Taken as read

Another important stat is the one stating that 15 percent of attendees last year were looking for children's literature. Data from publishing industry researcher WordsRated noted that kid lit and young adult (YA) book sales totaled US$11.34 billion globally in 2022, with the category expected to grow 3.5 percent in five years.

As such, the theme of this year's fair is "Children's and Young Adult Literature". The fair aims to support reading among children and teens, as books for those groups have profound educational value, and reading is a major contributor to ideation, imagination, and the formation of worldviews, to quote an HKBF press statement.

This year's more than 600 seminars and cultural events are organized under the tagline "Reading the World: The Joy of Reading for Children and Youth". "The 2023 Book Fair places a strong emphasis on children's and young adult literature, with the aim of inspiring young people to discover this genre and gain valuable insights for their personal growth," notes the HKTDC spokesperson. On top of which, they add, "People of all ages can enjoy this category of book, rediscover the joy of reading, and reconnect with their childlike wonder."