Four things to do at the Frankfurt Book Fair

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The world's largest publishing event, the Frankfurt Book Fair, opens its doors to the public this weekend after a week of hosting industry professionals.

Here are four things to look out for at the annual literary feast:

Archangel Ink Photo

Hear, hear

What book are you listening to? If industry experts are to be believed, e-books are out and audio books are in, with a little help from online streaming services and star narrators.

Why read Hillary Clinton's new memoir, "What Happened", when you can listen to her telling her own story on your smartphone?

Publishing giant Penguin Random House said at the Frankfurt trade show that it was seeing double-digit growth in audio books around the world. "It harks back to telling and listening to stories around the campfire," CEO Markus Dohle told reporters.

Spruce up your Wikipedia page

If you're important enough to have your own Wikipedia page but have always been bothered by the unflattering open-source photo used, step into Wikipedia's portrait studio.

You'll be in good company: Belgium's Queen Mathilde was among those getting snapped by the online encyclopedia's photographers at the fair.

Or maybe you want to fix a mistake you've spotted in a Wikipedia entry? Take a seat at one of the laptops on hand and set the record straight.

Frankfurter Buchmesse Photo

Bedtime story

If you really can't drag yourself away, Frankfurt's smallest hotel room may be for you. Located on the top floor of a four-story container tower with a panoramic view of the fair's courtyard, it comes with a queen-size bed, fluffy white towels and an author at your bedside to read you a good night story.

Make a wish

Write down your deepest wish on a piece of paper, slip it into a slot along with some coins and wait for a personalized drawing to come out roughly 15 minutes later, created by a group of artists hidden from view inside a "human vending machine".

But be careful what you wish for. If you're not back in time to pick up your creation, it goes on the wall along with your handwritten note, revealing your most personal thoughts.

One such forgotten wish that read "more time to live" was rewarded with a sketch of a chubby horse blissfully skipping through a meadow. You'll have to queue to find the meaning of this one.

(Top image credit: Frankfurter Buchmesse Photo)

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Source(s): AFP