Every year the International Book Fair in Frankfurt attracts thousands of visitors, exhibitors and authors from around the world. As a meeting point for creative exchange, the trade fair for publishers and booksellers gauges the latest trends in the book branch and helps define the most important topics in the industry.

One of the key issues this year is the decline in annual book sales and the much-needed restructuring of the German publishing industry. After years of growth, the industry is suffering its first real economic slump and book stores are closing at an unprecedented rate.

Of course not everything at Frankfurt is doom and gloom. The fair’s featured country, Lithuania, stands out with its rich political and literary history, and the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe will be awarded the annual Peace Prize from the German Publishers’ and Booksellers’ Association.