This year, the Sharjah Publishers Conference will start on Sunday, November 3, with the first day comprising keynote sessions and round table workshops. On Monday, November 4, and Tuesday, November 5, there will be matchmaking sessions. In order to participate in these, publishers will have access to the online system, where they can schedule times with rights.
During the Sunday sessions, there will be four sessions of round table workshops, with 30 different topics for delegates to choose from. Most topics will be repeated at each session and are grouped under key themes: Audio; AI; Skills Lab; Geographical Focus; Genre Focus; French Language; Arabic Language, with space for 10-12 delegates at each session. Each round table lasts for an hour. The table’s host, after making a short presentation, will facilitate a Q&A and discussion among round table participants.
Sharjah Publishers Conference
Sunday, November 3: Full Agenda
10am: Welcome from Latoya West Blackwood, MC
10.10am: Keynote Speech: Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, chairperson, Sharjah Book Authority
10.30am: Keynote One: Chantal Restivo-Alessi, chief digital officer and CEO International Foreign Language, HarperCollins U.S.
11.15am: She’s Next: Publishing winner announcement by Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi and Dr. Saeeda Jaffar
11.30 am: Round Table One
12.30pm: Lunch
13.30pm: Keynote Two: John Ingram, chairman, Ingram Content Group LLC., interviewed by Ed Nawotka, Publishers Weekly
14.15pm: Sharjah Rights Connection Awards winners announcement
14.30pm: Round Table Two
15.30pm: Round Table Three
16.30pm: Afternoon Coffee
17.00pm: Round Table Four
18.00pm: Close
Sharjah Publishers Conference
Round Table Workshop Sessions:
Theme: Audio
• Marketing Audio Content: host George Poutos, Juke Books, Greece
• Publishing Audio in Multiple Formats: host Søren Brinch Vestergaard, Denmark
• Audiobook Production: host Juliana Rueda, Ears/Muit, Spain
• Audio Business Models and Distribution: hosts Jon Watt, Bonnier Books, U.K. and Nathan Hull, BEAT Technology, Norway
Theme: AI
• Licensing Content to LLMs: hosts Michael Healy, CCC, U.S.A. and Julie Attrill, Wiley, U.K.
• Using AI for Publishing Efficiencies: hosts Chantal Restivo-Alessi, HarperCollins, U.S.A. (for sessions 1 and 2) and Keith Reigart, Ulysees Press, U.S.A. (for sessions 3 and 4)
• Using AI for Book Marketing and Advertising: host Brooke Dobson, Shimmr AI, U.S.A.
• Using AI for Publishing Translation: host Senthil Nathan, Ailaysa, India
Theme: Skills Lab
• Global Digital Distribution: host Javier Del Puerto, Bookwire, U.K./Germany
• Tackling Piracy: host Vera Castanheira, International Publishers Association
• Improving your Sales through Amazon: host Holly Smith, U.S.A.
• Content Innovation for Multiple Audiences: hosts Paul Perez, Grupo Planeta, Spain (for sessions 1 and 3) and Anna Lemp, Hachette, France (for sessions 2 and 4)
• Direct to Consumer Sales – Websites and Social Media: host Sarah Arbuthnot, Supadu, U.K.
• Curating Author Events: host Jeremy Cammy, Canada
• Improving your Sales through TikTok: host Mo Harb, TikTok, MENA (sessions 1 and 2) and Improving your Sales through Meta: host Joana Jamil, Meta, MENA (sessions 3 and 4)
• Approaching the Global Trade Press: hosts Porter Anderson, Publishing Perspectives (session 1), Cevin Bryerman, Publishers Weekly, U.S.A. (session 2), Eric Dupuy, Livres Hebdo, France (session 3) and Shweta Khurana, All About Book Publishing, India (session 4)
• Reaching Readers with Print Impairments – Accessible Publishing: host Lars Wallin, Colibro, Sweden
Theme: Geographical Focus
• India: hosts Neeraj Jain, Scholastic, India (sessions 1 and 3) and Aditi Maheshwari, Vani Prakashan Group, India (sessions 2 and 4)
• China and Greater China: host Jo Lusby, Pixie B, Hong Kong
• Spain and Latin America: hosts Jose Manuel Anta, Spanish Publishers Association and Luis Gonzalez, Fundacion German Sanchez Ruiperez
• Turkey: host Nermin Molloaglu, Kalem Agency, Turkey
• U.S.A.: hosts Geoff Kloske, Penguin Random House, U.S.A. (sessions 1 and 3) and Lisa Sharkey, HarperCollins, U.S.A. (sessions 2 and 4)
Theme: Genre Focus
• Children’s Co-Edition Publishing: host Mauro Spagnol, Books Everywhere
• Publishing, Distributing, Rights Trading in Graphic Novels: host Felicia Low-Jimenez, Difference Engine, Singapore
Theme: French Language
• Vendre les Droits de Traduction (Selling Translation Rights): host Raphaël Theirry, Aegnita Agency, France (session 1); Distribution des Livres Numériques (Digital Book Distribution): host Marc Boutet, DeMarque, Canada (session two); Compétences en IA pour l’Édition (AI Skills for Publishing): host Virginie Clayssen, Editis, France (session 3); Découvrabilité via les Métadonnées (Discoverability via Metadata): host Gauthier Chomel, EDR Labs, France (session 4)
Theme: Arabic Language
• Literary Agents and their Importance in Arab Publishing: host Tamer Said, Sharjah Literary Agency
• Differentiation, Innovation and Digital Visual Identify in Publishing: host Dr. Ehab Abdelrahma n Al-Masry, Ain Shams University, Egypt
• The Trademark and Its Importance for Protecting the Publishing House: host Mahmoud Abdelnabi, Ibiidi Publishing, Egypt
• The Employment of Artificial Intelligence in Publishing: host U.A.E. Ministry for AI
• Challenges and Opportunities in Adapting Children’s Books to the Arabic Language: host Najla Reaidy, Hachette Antoine, Lebanon
