The resilience of Ukrainian publishing to make the sector more sustainable, and rapid advances in augmented reality in education, were among the key themes discussed as attendees and exhibitors returned to Olympia for Day Two of The London Book Fair.
Gareth Rapley, director of The London Book Fair, said: “It has been an amazing (and busy!) second day of The London Book Fair. We were delighted to welcome Mayor of London Sadiq Khan addressing the important topic of sustainability and climate change, as well as Author of the Day Ann Cleeves, and Illustrator of the Fair Dapo Adeola giving insight into their incredible work. We’re looking forward to the third (and last) day of LBF tomorrow!”
Highlights from Day Two:
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, delivered an opening keynote, before discussing his new book, Breathe: Tackling the Climate Emergency, with Dan Conway, CEO, Publishers Association, and an introduction from Karine Pansa, president, International Publishers Association.
A panel discussion featuring authors JD Kirk, Clare Lydon and LJ Ross covered how to build a publishing career with Kindle Direct Publishing.
Illustrator of the Fair Dapo Adeola, illustrator, author and character designer, was in conversation with Kelechi Okafor, actress, director and public, about his new book, Speak Up!
Susan Harris, editorial director, Words Without Borders, Samantha Schnee, founding editor, Words Without Borders, Nicole Witt, literary agent, Mertin Witt Literary Agency, Naveen Kishore, Seagull Books, and Anton Hur, translator, discussed the ways translating has changed over the past two decades, and how it might continue to change over the next two decades.
Lemara Lindsay-Prince, senior commissioning editor, #Merky Books & Hutchinson Heinemann, Penguin Random House; Fergus Edmondson, book marketing consultant; Georgina Moore, author & deputy MD, Midas, and Becky Hunter, book publicist and author, provided expert advice on how to prepare for the publication of one’s next book.
Ashley Gordon, Publishing Market Development manager, HP, Rachel Martin, global director of Sustainability, Elsevier, Amanda Ridout, founder and CEO of Boldwood Books and Chair of the IPG Sustainability Action Group, Fabrice Bakhouche, Deputy CEO, Hachette Livre, and Jude Drake, head of Sustainability, Bloomsbury Publishing, talked about concrete actions and ways to work together to minimise the input of resources across the whole supply chain, including the advancements of the bespoke ‘Carbon Calculator’ to help industry tackle climate change.
Author of the Day and acclaimed UK crime writer Ann Cleeves reflected on her storied career with Alison Flood, The Guardian’s books reporter and former news editor for The Bookseller.
Costas Andriopoulos, professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Bayes Business School, City, University of London, discussed how authors, publishers, booksellers and the book trade can “Stick it to the Man” and not be replaced by a Bot. In a short masterclass of 9 lessons, he showed how best to harness the potential of AI.
Ukraine’s resilient publishing market was under the spotlight again on Day Two: leading this buoyant discussion was Olesia Khromeychuk, writer, scholar, and director of the Ukrainian Institute in London, Mariana Savka, poet and editor-in-chief of award-winning Old Lion Publishing house, and Olena Odynoka, deputy director of the Ukrainian Book Institute, moderated by Olha Mukha, Ukrainian philosopher, and cultural analyst, PEN International.
As a specialist in both AI and copyright Dr Andres Guadamuz, Reader in IP Law, University of Sussex, gave his perspective on what advancements such as ChatGPT mean for the future of copyright, with moderation from Dan Conway, Chief Executive, Publishers Association.
A ceremony celebrated the Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Klaus Flugge, and highlighted the 2023 winners of the International Excellence Awards.
