Marketing Manager Daniel Li won the 2026 Trailblazer Award at the London Book Fair, while Sinoist Books held multiple signing ceremonies for new books.
At the packed Main Stage of the London Book Fair on Thursday, 12th March, Marketing Manager, Daniel Li, was awarded a London Book Fair 2026 Trailblazer Award for his exceptional creativity, dedication, and innovation within the publishing industry.
Sinoist Books is an independent publisher that specialises in translating Sinophone literature into English. They have translated works by Dong Xi, Jia Pingwa, Yao Emei and many more renowned Chinese authors.
Sinoist Books believes that this award is not only a proud moment for Daniel and Sinoist, but for everyone passionate about bringing Sinophone literature to Anglophone audiences.
“We hope this will be the start of a fresh and even more exciting chapter,” says Wang Ying, chief publisher of Sinoist Books, “one that champions an even more diverse range of voices and gives inspiration to the next generation of publishers. This award is a testament to Daniel’s hard work and unrelenting drive, attributes which have been central to our mission over the last decade.”
The Trailblazer Award is an annual award run by London Book Fair in partnership with the Publishers Association, supported by the Society of Young Publishers and BookBrunch. The award is for professionals with less than ten years’ experience in the industry, who have “demonstrated the ability to inspire others, and have had a positive impact”.
The day before, Daniel Li was busy running the signing ceremony for The Passage of Roses by Tie Ning and Nehe Memories by Huang Rong, the latest Chinese-language books Sinoist will bring to English readers. There was also a separate signing ceremony for Sounds and Faces, written by a collection of Chinese authors.
Daniel Li told China Minutes: “The Anglophone and Sinophone publishing industries are the two most influential worldwide, but exchange between them has historically been a one-way street, with Chinese stories struggling to gain purchase in the UK. This is slowly changing. The trailblazer award is not only recognition of the work Sinoist Books is doing, but also validation that we are on the right track to bridge these two dynamic cultures through their stories in translation.”
The signing ceremony for The Passage of Roses and Nehe Memories took place at the China Joint Pavilion at the London Book Fair, which brought together dozens of different Chinese publishers in one place. They arrived with a portfolio of thousands of titles and organised a schedule of more than 40 events. The agenda covers everything from new book launches to author talks. Sounds and Faces’ signing ceremony took place at the Jiangsu Phoenix stand, one of the many other Chinese publishers that had stands at the London Book Fair.
The London Book Fair ran from 10th to 12th March at the major events venue Olympia in London. It is one of the most important publishing events in the world, offering opportunities to sign rights for books, connect authors and publishers, and attend events.
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