More than 1,433 publishers participated in the opening day of the 16th Sharjah International Publishers Conference, organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported. Held across 30 roundtables over four rounds—seven of which were conducted in Arabic—discussions focused on rights acquisition and development, access to new markets, distribution, and technological integration.
Market-specific roundtables examined rights trading opportunities and publishing developments in China, Japan, Latin America, and Spain. Sessions focused on China's growing online literature and audiobook economy, rights trading routes connecting Arab and international markets, and bilateral publishing models between the Middle East and global territories.
Industry specialists also evaluated intellectual property monetization beyond print. Paola Francesca Corsini of Italy's HAB examined screen adaptations for film and television, Tuomas Sorjamaa of Finland's Rights and Brands addressed broader content rights, and Neven Eltohamy of Egypt's Kayan Publishing explored developing story characters and formats into cross-project publishing IP.
Participants reviewed sales distribution strategies, including expanding reach through e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Noon, as well as optimizing inventory management. The conference also addressed artificial intelligence applications in editing, audiobook production, and marketing, alongside their implications for content rights and licensing.
The event precedes the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair and continues with two days of bilateral matchmaking meetings and Boardroom Exchange sessions connecting publishers with technology executives.
Sources
- www.wam.ae · 2026-11-01
