Join the Global Celebration at the Sharjah International Book Fair

The 44th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) opened its doors this weekend, welcoming more than 2,350 publishers and exhibitors from 118 countries to the United Arab Emirates. Running through November 16, this year’s fair embraces the theme “Between You, and a Book” and features over 1,200 events, including the International Library Conference and a special edition of the International Thriller Festival.

A Global Hub Following Frankfurt

Sharjah has established itself as a major stop on the global publishing calendar, following close on the heels of the Frankfurt Book Fair. The event provides a crucial platform for networking and rights trading, particularly for publishers from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and India who seek stronger global connections.

The fair officially opened on November 1 with the Publishers’ Training Program, held in collaboration with New York University. The initiative brought together 161 publishers, including 75 from Africa, and focused on strategies such as expanding family-run publishing houses into international brands, boosting audio content, and exploring new distribution and sales models.

Among the keynote speakers was Marcus Dohle, former CEO of Penguin Random House, who praised the resilience and innovation of the book industry, calling this “the best time ever for publishing.”

Global Collaboration and Industry Insight

The Sharjah Publishers Conference, which began yesterday and concludes on Tuesday, has attracted over 1,300 publishing professionals from 106 countries. The gathering centers on rights trading and includes workshops and roundtable sessions led by global publishing leaders on topics such as AI, marketing, and leadership.

Juan Milá, publisher at HarperVia, led a session on selling international titles to the U.S. market. Speaking with Publishers Weekly, he noted that Sharjah offers “an exciting opportunity to show publishers from around the world the range of work we publish in translation.”

For many participants, however, Sharjah’s appeal lies in its intimate networking atmosphere.

“You don’t necessarily come here expecting major business deals—you come for the people,” said Jonathan Merkh, president and CEO of Forefront Books. “It’s a more relaxed setting where meaningful conversations happen naturally, unlike the hectic pace of Frankfurt.”

Still, rights trading remains an important part of the event. Santa Svaza of Zvaigzne ABC Publishing House shared her positive experience from last year, when she sold rights for several titles to publishers in Arabic, Serbian, and Macedonian. “I was both surprised and delighted,” she said.

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AI, Copyright, and the Future of Publishing

The conference opened with remarks from Gvantsa Jobava, president of the International Publishers Association (IPA), who highlighted how AI and digital tools are improving operational efficiency and helping publishers minimize waste. However, she cautioned that copyright protection remains a major concern.

“There’s still much more work to do in defending copyright,” Jobava said, stressing the need for continued advocacy against unauthorized use of creative content by AI companies.

Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority, underscored the importance of collaboration and shared learning during this transformative period for the publishing world.

“We are privileged to be living in a time of historic transformation,” she said. “Our industry is enriched by diverse voices from every corner of the world, including Greece—this year’s guest of honor.”

She added that while some markets rapidly adopt new tools and models, others are only beginning to evolve.

“If we want to grow and rise together, we must learn together,” she said. “The future of publishing won’t be written by technology alone, but by the choices we make.”

A New Publishing Model: Authors’ Equity’s Bold Approach

One of the most anticipated sessions featured Madeline McIntosh, CEO of Authors Equity and former CEO of Penguin Random House, who was interviewed by Jo Henry of BookBrunch. McIntosh discussed her company’s revenue-share publishing model, which she said is designed to empower authors and align incentives.

“The most important factor in determining a book’s success is the author,” McIntosh said. “A happy author becomes a referral network for the publisher.”

Founded just over a year ago, Authors Equity generated $15 million in revenue in 2024. Its breakout hit, “Don’t Believe Everything You Think” by Joseph Nguyen, has been a bestseller, with a follow-up title — “The Overthinker’s Guide to Making Decisions” — scheduled for release on November 11.

McIntosh also revealed an upcoming collaboration with the New York Times Games Department: Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More!, edited by Joel Fagliano.

Her company operates with a lean team of 12 employees and works with external freelancers for specialized skills. McIntosh noted that AI tools play a crucial role in marketing and strategic planning, but emphasized the need for human oversight.

“AI as a strategic partner can be useful, but left on its own. It would make some very stupid decisions,” she said with a laugh.

Sharjah’s Role in Shaping the Industry

Now in its 44th year. The Sharjah International Book Fair remains a vital bridge between East and West, fostering collaboration across continents and industries. As the publishing world evolves through technology and globalization. Sharjah remains one of the few events that blends business, culture, and innovation with genuine human connection.

Our team held a meeting on Monday with the client team for the Zephyr project to review. The status of the forthcoming Q3 launch campaign. The campaign, originally designed as an omnichannel activation across CTV, paid social, and programmatic display. It is now subject to substantial midstream revisions following newly surfaced client directives. The feedback introduces a material shift in strategic framing under a compressed delivery window.

There will be a pivot as Zephyr deprioritizes. The performance-tracking narrative in favor of a broader “everyday wellness and inclusivity”. Story, which will require an immediate reframe of our messaging, architecture, and associated visuals.

To address the revised scope, I’ve assigned immediate follow-up actions across the team. Visual art will lead conversations with post-production around stock content integration. Ad sales will recalibrate. The media plan in light of the repositioned messaging. It will coordinate with DSPs to avoid penalties related to insertion order delays. The copy desk is to be tasked with stripping all unsubstantiated medical claims from the copy, implementing. The new CTA, and managing a parallel review with legal.

We conduct a daily internal stand-up each morning through the end of the week to identify blockers. The next client check-in is scheduled for July 3rd, during which we will preview asset revisions and confirm compliance milestones. The final go/no-go decision is scheduled for July 7th at 17:00 PDT. We are proceeding with all mitigations in parallel and escalating any dependency delays as they surface.

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