For six days in October, the world publishing community is thrown into a nightmare of fast deals, foreign rights sales, and three a.m. dinners of stale Apfelpfannkuchen at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

But this year big trouble is brewing, as long-time complaints about the Fair as an antiquated and expensive way to do business come to a head. Holtzbrinck USA threw down the gauntlet by slashing the size of their contingent to Frankfurt. A Publishers Weekly article claims, "Holtzbrinck's dissatisfaction does not appear to be shared by other publishers," which we understand is completely untrue. Rumored defectors from the fair include nearly every New York publisher from oldschool fancypants Farrar, Straus to the fast-talkers at Miramax Books.

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Holtzbrinck USA Downsizing Frankfurt Fair Contingent [PW]