AlQa'dah 18, 1432, Oct 16, 2011, SPA -- The world's largest book fair closed on Sunday after a week in which digital distribution and new literature from guest country Iceland made headlines, dpa reported. "We're seeing a time of new startups - the book industry is undergoing an exciting shake up," trade show director Juergen Boos told dpa. While exhibitors were slightly less in number compared to 2010, Boos said interest in the fair among film and computer firms was strong. Fair visits were up 1 per cent year-on-year to 283,000 visitors; 7,384 exhibitors from 106 countries presented their wares. Agents and publishers selling international rights for educational, children's and science books did particularly brisk business, Boos said. Interest in literature from guest country Iceland was "stunning and nearly euphoric," said author and publisher Halldَr Gudmundsson, who helped organized Icelandic events at the fair. Iceland's publishing industry representative, Kristjan B Jonasson, told dpa that interest in Icelandic books among buyers from the US, eastern Europe, and south-east Asia, was also solid. Algerian write Boualem Sansal on Sunday won the German book industry's peace prize. The 25,000-euro prize is considered one of the country's most prestigious. The annual book fair, organized by the German Publishers & Booksellers Association, named New Zealand its 2012 guest of honour.
