The Bologna Children’s Book Fair isn’t just an event — it’s where global children’s publishing decides what survives. From instinct-driven acquisitions to geopolitical tensions, here’s what really happens behind the scenes — and why, even in 2026, nothing has kept the industry away.

While creatives can value originality, art, and the emotional resonance that is in their work, some CEOs and business leaders prioritise metrics, scalability, and efficiency. Originality can be seen as time wasting. This divergence of points of view can lead to creative contributions being dismissed as "generic," undervalued, or treated as interchangeable.