Andorra debuts at Guadalajara book fair to boost Latin American distribution

The Guadalajara International Book Fair, one of the most important in Latin America, was the meeting point for publishers and literary professionals from around the world, and this year Andorra participated for the first time. A delegation of Andorran publishers travelled to Mexico aiming to make contacts to expand the distribution of Andorran literature across the Atlantic.

The delegation, led by David Gálvez (Medusa and Anem), Lluís Viu (Editorial Andorra) and Jan Arimany (Trotalibros), used the fair to establish connections with Mexican and other Latin American editors and distributors. Although no formal contracts were finalised, the participants described their stay as very positive and said the objective of raising their profile and building future ties had been achieved.

Jan Arimany stood out for the visibility he gained during the fair. Responsible for Trotalibros and author of a literary YouTube channel, he drew long queues for book signings and was frequently stopped for photographs. Arimany also met with prominent figures in publishing, including Cristina Franco of Sexto Piso, and held talks with publishers from other countries to explore purchasing publication rights to expand Trotalibros’s catalogue. Trotalibros’s titles already have distribution in parts of Latin America.

Andorran participation also featured the presentation of a volume that includes a contribution from Mexican author Emmanuel Vizcaya, who is part of Medusa’s catalogue. Delegation members took part in several roundtables, including one on translating Catalan into the various variants of Spanish, which featured a translator who has worked with Trotalibros, and a second discussion that included translator Dolors Udina. These sessions allowed participants to examine the challenges and opportunities involved in translating Catalan literature into other languages.

Overall, Andorra secured significant visibility at the Guadalajara fair, began forming key links with the regional literary community, and received a strong response from attendees. Delegates said these initial steps will serve to continue the internationalisation of Andorran literature and to build a distribution network to reach more readers in Mexico and the rest of Latin America — and vice versa.