Bi-annual Jerusalem book fests join forces to become yearly event
The Jerusalem International Book Fair and the International Writers Festival are now the annual Jerusalem International Book Forum, bringing authors and publishers together
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center

Two favorite Jerusalem book events, the bi-annual Jerusalem International Book Fair and the yearly International Writers Festival, are combining to become an annual festival known as the Jerusalem International Book Forum, which will be held for the first time next year, May 12-16, 2019.
The Jerusalem International Book Fair, initially held in the International Convention Center and then in several Jerusalem locations including The First Station, is the larger event, bringing together publishing professionals since 1963, and will become a professional publishers’ conference. The Writers Festival, usually held at Mishkenot Sha’ananim, is a smaller, more intimate event, hosting authors every other year since 2008, and will now be an annual event.
The new, joint event will include a combination of professional and literary events, with an eye toward increasing collaborative efforts between publishing professionals and authors.
During the event, publishing professionals and writers will appear on panels, in discussion groups, offering presentations and open interviews and in informal gatherings.

The new International Book Forum was designed as a “professional and social meeting ground,” said Yoel Makov, who directs the Jerusalem International Book Fair. “It will be a Jerusalem-based gathering of the publishing profession’s leading figures for personal interaction and for creating new initiatives and collaborative efforts.”