Svět knihy

What Svět knihy does

Svět knihy, s.r.o. is a Czech private limited company founded in 1997 and wholly owned by the Association of Czech Booksellers and Publishers (Svaz českých knihkupců a nakladatelů, SČKN). The company's principal business is organizing international book fairs and literary festivals, anchored by Svět knihy Praha (Book World Prague), an annual spring event held at Křižíkovy pavilony at Výstaviště Praha that in 2026 reached its 31st edition, and Svět knihy Plzeň, an autumn book fair launched in 2018 at the DEPO2015 venue featuring book production from over sixty publishers. In 2023 the company expanded its scope by launching the CEEBM (Central and Eastern European Book Market) platform for publishers, agencies, and literary professionals focused on CEE book markets, and by taking over the Knižní novinky trade magazine from its parent association in January 2023; the magazine is distributed to all Czech bookstores at a circulation of 15,000 copies and provides an overview of new releases in the book market.

The company generates revenue through three streams: exhibitor fees from publishers and booksellers paying to participate in the book fair and literary festival events, online ticket sales through eshop.svetknihy.cz for visitor access, and subscription-style publishing revenue from Knižní novinky magazine. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Marketing and program delivery are supported by a broad institutional partner network that includes the European Commission, the Czech Ministry of Culture, the City of Prague, Czech Television, Czech Radio, EUNIC, the National Library of the Czech Republic, and the Moravian Library. Svět knihy is operated by a small team of approximately 7 employees, with no venture capital or external investment disclosed, and serves both B2B customers (publishers, booksellers, literary agents, distributors) and a B2C audience of book enthusiasts and the general public attending the fairs. Core technology is not disclosed; the product surface is primarily physical events, a print magazine, and a basic e-commerce ticketing site.

The company is a privately held, association-owned operating entity, domiciled in the Czech Republic, with operating geographies explicitly listed as Czech Republic and Slovakia. It does not develop proprietary software, APIs, or AI capabilities, and it holds no disclosed patents or trademarks. Its strategic posture is consistent with a mission-oriented trade association subsidiary: preserve and grow the Czech book industry's primary annual showcase, broaden international reach via CEEBM, and reinforce trade information flow through the magazine, while relying on public-sector cultural funding and trade association support to sustain operations.

Name

Svět knihy

Legal name

Svět knihy, s.r.o.

Website

https://svetknihy.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Svět knihy, s.r.o. is a Czech trade fair organizer wholly owned by the Association of Czech Booksellers and Publishers. It produces the annual Book World Prague international book fair (31st edition in 2026), Book World Plzeň, the CEEBM platform for Central and Eastern European book markets, and the Knižní novinky trade magazine distributed to all Czech bookstores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Fairs and Literary Festivals

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional & Association Conferences (MPAGAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM), Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE)

Keywords

• Book fair organization
• Literary festival management
• Trade show services
• Publishing industry events
• Book trade exhibitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Prague

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Exhibitor fees: Revenue from publishers and booksellers paying to exhibit at the book fair and literary festival events
2. Ticket sales: Online ticket sales through eshop.svetknihy.cz for visitor access to the book fair
3. Magazine publishing: Publishing revenue from Knižní novinky magazine, taken over in January 2023, distributed to bookstores in circulation of 15,000 copies

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Svět knihy, s.r.o. organizes international book fairs and literary festivals in the Czech Republic, including Svět knihy Praha (annual spring fair at Křižíkovy pavilony) and Svět knihy Plzeň (autumn event at DEPO2015). It also operates the CEEBM international platform for Central and Eastern European publishing professionals and publishes the Knižní novinky industry magazine distributed to bookstores nationwide.

Product overview

Svět knihy is a company of the Association of Czech Booksellers and Publishers that organizes international book fairs and literary festivals. The primary offerings include Svět knihy Praha (annual spring book fair in Prague), Svět knihy Plzeň (autumn book event since 2018), and the CEEBM platform for Central and Eastern European publishing. Since January 2023, the company also publishes Knižní novinky magazine. All events feature online ticket sales through eshop.svetknihy.cz.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CEEBM: International platform for publishers, agents, literary institutions and book industry professionals interested in Central and East European literatures and book markets.
• Knižní novinky

Products and services

• Svět knihy Praha (Book World Prague) International book fair and literary festival held annually at Křižíkovy pavilony in Prague, featuring exhibitors from numerous countries, literary programs, panel discussions, author readings, and professional visitor sessions.
• Svět knihy Plzeň (Book World Pilsen) Autumn international book fair and literary festival held at the DEPO2015 venue, presenting book production from over sixty publishers and featuring dozens of Czech and foreign authors across genre-diverse literary programs.
• Knižní novinky (magazine) Industry magazine distributed to all bookstores in the Czech Republic in a circulation of 15,000 copies, providing an overview of new releases in the book market. Publishers fulfill their statutory supply obligation through this magazine.
• CEEBM (Central and Eastern European Book Market) International platform for publishers, agencies, literary institutions, and book industry professionals interested in Central and Eastern European literary production and book markets.
• Online Ticketing (eshop.svetknihy.cz) Online ticket sales system for the book fair and literary festival events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 60 publishers participate in Book World Plzeň
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Svaz českých knihkupců a nakladatelů (SČKN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSvět knihy is the company of the Association of Czech Booksellers and Publishers (SČKN). SČKN is a professional organization protecting the interests of publishers, distributors, and booksellers, contributing to the development of Czech book culture. Svět knihy was founded by SČKN in 1997.
• European CommissionmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerEuropean Commission supports the book fair and literary programs through institutional partnership
• Ministry of Culture of the Czech RepublicmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment ministry supporting cultural events and book industry in Czech Republic
• Hlavní město Praha (Prague City)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrague city government supporting cultural events and literary festivals
• Česká televize (Czech Television)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublic broadcaster partner for book fair coverage and promotion
• Český rozhlas (Czech Radio)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublic radio partner for literary programs and coverage
• Národní knihovna ČR (National Library of Czech Republic)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational library as institutional partner for book industry events
• EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerEuropean network of cultural institutes supporting international literary exchange
• DeníkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCzech daily newspaper as media partner
• České dráhy (Czech Railways)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational railway as transportation partner for visitors

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gothenburg Book Fair (Bokmässan): Scandinavia's leading book fair and literary festival held annually in Gothenburg, combining publisher exhibiting with extensive literary programming. Comparable as a mid-sized European fair with strong literary festival component.
• London Book Fair: Annual international book fair organized by Reed Exhibitions at Olympia London, focused on rights trading, publisher exhibiting and professional content. Highly comparable to Book World Prague in format, audience (publishers, agents, booksellers) and international exhibitor composition.
• Salon du Livre / Livre Paris: Annual book fair and literary festival held in Paris, combining trade exhibitor access with public-facing author programming. Same dual-audience (trade + general public) model as Svět knihy Praha.
• Bologna Children's Book Fair: Leading international children's book fair organized by BolognaFiere, focused on rights trading and publisher exhibiting in a defined literary niche. Comparable to Book World Prague in format and B2B rights-trading focus, though specialized in children's content.
• Leipziger Buchmesse: Major German-language book fair held annually in Leipzig with strong literary festival programming. Closely comparable to Book World Prague as a European city-based trade fair combining B2B publisher exhibiting with public literary programming.

Regional players

• Feria del Libro de Madrid: Spain's signature book fair held in Madrid's Retiro Park, combining publisher exhibits with author readings. Comparable event format to Book World Prague but serving a different (Spanish-speaking) market and operating in a distinct geography.
• Warsaw Book Fair: Annual international book fair held in Warsaw, Poland — a fellow Central European market with strong overlap with Svět knihy's CEEBM focus area. Comparable event format and CEE publisher audience.

Broad incumbents

• Frankfurter Buchmesse: The world's largest international book fair, held annually in Frankfurt, Germany. Directly comparable to Book World Prague as a trade book fair serving publishers, literary agents and booksellers with rights-trading, professional programming and international exhibitor scope — operates at much larger scale.

Others

• Buchkatalog / VLB (Vergütungs- und Leistungskontrolle) Trade Services: German book-trade marketing and bibliographic services company distributing trade catalog data to bookstores. Comparable to the bookstore-distribution function of Knižní novinky, serving as infrastructure for book-market information flow.
• Publishers Weekly: US trade publication for the book industry, covering publisher news, reviews and rights trading — analogous to the role of Knižní novinky for the Czech market. Comparable as an industry trade media asset serving publishers and booksellers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sv%C4%9Bt-knihy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Svět knihy