The opening press conference set the stage for this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, as German Publishers & Booksellers Association chair Karin Schmidt-Friderichs framed tech companies as antithetical to the book fair, “where imagination gives rise to ideas that can change our reality and our future.” “In the virtual world, however, only a few billionaires increasingly decide which algorithms present which kind of information, and they do not follow any rules of a press law, nor on the basis of acquired or remunerated content, and they do not take responsibility for the content they publish or withhold, she said. “Under the […]
Book Fairs
AI At London Book Fair
Industry panels discussing AI are a staple of book fair programming these days, and the London Book Fair has followed suit. One session reviewed policy developments in the US and UK and there have been multiple discussions of the ethics of AI in audiobooks. On Tuesday, Porter Anderson with Publishing Perspectives spoke with Maria Pallante, president and ceo of the Association of American Publishers, and Dan Conway, ceo of the Publishers Association, about the state of AI policy-making. The takeaway was that both the US and the UK are in holding patterns as they wait for court decisions and legislation. […]
Ceiling Debris Falls At LBF International Rights Center
To some people in the book business, the sky is always falling. On Wednesday at the London Book Fair’s International Right Centre they were proven right, as part of the ceiling literally fell from above. Agents reported seeing debris falling from the ceiling, but no one was hit. Tables were relocated and business resumed as usual afterward. The IRC remains open on Thursday. A spokesperson for the fair told PL, “We were made aware yesterday morning of the presence of debris in part of the IRC due to the ongoing construction works at Olympia. We take this issue very seriously […]
Spotify Reflects On The Last 18 Months In Audiobooks
On Wednesday at London Book Fair, Spotify director of global publishing partnerships & licensing Duncan Bruce reflected on the first 18 month since the company’s 2023 relaunch of its audiobooks program. Bruce was vague on the topic of author royalties, noting (as they have in the past) that the company has paid “hundreds of millions of dollars” to authors (PL dug into the numbers last month). But he did mention expansion in the catalog from 150,000 to 400,000 English language titles and reported that listening hours are up 35 percent in the US, UK, and Australia, with 60 percent of […]
James Daunt and David Shelley Kick Off London Book Fair
London Book Fair kicked off on Tuesday with a conversation between ceo of Barnes & Noble and managing director of Waterstones James Daunt and Hachette Book Group USA and Hachette UK ceo David Shelley. LBF chair Alex Peake-Tomkinson moderated a discussion that ranged from BookTok to the differences between the US and UK markets to AI and more. Asked what they’re optimistic about, Daunt noted that “the state of the world and politics is perhaps diverting the nonfiction reader” but the bookstores are “full of young people.” Meanwhile, Shelley said when he wants to cheer himself up about the industry […]
Shelley and Daunt to Speak (Briefly) at London Book Fair
The London Book Fair announced its seminar programming, with the opening keynote conversation on Tuesday, March 11 featuring CEO of Hachette Book Group USA and Hachette UK David Shelley and CEO of Barnes & Noble and managing director of Waterstones James Daunt together. They will discuss “Leading Businesses on Both Sides of the Atlantic,” moderated by journalist Alex Peake-Tomkinson — albeit in only a 30-minute session. Unfortunately, the program also features this session. We queried the show’s pr representative to…see what they were thinking: How Non-Fiction Publishing Leaders Can Reliably Leverage AI-Assisted Author Content to Optimise Revenue & Production Time […]