The 38^th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2019) will be a dream come true for book lovers, with more than 60 international authors and cultural personalities set to participate in the third largest book fair in the world.

SIBF 2019 will take place from October 30 to November 9 at Expo Centre Sharjah. Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), a prime feature of the fair each year is its extensive programme of seminars, speeches and panel discussions featuring renowned writers and novelists from around the world.

This year’s roster of celebrities includes America’s most-loved host, Steve Harvey, taking part as SIBF’s ‘Principal Guest of Honour’, Nobel Prize-winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk and Mark Manson, a blogger, internet entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author whose books have reached #1 in 13 different countries, been translated into more than 50 languages and sold nine million copies worldwide.

Bestselling crime novelist and forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs, whose books were the basis of the popular television series ‘Bones’ will be present along with the author of the New York Times bestsellers ‘Nemesis’, ‘Genesis’ and ‘Chrysalis’, as well as the ‘Virals’ series, Brendan Reichs.

James Clear, a bestselling author, entrepreneur, speaker and photographer, writes about habits and self-improvement. Elisabetta Dami is a bestselling children’s author from Italy whose Geronimo Stilton series have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 180 million copies. Ibtihaj Muhammad, a champion Olympic fencer, author, speaker and entrepreneur from the USA, is the New York Times best-selling author of ‘ The THE PROUDEST BLUE, and her memoir, PROUD.

Bestselling thriller writer Steven James is the author of ‘The Queen’ and ‘Every Wicked Man’. Fabrice Jaumont is an award-winning educator, researcher and author from France. Ellah Wakatama Allfrey is a former deputy editor of Granta magazine and the founding publishing director of The Indigo Press. TEDx speaker Céline Santini has written 25 self-help books for adults and children.

Bernice L. McFadden is the author of 10 critically acclaimed novels including the award-winning ‘The Book of Harlan’. H.M. Naqvi is the award-winning author of ‘Home Boy’ and ‘The Selected Works of Abdullah the Cossack’. Editor and author Joanne C. Hillhouse has been listed on LitHub and has published six books. Internationally acclaimed award-winning educator, Stephen Ritz is the author of the best-selling book, ‘The Power of a Plant’, and the founder of Green Bronx Machine. Kathleen Antrim is an award-winning author, host and commentator.

Leila Aboulela is the author of ‘The Kindness of Enemies’ and five other bestsellers. Lynne Constantine cowrites thrillers such as ‘The Last Mrs. Parrish’ and the television series ‘The Network’. Valerie Constantine Rees wrote ‘The last Time I saw You’ and is the co-author of ‘The Last Mrs Parrish’. Ghanaian Margaret Busby became Britain’s youngest and first black woman publisher when she co-founded Allison & Busby. She compiled the groundbreaking anthologies, ‘Daughters of Africa’ and ‘New Daughters of Africa’.

Author of children and young adult fiction, S.K. Ali’s bestsellers ‘Saints and Misfits’ and ‘Love from A to Z’ have been shortlisted for many awards. Natàlia Cerezo is a novelist and short story writer from Spain. Author, screenwriter, director and editor, Pablo Herrán’s first novel ‘Manuel Bergman’ elevated him to the Spanish Government’s list of 10 best Spanish authors between the ages of 30 and 40.

Anand Neelakantan invented a new genre in Indian writing – the counter-telling of mythology. His books view well-known stories through a new prism. He is the author of the ‘Baahubali’ trilogy, that formed the basis of a hugely popular film. Poet and bestselling author Anita Nair from India is also the author of a crime series. Ashwin Sanghi from India writes bestselling historical fiction. Gulshan Grover has made a name for himself playing ’bad man’ characters in Bollywood and Hollywood, while Jeet Thayil is an award-winning poet, novelist and musician whose first novel ‘Narcopolis’ was shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

Manish Koirala is a popular actress in Bollywood films and author of ‘Healed’, an account of her triumph over ovarian cancer. Raj Shamani is a speaker and entrepreneur who was the youngest Indian to speak at the UN Assembly. Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma writes lyrics for songs of popular films in the south Indian language of Malayalam. Ezhacherry Ramachandran is a popular poet, lyricist and journalist who writes in the south Indian language Malayalam. Tamizhachi Thangapandian is a poet and lyricist from the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, who is also an educationist and politician. Tovino Thomas is a popular actor from the south Indian state of Kerala.

Vikram Seth is the award-winning author of several novels and poetry collections, including ‘Mappings, ‘Beastly Tales’ and ‘A Suitable Boy’. Sampooran Singh Kalra, more popularly known as Gulzar, is a prolific poet, writer and filmmaker who has won several awards, including the Dadasaheb Phalke Award – the highest honour in Indian cinema, and the Academy Award for the song ‘Jai Ho; from the film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.

Lisa Ray is an Indian actress, model and television host who chronicled her courageous fight against multiple myeloma in her blog, ‘The Yellow Diaries’. Siddique is a popular actor and producer in south Indian films, primarily in Malayalam language. Navdeep Singh Suri is an Indian diplomat who is currently posted as Indian High Commissioner to the UAE. He has translated three of his grandfather Nanak Singh’s classical novels and poem in Punjabi into English. Gangatharanpillai Soudaminithankachi Pradeep is a television host and author who has published five books.

Ravish Kumar is an acclaimed television journalist, author and media personality who recently won the Ramon Magsaysay Award. He has won several prestigious journalism awards and is the author of ‘The Free Voice – On Democracy, Culture and the Nation’. Sonia Singh is a television journalist and editorial director of NDTV and author of ‘Defining India, Through their Eyes’. Chloe Madeley is an author, personal trainer and dietician who has two bestsellers to her credit.

Diana Darke is an expert in cultural affairs in the Middle East. Her books include ‘My House in Damascus’ and ‘The Merchant of Syria’. She also co-authored the recently published ‘The Last Sanctuary in Aleppo’. Disc jockey and former athlete James Haskell has played international rugby and represented England 77 times. Jessica Jarlvi is a Swedish author and public speaker known for her bestselling thrillers, including ‘When I Wake Up’. Meik Wiking is the CEO of The Happiness Research Institute and the author of several New York Times bestsellers.

Justin Marozzi is an author and former journalist who has published several award-winning books. Upile Chisala is a poet and storyteller from Malawi who has published several award-winning anthologies. Iain S. Thomas is the rarity among poets; his two anthologies have been bestsellers as well as critical successes. Gilly Macmillan is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of several books including ‘The Nanny’ and ‘The Perfect Girl’. Jordan Wylie is a British author and adventurer who has overcome many personal challenges to become an inspiration for many.

Nigerian writer Nnamdi Ehirim is only 26 years old and is already a published author and entrepreneur. Rosemary Wells is a children’s author who has published over 125 books and won many awards. Paullina Simons is the author of ‘The Bronze Horseman’ trilogy, the ‘End of Forever’ trilogy and ‘Tully’, among many other bestsellers. British author Alec Marsh is a seasoned journalist who now edits Spear’s Magazine.