Sharjah: Sharjah is ready to welcome global publishing industry professionals tomorrow (Sunday, October 29) from 106 countries for the 13th annual Publishres Conference, which is hosted annually in the lead up to the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), and is a key component of SIBF’s event’s professional programme.

The 3-day conference will take place in Expo Centre Sharjah, and is hosting participants from 12 debutant countries including Benin, Ivory Coast, the Czech Republic, Mauritius, Paraguay, Burkina Faso, Zaire, Malawi, Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.

The Publishers Conference which has, for many years now, been playing a significant global role in boosting industry knowledge and interconnectedness, in addition to being an axis in the encouragement of networking and cultural exchange. The conference’s groundbreaking success in 2021 and 2022 has influenced the naming of SIBF as the world’s largest publishing event for two consecutive years.

31 Panel discussions and sessions on the first day

The 13th annual Publishers Conference will host 42 speakers and experts, including the likes of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA); Núria Cabutí Brull, CEO of Penguin Random House Grupo; Ian Chapman, Chief Executive and Publisher of Simon & Schuster UK and International; Cheolho Yoon, Chairman of the Korean Publishers Association.

On Day 1, these visionaries will lead the conference’s packed agenda of 31 timely and topical discussions on the evolving landscape of digital publishing, fostering literary diversity and inclusivity, building industry resilience and embracing innovation, and more.

Days 2 & 3 will be packed with vibrant business networking and matchmaking sessions where publishers will negotiate over topics like buying and selling rights and translation agreements.

Leading contributions to global publishing will be recognised

Winners of the 2nd edition of the eagerly anticipated Sharjah Rights Connection Awards will be announced at the Publishers Conference. This year, the award received 58 entries including 42 literary agents and 16 publishers from 58 countries.

The Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) will also be announcing winners of the  2nd edition of the ABC International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing on the xx day of the conference.

The three-day conference will give way to the 42nd annual SIBF, which opens its doors to the world on November 1, and promises a remarkable 12-day celebration of books, creativity, arts and culture under the slogan ‘We Speak Books’.