In brief
From 1‑3 November, the 16th Sharjah International Publishers Conference brought together 1,433 publishers from 126 countries in Sharjah to trade rights, discuss market challenges and explore cross‑regional partnerships. A newly introduced Global Exchange programme highlighted theme‑specific discussions, including a session on comics and graphic novels. Parallel to this, PublisHer—supported by UAE royalty—offered a three‑day mentoring initiative where eight industry leaders provided 32 coaching appointments to female publishers, adding professional photo‑shoots and workshops to the mix.
The 16th Sharjah International Publishers Conference, held from 1 to 3 November as part of the Sharjah International Book Fair, capped a week long program that paired publishers and rights professionals through scheduled one‑to‑one matchmaking and introduced a Global Exchange forum to discuss market trends and industry challenges. According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the matchmaking programme enabled participants to focus on business development, rights trading and potential partnerships, and the new Global Exchange format complemented the broader knowledge exchange at the event.
During a Global Exchange session, Rebecca Hart, Senior Relationship Manager at the British Council, said the platform gave six UK publishers who were attending for the first time “an early opportunity to better understand the regional publishing landscape.” She added that the British Council was helping those publishers establish relationships in new markets.
"It was a chance for the group to ask questions and learn more about how agenting and rights selling work in the region," Hall said. "I think they have come away with many potential future relationships and ideas."
A separate session focused on comics and graphic novels brought together participants from Colombia, Kazakhstan, Sharjah, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and the United States. San Mon Aung, President of the Myanmar Publishers Association, described the format as a problem‑solving forum rather than a sales pitch:
"At Global Exchange, we are solving problems and discussing the challenges in each region," he said. "We learn from each other, share our experiences, and discuss the challenges."
Parallel to the matchmaking and exchange sessions, PublisHer launched a three‑day programme aimed at advancing women in publishing. WAM reports the initiative paired participants with eight mentors—each specialising in areas ranging from legal rights to AI‑assisted book discovery—and offered two half‑hour mentoring appointments every day for a total of 32 sessions, equaling 16 hours of donated expert time. The programme also included daily workshops on digital presence, networking and professional photography.
The conference drew 1,433 publishers from 126 countries, and served as a launching pad for cross‑regional partnerships, especially between Arab and UK publishers, while providing dedicated support for women in the global publishing industry.
