Last week, the London Book Fair, the largest Spring gathering of the international books industry, saw publishing professionals from all over the globe descend on Olympia. Thousands of exhibitors and visitors gathered to make deals, share knowledge and experiences, make new connections, and learn about new and pressing matters within the book industry today.
Kicking off the first day: On Author HQ, popular authors Elif Shafak (There Are Rivers in the Sky, The Island of Missing Trees), Adele Parks (First Wife’s Shadow, Just Between Us) and Bobby Palmer (Isaac and the Egg) talked to Georgina Moore (The Garnett Girls) about their writing life and processes, offering insight into how they wrote.
The AI and Copyright: Policy Developments in the UK and US panel, with Maria Pallante, President and Chief Executive at the Association of American Authors, and Dan Conway, the CEO of the Publishers Association, discussed the issue of AI and how the policies surrounding the topic may have global consequences.
The Carnegie Medal for Writing Shortlist was announced. This year’s shortlist is: Kelly McCaughrain – Little Bang, Clare Furniss – The Things We Leave Behind, Matt Goodfellow – The Final Year, Blessing Musariri – All That It Ever Meant, Luke Palmer – Play, Margaret McDonald – Glasgow Boys, Nathanael Lessore – King of Nothing, Brian Conaghan – Treacle Town.
On day two, Dan Houser, Creator and Founder of Absurd Ventures, the legendary entertainment and video games company, gave a talk about how reading and his love for books has impacted him. While Author of the Day was Monica Ali, author of five books, including Brick Lane, was in conversation with Booker Prize Chair Chris Power, discussing her work, inspiration, and screen adaptations.
Over in Author HQ, the first ever Creative of the Fair, Jamie Smart, ran a popular talk and draw-along sharing insights from his award-winning career, including his much-loved Bunny vs. Monkey comic series.
A Fireside Chat Session hosted by Helena Gustafsson, StorySide, Ana Maria Allessi, Hachette Audio, Eric Bartoletti, Bookwire, and Ed Nawotka, Publishers Weekly, delved into how to take advantage of AI and understand how it is reshaping the audiobook environment.
On day three Natasha Poliszczuk, Content Director of BookBrunch, joined William Rayfet Hunter and Taylor-Dior Rumble, author of The Situationship, to discuss the importance of diversity and representation in literature and how this can shape the future of reading.
Later, Children’s Author of the Day, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Waterstones Children’s Laureate, chatted to Louisa Lewis, Deputy Editor at the Today Programme, about his laureateship and career.
At Author HQ, The Women’ Prize for Fiction celebrated its 30th anniversary. The Women’s Prize Trust, the charity behind the global prize, reminisced over its achievements across the last three decades, whilst exploring what is now needed to achieve genuine equity in the world of books. Claire Shanahan, the Trust’s Executive Director, spoke to writers Kit de Waal and Chloe Timms about how to remove barriers for writers from all backgrounds.
Dr. Carina Spaulding, The Reading Agency, talked with authors Clare Mackintosh and Kit de Waal about the reading and literacy crisis, alongside how we can work together to build the next generation of readers. While, in Why We Need Working Class Writers and Readers a panel session, discussed the topic of what working class people want to write about and read about.
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