reinforce the role of Liber as one of the main meeting points for the international negotiation of editorial content in Spanish and to promote new growth opportunities through the exploitation and global circulation of intellectual property.

This year's edition is organized by Fira de Barcelona and the FGEE. It is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones, the Barcelona City Council, the Government of Catalonia, and the Spanish Reproduction Rights Centre (CEDRO). Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), the Association of Publishers in the Catalan Language, and the Publishers' Guild of Catalonia also collaborate.