PVLF 2025

London Book Fair 2024: Programme Highlights for Tuesday

Explore Tuesday's highlights at London Book Fair 2024 with top industry talks, including AI in publishing, BookTok impact, and global market insights.
on Mar 12, 2024

Welcome to Day 1 of the London Book Fair. If you need to decide which of the over 150 panels and talks given by this year's Seminar Programme to attend today, look no further.

Want to grasp the forces that will shape the global publishing sector in 2024 and beyond? Look no further than the London Book Fair Seminar Programme, which will take place at Olympia London from March 12 to 14. This year's schedule of events features industry leaders, experts, authors, and A-listers and will explore hot topics such as the rise of AI, the boom in digital audio, the influence of BookTok and social media, the translation market, copyright, threats to the freedom to read and publish, and geopolitical forces affecting the book world.

Tuesday, March 13

A New Generation of Readers: How BookTok Diversifies and Unites Readers

Technical Theatre, 9:30-10:15 a.m. Esther Fung, PangoBook's social media and marketing coordinator, and bookseller Léa Crumpton, both book influencers, will discuss how BookTok and Bookstagram are changing reading habits and provide advice on how to start one's own successful accounts.

Opening Keynote: A Conversation with Jonathan Karp, President and CEO of Simon & Schuster.

Main stage, 10:30-11 a.m. Jonathan Karp, president and CEO of Simon & Schuster, will discuss the global publishing landscape and the future of the venerable publisher—which celebrates its centenary in April—following its recent acquisition by private equity firm KKR in an interview with Porter Anderson of Publishing Perspectives.

Publishers, Copyright, and AI: Taking Action.

Tech Theatre, 10:30-11 a.m. There is little doubt that generative AI will transform the publishing industry. Scholarly publishers, including Claire Harper, head of global rights and licencing at Sage, and Sarah Fricker, group head of legal at the Institute of Physics, will discuss the nexus of publishing, copyright, and AI, led by Chris Kenneally of the Copyright Clearance Centre.

Local Books and Global Trends: International Book Markets in 2023

International Markets Theatre, 11:45 a.m. Jackie Swope, senior account manager, book research for Nielsen BookData, will provide an overview and critical insights into the local and global dynamics driving various book markets in 2023, drawing on data from Nielsen BookScan in the United Kingdom and GfK, Germany's leading market research business.

Exploring the ever-changing world of publishing: global trends, challenges, and opportunities.

Main stage, 11:15 a.m.–noon. Participants in what the programme organisers describe as a debate will consider the contradiction between the necessity to embrace digital innovation and the desire to retain the essence of traditional publishing. The panellists are Karine Gonçalves Pansa, president of the International Publishers Association; Ricardo Franco Levi, president of the Federation of European Publishers; Lawrence Njagi, president of the African Publishers Network; and Youngsuk "YS" Chi, incoming chair of the Association of American Publishers, moderated by PW's Ed Nawotka.

Free Expression and the Right to Dissent

English PEN Literary Salon, 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. This panel will discuss the issues that publishers, festivals, and other literary enterprises face as they strive to defend free expression while encouraging conversation and allowing for criticism within their organisations and audiences. Panellists include Guy Gunaratne, a novelist and dramatist, Durham University professor Nick Barley, and Aki Schilz, head of the Literary Consultancy.

Keeping Up with Social Media

Author HQ, noon to 12:45 p.m. This panel will provide advise for authors on how to effectively promote their brand and books using social media. Panellists include Lisa Sharkey, executive director of creative development at HarperCollins; Ain Chiara Bensenouci, publishing consultant; Jojo Schlattner, senior social media manager at Penguin Random House UK; and Ashley Baugh, associate director at Midas PR.

Author of the Day: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Main stage, 12:15 to 1 p.m. The bestselling author of Carrie Soto Is Back and Daisy Jones and the Six will be in conversation with Leonel Teti, Urano World's editorial director for Spain and Latin America.

Building Bridges Between the U.K. and U.S. Book Industry

International Markets Theatre, 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. Following PW's recent U.K. Publishing Spotlight, the fair will include a session to discuss how companies in the United States and the United Kingdom may work to help each other's businesses and sell more books. Panellists include Paul Kelly, CEO of DK U.K., Joanna Reynolds, CEO of Folio Society, and Ben Sevier, EVP Publisher of Grand Central, Hachette Book Group; moderated by PW's Ed Nawotka.

Sustainable Publishing 2030: Shaping the Future of an Environmentally Friendly and Ethical Industry

Main stage from 1:15-2 p.m. The panellists discuss the impact of books and publishing on environmental awareness, conservation, and sustainable lifestyles, as well as how to promote inclusive storytelling. Panellists include Rachel Martin, global sustainability director at Elsevier; Piers Torday, author and head of the Society of Authors and Illustrators Sustainability Steering Committee; and Sherri Aldis, director of the United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe.

Copyright and AI: A Global Discussion on Machines, Humans, and the Law.

Main stage, 2:15–3 p.m. Industry professionals will discuss the legal and ethical implications of regulating the development and deployment of AI technology, as well as an in-depth discussion of the dangers and opportunities that publishers and creators face.

Panellists include Maria A. Pallante, president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers; Glenn Rollans, president and publisher of Brush Education Inc.; Nicola Solomon, CEO of the Society of Authors; and Dan Conway, CEO of the Publishers Association, moderated by Porter Anderson of Publishing Perspectives.

Palestine, Israel, and Free Expression in the United Kingdom.

English PEN Literary Salon, 3–4 p.m. Participants will explore how the recent escalation of violence in the region has made free discourse surrounding Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories even more difficult. Panellists include Selma Dabbagh, author of Out of It; Avi Shlaim, author of The Iron Wall; Yasmin El-Rifae, co-producer of the Palestine Festival of Literature; and Neve Gordon, professor of human rights and the laws of war at Queen Mary University of London.

Marrakesh Treaty and Global Accessibility in Publishing

Main stage, 3:15-4 p.m. This session will highlight advances made in encouraging accessibility, diversity, and inclusion following the Marrakesh Treaty, which stipulates that individuals with disabilities have equal access to literature and information. Panellists include Hugo Setzer, president of the Mexican Publishers Association; Selina Mills, author and journalist; Claire Wade, author and founder of Authors with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses; Anne Bergman-Tahon, director of the Federation of European Publishers; and Jose Borghino, secretary general of the International Publishers Association.

Cultural Resilience and the War in Ukraine

English PEN Literary Salon, 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. Iryna Starovoyt, a Ukrainian poet, essayist, and scholar, will speak with Zoe Sadler from English Pen about the necessity of cultural resilience in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

English-language book sales in Europe: opportunities and challenges.

Main stage, 4:15 to 5 p.m. Sales of English-language books are rapidly increasing in several European regions, spurred by BookTok and younger consumers' English fluency. This could benefit trade publishers across Europe. Panellists analysing the trend include David Graham, managing director of BT Batsford; Geneviève Waldmann, CEO of Veen Bosch & Keuning; and Rebecca Servadio, London Literary Scouting, moderated by Andrea Joyce of Joyce Literary Rights Agency.