In the center, listening to opening comments at the 2025 Sharjah International Book Fair’s 15th Professional Program are, from left, Phaedon Gregorios Kidoniatia; Bodour Al Qasimi; Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri; and Gvantsa Jobava. Image: SBA, Nabs Ahmedi
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
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Making Stories ‘Accessible, Diverse, More Human’
With an official count of 1,258 publishers from 116 countries registered for the day’s start, the 16th Sharjah International Publishers Conference has opened today (November 2), here in an enormous tent just outside Expo Sharjah.
“Every year,” said the Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, chair of the producing body, the Sharjah Book Authority, “the Publishers Conference shows that the story of international publishing has many authors.
“As our industry evolves and adapts to technology and transformation, we must stay united in our basic purpose: to make stories more accessible, diverse, and human.
“Through the Sharjah Publishers Conference and other initiatives, Sharjah is committed to building bridges,” Al Qasimi said, “that connect publishers, empower creators, and strengthen the shared future of this business.”
‘An Industry of Ideas and Impact’
The Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi gives the keynote welcome at the 2025 Sharjah Publishers Conference, November 2. Image: Nabs Ahmedi
The morning, with its theater-seating chairs packed, was hosted by International Publishers Association (IPA) president Gvantsa Jobava, who told the hundreds in this elegantly air-conditioned setting, “What a time it is to be a publisher. Ours is an industry of ideas and impact; and today, our ability to fulfill our mission; to connect authors with readers, to educate, to inspire; is greater than ever before.
“Through progress in accessibility,” Jobava said, “from the prevalence of audiobooks to text-to-speech technologies, we’re ensuring that the power of story and knowledge is available to all. Books now travel further and faster, reaching every corner of the world through a multitude of platforms
and formats; and our words have never had a wider reach.
“We’re also witnessing governments and cultural leaders recognize and champion the importance of a reading culture to which Sharjah stands as a prime example.”
Authors Exchange: ‘Smaller Than My Kitchen’
BookBrunch’s Jo Henry, left, and Madeline McIntosh, CEO of Authors Equity in conversation during the Sharjah Publishers Conference opener. Image: SBA, Nabs Ahmedi
Telling the Sharjah audience that the States-based Authors Equity is likely to reach US$15 million profit revenue this year, the company’s CEO Madeline McIntosh said to BookBrunch’s Jo Henry that her independent publishing company—with its one common meeting and workspace “smaller than my kitchen”—is nevertheless a testament to the importance of the author in a book’s success.
In this point, she was especially emphasizing the type author who can and will collaborate with publishers in forging the sort of authentic public connections that characterize the most successful social-media communication.
Sharjah’s Guest of Honor: Greece
With a “boardroom exchange” program for reserved question and answer sessions, and an “exhibitor wall” for service providers and others to put across their messaging, a total 31 workshops were in place during the afternoon today for partcipation at a rate of 10 participants per event. Two more days of such workshopping are to follow this week before the opening of the book fair in its broadest public appeal on Wednesday.
And in today’s opener, Phaedon Kidoniatis, vice-president of the Federation of European Publishers and representative of Greek Publishers Associations, said, “This is a chance [for the Greek industry] to connect with cultures worldwide.”
Publishing Perspectives is the International Publishers Association’s world media partner.
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