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International Istanbul Book Fair 2026

Istanbul Book Fair puts Turkish publishing in front of its readers with both commercial scale and a literary program.

Dec 12-20, 2026 · Tüyap Fair and Congress Center, Büyükçekmece/İstanbul

Exhibitors last year
760
Visitors last year
609K
Show days
9

The 2025 fair attracted 608,824 visitors and brought together 760 exhibitors from 14 countries. Publishers share the floor with booksellers, educational publishers, periodicals and civil-society organizations, while author appearances and signing sessions make the exhibition a public cultural gathering as well as a place to sell books.

TÜYAP has organized the fair since 1982 with the Turkish Publishers Association as its publishing-sector partner. Its honorary-author tradition gives the program a literary center of gravity: Murathan Mungan was the featured writer in 2025. The international hall adds a distinct business setting for publishers, agencies and cultural institutions to discuss rights and introduce their markets. For a publisher looking at Türkiye, the useful combination is contact with the book trade and direct exposure to the people who buy and read its books.

How it compares

  1. The London Book FairLondon, 33K
  2. Frankfurter BuchmesseFrankfurt, 236K
  3. This show: International Istanbul Book FairBüyükçekmece/İstanbul

Frankfurter Buchmesse suits a publisher whose main objective is international rights and licensing across many markets. Its program connects book publishing with film, games and technology, and its mix of professional and public audiences gives a foreign-rights team a wider range of counterparties. Istanbul puts the Turkish reader relationship closer to the center of the visit. A publisher testing local interest, introducing a translated list or supporting an author appearance has a different reason to take a stand here.

The London Book Fair is the spring option for publishing professionals who want a trade setting. Its International Rights Centre is reserved for pre-arranged appointments, and its seminars cover translation, academic publishing, audio and publishing technology. That format rewards a tightly defined rights agenda. Istanbul's international hall provides a business strand within a much larger reader-facing fair, making it useful when rights discussions and public visibility belong in the same trip.

For booksellers, educational publishers and cultural organizations working in Türkiye, Istanbul's breadth is practical: literature, learning materials, periodicals and secondhand books all form part of the fair. An international rights team with little need for Turkish-market engagement can make the more focused professional appointment at London or the broader global circuit at Frankfurt.

The right trip for publishers who want to reach Turkish readers while developing relationships with Türkiye's publishing trade.

Who exhibits

The mix extends beyond commercial publishing houses to educational and reference publishers, booksellers, NGOs, periodicals and local government. International publishers, agencies and cultural institutions have a dedicated hall for market introductions and rights discussions. The result is a floor where book sales, author encounters and publishing business sit alongside one another. Secondhand books, magazines and fanzines widen the offer for readers, while the illustrators wall gives visual storytelling a place within the publishing program.

This year's list is on its way. A HallBrief brief ranks every exhibitor against your goals and finds who to meet at each. Get a brief

International Istanbul Book Fair 2026

Istanbul Book Fair 2026 returns for its 43rd outing with the international hall and the illustrators wall as distinct parts of the publishing program. The hall brings domestic and foreign publishers, agencies and cultural institutions together for rights discussions and market presentations. The illustrators wall again presents artists' work to readers, students and publishers. Book signing areas across the exhibition halls keep encounters with authors at the center of the wider public fair.

  • Use the international hall for conversations about translation rights and foreign publishing markets, then explore the reader-facing publisher stands as a separate part of the visit.
  • Treat the illustrators wall as a distinct stop for visual storytelling, especially when assessing talent or illustrated titles.
  • For secondhand and rare print interests, look beyond new-release publishers to the fair's bookseller stands and periodical offer.

What your brief includes

The full exhibitor list, and what to do with it.

  1. Halvorsen ProzesstechnikIndustrial machinery / Germany#3
  2. Alpenküche SystemeCommercial kitchens / Austria#4
  3. Brauwerk WielandBeverages / Germany#5

#3Halvorsen Prozesstechnik

Why it matters
Their hygienic conveyor line fits the plant expansion you described.
Who to meet
Head of Key Accounts, Food Processing
What to ask
Lead times for installations in 2027.

Example from a sample brief. The company is fictional.

How a brief is made

  1. Tell us your goals

    A short interview: what you want from International Istanbul Book Fair and which kinds of partners you are after.

  2. We research each company, one by one

    For each company: what it makes, who it sells to, how it fits your goals and who buys there. Then we compare them side by side and rank the ones worth your time.

  3. Walk in with a plan

    A ranked list, a deep dive on each of your top picks, the people to meet and a strategy deck, all before the doors open.

Walk into International Istanbul Book Fair knowing who to meet.

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