Another week, another trade show. This week I visited the London Book Fair at Olympia. As an ex-publishing man, this is a show I really enjoy not least as licensing and publishing have always been close companions. Some of licensing’s most successful and enduring properties such as Harry Potter, Peter Rabbit, Asterix and Beano have their origins in the publishing sector.

Furthermore, in many ways a lot of authors and their books are treated as brands and in some respects ‘licences’ by publishers these days. Publishers are also more ‘licensing’ aware, looking to engage with rights holders to develop new products and, conversely, also looking to develop their brands through licensing. A great recent success story of a property crossing over from the book shelf to the merchandise aisles is the Vintage Ladybird programme.

A few of the highlights from the London Book Fair for me were: