Publishers have a rosy outlook

Offering heartfelt thanks for the wizardly sales performance of “Harry Potter,” the world’s largest book fair was launched in Germany on Tuesday with publishers insisting recovery was on the way.

The organizers of the 55th Frankfurt Book Fair said the number of exhibitors was up 4% with more than 6,600 taking part from 104 countries.

“We take this strong growth as a clear sign that we have been able to halt the negative trend of the past two years,” said Book Fair president Volker Neumann. “It shows confidence in the development of the industry as a whole, which appears to be showing signs of recovery worldwide.”

The fair accounts for 80% of the world’s rights deals every year.