Sheikha Bodour speaks at the Sharjah International Booksellers Conference about the environmental pressures on the publishing sector.

The first day of the conference began with Sheikha Bodour's keynote, an introduction by SBA Chairman Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, and a discussion with Markus Dohle, ex-CEO of Penguin Random House, and Porter Anderson of Publishing Perspectives.

on May 02, 2023

Sheikha Bodour speaks at the Sharjah International Booksellers Conference about the environmental pressures on the publishing sector.

Sharjah: The impact of the publishing industry on the environment, and vice versa, necessitates drastic changes in the way books are produced, according to the Sharjah International Booksellers Conference on Monday.

On the first day of the two-day event, Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, Founder and CEO of Kalimat Group and Immediate Past President of the International Publishers Association, made the call.

"One trend that requires our immediate attention is sustainability, specifically the environmental impact of the book industry." It is also an opportunity to discuss the sustainability of the book industry and propose ideas that might dramatically change the way we manufacture and distribute books, while also providing us the opportunity to drive this change and be a part of the process. "No single publisher, bookseller, or stakeholder in our ecosystem can face this challenge alone," she stated during her opening keynote presentation.

During the conference, which brings together 400 booksellers and distributors from 69 countries, as well as publishers and authors from around the world, the CEO highlighted environmental pressures, material shortages, and hyper-inflation of energy and other business costs.

Sheikha Bodour also talked about the emerging trend of generative artificial intelligence and how it has the potential to change the way books are created, published, and consumed. "I truly believe we are at a historic juncture in our industry, and our ability to innovate and re-imagine our industry will help transform these challenges into opportunities," she said.

Al Amiri emphasised Sharjah's commitment to supporting the book industry on a regional and worldwide scale, owing to His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad AlQasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.

We acknowledge the importance of booksellers' roles and are fully aware of the major problems impeding the growth of your enterprises. As a result, we have established this Booksellers Conference not only as a forum for discourse and discussion, but also as a fantastic opportunity to provide ideas, implement and support them, and turn successful experiences in this sector into practical lessons to learn from," Al Amiri stated.