The 2018 edition of the largest gathering of the publishing world, the London Book Fair, concluded last week. The event, being the global marketplace for rights negotiation and the sale and distribution of content, highlights the latest in the industry and sets the tone for its future. It also reflects on the importance of literature in society and social changes in the modern world, wherein renowned authors and industry leaders share their views.
The Quantum Conference was a major event in the fair, with this year’s theme ‘Inspiration informed by Data’, the topics included: future trends and tactics; new audiences; discovery; the new creative talent, plus an afternoon focused solely on audio. David Shelley, CEO of Hachette UK, talked about data, audiobooks, diversity, and the future in publishing, about what consumers are looking for (more than books) and how we can give it to them. He sees an interesting segmentation of the market for ebooks wherein certain authors should be published first in ebooks and then in print.
With around 1000 exhibitors from around the world and 25,000 visitors, trading rights, visiting vendors & service providers, there was also plenty to catch up on. London Book Fair 2018 consisted of programs on topics ranging from data, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, blockchain, Brexit, and whatnot, a wealth of information, and a field of immense experience for publishers who wish to keep up with the global trends.
With three Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania being the Market Focus for the fair this year, an author from each of these nations was honored as Author of the (second) Day. Here on this link is a quick questionnaire with the Latvian, Nora Ikstena – besides writing, she likes cooking and mushroom hunting. Mikhel Mutt of Estonia has published almost 40 books and has written in almost all genres of literature, except poetry. Participating on a panel on ‘Whether Europe is Sinking’, he answered that it’s not sinking, but there are problems, and we should not camouflage them. One asked about what makes a good story. Mikhel Mutt says it should have something to tell about the world, about the right way of living, and not just a story.
Follow this link for more such interesting short clips from the London Book Fair 2018.
Stefan Kenzierskyj speaking @ Buzz Theatre
For Impelsys, 2018 was an important year, with two newly launched platforms, iPublishCentral Scholar (Now mon’k) and iPublishCentral Health. Feats of rare and necessary innovation in the publishing industry drew a great deal of interest among scholarly & academic publishers and healthcare publishers from around the world. Booth 3A48 of Impelsys was one of the busiest ones with over a couple of hundred footfalls and dozens of meetings bearing prospects of business associations in the near future. Speaking session from Stefan Kenzierskyj, executive VP and head of EMEA and Asia Pacific, Impelsys Inc., on “Looking Beyond Journal Publishing: An Integrated Approach to Professional and Scholarly Content Management” drew an attentive crowd of listeners cramming from beyond the perimeter of Buzz Theatre.
Thank you!
We want to thank the organizers and everyone involved in the fair. Special thanks and welcome to those who visited our booth and the speaking session. We also thank our partners and old friends, with whom we have been taking great strides in the journey of spreading knowledge with technology. For publishers who see value in our products and services and want to implement the same in their business, we welcome and assure them of the best results.
We are content to have concluded the London Book Fair 2018 on such a high note, and glad to have met all of you. We hope we will be able to carry our acquaintances and alliances up to a distant future. Wish you the best for the rest of the year.
