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8th March 2024

FutureBook Conference

09:00 - 19:00
County Hall, Waterloo and online

FutureBook Conference 2023
For Leaders and Future Leaders

 

27th November, London and Online

 

The UK book trade’s annual agenda-setting conference is back on Monday 27th November, and if you want to keep pace with change in the next 12 months, it’s the one date you can’t afford to miss. Join 100s of decision-makers and 50+ inspiring speakers from across publishing, entertainment, tech, education and more for a spectacular day of keynotes, panels, interviews, case studies and conversations that will help you plot out the future of the business, and your place in it. From audio to IP, data to design, we’ll be covering all the industry’s most urgent issues, with a special focus on AI: how we can embrace or guard against artificial neural networks, what their implications are for core roles, and the ways in which generative AI might change the creative act itself.

 

A new era of leadership is coming. We’ll see you there.

 

 

Group, freelance, small press and bookshop rates are available. Please email paul.clifton@thebookseller.com for more details.

 

Book your place

 

 

Please email sales@thebookseller.com for sponsor opportunities.

 

Featured Speakers View All


FutureBook Sponsors and Partners View All


Featured Speakers


Nancy Adimora

Nancy Adimora

Founder
OtherStories
L J Ross

L J Ross

Author and founder
Dark Skies Publishing
Nadim Sadek

Nadim Sadek

Author and c.e.o.
Shimmr AI
Nicola Solomon

Nicola Solomon

C.e.o.
The Society of Authors
Sophie Williams

Sophie Williams

Author and activist

All Speakers


Yassmin Abdel-Magied

Yassmin Abdel-Magied

Writer and speaker
Micaela Alcaino

Micaela Alcaino

Book cover designer and illustrator
Ravina Bajwa

Ravina Bajwa

Audio consultant and producer
Timbre Audio
Emma Bell

Emma Bell

S.v.p, creative and brand & executive producer
International Literary Properties (ILP)
Anna Bond

Anna Bond

Managing director
Octopus Books
Diana Broccardo

Diana Broccardo

Managing director
Swift Press
Selina Brown

Selina Brown

Founder and c.e.o.
Black British Book Festival
Caroline Butler

Caroline Butler

Founder
Convert Culture
Jamie Byng

Jamie Byng

Chief executive and publisher
Canongate
James Carney

James Carney

Computational linguist
The London Disciplinary School
Dan Conway

Dan Conway

C.e.o.
The Publishers Association
Anna Derkacz

Anna Derkacz

Director, group sales and rights
HarperCollins UK
Lee Dibble

Lee Dibble

Marketing and communities director
Pan Macmillan
Kelli Fairbrother

Kelli Fairbrother

xigxag
Co-founder and c.e.o.
Kathleen Farrar

Kathleen Farrar

Managing director, group sales and marketing
Bloomsbury
Aimée Felone

Aimée Felone

Knights Of
Managing director
Helen Freeman

Helen Freeman

Director
Oxford Children's Books
Jenny Fry

Jenny Fry

Publisher and commercial director
Canongate
Molly Flatt

Molly Flatt

Comment editor and FutureBook programmer
The Bookseller
Dominic Gribben

Dominic Gribben

Audio director
Hachette UK
Briony Grogan

Briony Grogan

Director of people and culture
Pan Macmillan
Carla Herbertson

Carla Herbertson

Co-founder and director
Small Wardour
Georgia Henry

Georgia Henry

Director
The Pitch Agency
Nathan Hull

Nathan Hull

Chief strategy officer
Beat Technology
Lotte Jeffs

Lotte Jeffs

Writer and podcaster
Lucy Jones

Lucy Jones

Project manager
Tandem Collective
Srishti Kadu

Srishti Kadu

Procurement controller
Taylor & Francis
Jason Kelly

Jason Kelly

Chief legal officer
Sounded
Steve Leard

Steve Leard

Freelance designer
Cover Meeting Podcast
Joanna Lord

Joanna Lord

Sales director
Canongate
Emma Lowe

Emma Lowe

Romilly Morgan

Romilly Morgan

Publisher
Brazen
Niamh Murray

Niamh Murray

Freelance marketing, comms and campaigns consultant
Katie Packer

Katie Packer

Editorial director
Trapeze
David Pearson

David Pearson

Graphic designer
Emma Quick

Emma Quick

Head of marketing, children's division
Bonnier Books UK
Jasmine Richards

Jasmine Richards

Founder and c.e.o.
Storymix
Joel Rickett

Joel Rickett

Managing director
Ebury
Miriam Robinson

Miriam Robinson

Freelance marketing consultant
Rafaela Romaya

Rafaela Romaya

Art director
Canongate Books
Sujoy Roy

Sujoy Roy

Marketing director
Footnote Press
Kaiya Shang

Kaiya Shang

Commissioning editor
Chatto & Windus
Hannah Silva

Hannah Silva

Author and academic
Queen Mary, University of London
Laura Smith

Laura Smith

Acquisitions manager
W F Howes
Rebecca Souster

Rebecca Souster

Head of US, UK and emerging markets
Zebralution
Euan Tait

Euan Tait

The Portobello Bookshop
Events manager
Nicole Vanderbilt

Nicole Vanderbilt

Managing director
Bookshop.org
Jon Watt

Jon Watt

Group audio director
Bonnier Books UK
Maura Wilding

Maura Wilding

Group communications director
Hachette UK
Ed Wood

Ed Wood

Publishing director for brands and creative partnerships; IP director
Sphere and Little, Brown

FutureBook Sponsors and Partners


Gallery

Photos from FutureBook Conference 2022 at 155 Bishopsgate, London

© Asun Olivan 

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LEGO Group's former c.o.o Bali Padda kicks off the FutureBook conference with his keynote. Founder and chief executive of xigxag, Kelli Fairbrother tackled audiobook assumptions in her provocative keynote. Nigel Newton, chief executive, Bloomsbury in conversation with The Bookseller’s editor Philip Jones about leading a global publishing business.                        

LEGO Group's former c.o.o Bali Padda kicks off the FutureBook conference with his keynote.

Founder and chief executive of xigxag, Kelli Fairbrother tackled audiobook assumptions in her provocative keynote.

Nigel Newton, chief executive, Bloomsbury in conversation with The Bookseller’s editor Philip Jones about leading a global publishing business.

Róisín O'Shea, head of marketing, brand and campaign, HarperVoyager, presents at our #BookTok Showcase

   

The Bookseller’s working-class issue was published to coincide with FutureBook and launched by a panel, chaired by Lauren Brown, senior reporter, The Bookseller.

Hannah Griffiths, head of adaptation, All3Media, hosts a session exploring the challenges of transferring content from books to the small screen.

On the Broadgate stage, our panel 'Future talent: Retaining and recruiting for tomorrow', chaired by freelance marketing consultant, Miriam Robinson.

In a keynote conversation, Nina Findley, commercial director of The Works, spoke about The Work's strategic push into books.

On the Bishopsgate stage - Bethan Ferguson, head of consumer insight at Hachette UK, chairs 'Investing in data to demolish barriers'.

In this inspiring personal keynote, Travis Alabanza muses on the huge opportunities that lay ahead if we question our categories.

At our FutureBook Awards ceremony, Dawn Burnett at HQ won the Campaign award for her work on Menopausing by Davina McCall and Dr Naomi Potter.

Asian Women writers and its founder Irum Fazal won the Discover prize.

Start-up was won by Storymix and its founder, Jasmine Richards, accepted the award on the Broadgate stage.

LEGO Group's former c.o.o Bali Padda kicks off the FutureBook conference with his keynote. Founder and chief executive of xigxag, Kelli Fairbrother tackled audiobook assumptions in her provocative keynote. Nigel Newton, chief executive, Bloomsbury in conversation with The Bookseller’s editor Philip Jones about leading a global publishing business. Róisín O'Shea, head of marketing, brand and campaign, HarperVoyager, presents at our #BookTok Showcase FutureBook 5 FutureBook 6 The Bookseller’s working-class issue was published to coincide with FutureBook and launched by a panel, chaired by Lauren Brown, senior reporter, The Bookseller. Hannah Griffiths, head of adaptation, All3Media, hosts a session exploring the challenges of transferring content from books to the small screen. On the Broadgate stage, our panel 'Future talent: Retaining and recruiting for tomorrow', chaired by freelance marketing consultant, Miriam Robinson In a keynote conversation, Nina Findley, commercial director of The Works, spoke about The Work's strategic push into books. On the Bishopsgate stage - Bethan Ferguson, head of consumer insight at Hachette UK, chairs 'Investing in data to demolish barriers'. In this inspiring personal keynote, Travis Alabanza muses on the huge opportunities that lay ahead if we question our categories. Dawn Burnett at HQ won the Campaign award for her work on Menopausing by Davina McCall and Dr Naomi Potter. Asian Women writers and its founder Irum Fazal won the Discover prize. Start-up was won by Storymix and its founder, Jasmine Richards, accepted the award on the Broadgate stage.

Shortlist

FUTUREBOOK AWARDS SHORTLISTS

 
We’re delighted to reveal the shortlists for this year’s FutureBook Awards: 19 people and projects that demonstrate some of the most innovative and impactful progress being made in the trade
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Jump to the Awards shortlists:

Future Leader of the Year

Sponsored by Ingram Content Group

From spearheading inclusive initiatives to developing powerful teams and strategies, this eclectic cohort makes us feel very hopeful for the future. Whether they're making waves as a freelancer or rising through the big-five ranks, our five future leaders share one quality: a determination to make publishing a fairer, more effective and more inspiring place to be.

Micaela Alcaino

Micaela Alcaino

Book cover designer and illustrator

Talented freelance designer Alcaino uses her growing platform to champion inclusivity, challenge homogeneity and provoke productive industry-wide dialogue about AI.

Andy Joannou

Andy Joannou

Head of audience development

Pan Macmillan

An inclusive and inspiring digital marketing specialist, Joannou is achieving impressive data-driven growth for Pan Macmillan while nurturing a deeply faithful team.

 

Srishti Kadu

Srishti Kadu

Procurement controller

Taylor & Francis

A mentor, writer and speaker as well as procurement whizz for Taylor & Francis, Kadu is passionate about demystifying book production and promoting diversity in the trade.

Katie Packer

Katie Packer

Editorial director, Trapeze

Orion

Both a skilled commissioner and a leader of ambitious company-wide initiatives, Trapeze’s editorial director is doing groundbreaking work to reach underserved communities.

Emma Quick

Emma Quick

Head of marketing, children's division

Bonnier Books UK

BookTok pioneer and YA expert Quick inspires her colleagues and consistently delivers top-level campaign work as head of marketing at Bonnier Children’s Trade Books.

Leader of the Year

A founder, publisher, comms director and c.f.o. walk into a publishing conference … but our four finalists for leader of the year are no joke. They might have varied roles and approaches, but every one of our candidates has demonstrated outstanding tenacity, agility and creativity over the past 12 months - all while driving impressive commercial success. 

Lara Borlenghi

Lara Borlenghi

Chief financial officer

Pan Macmillan

Meticulous yet passionate and with a keen focus on innovation, financial supremo Borlenghi makes sure that Pan Macmillan's funds reach the projects that matter most. 

Selina Brown

Selina Brown

Founder and c.e.o.

Black British Book Festival

Brown’s ability to unite stakeholders from across publishing is unparalleled, uplifting communities, readers and writers as it transforms representation in the trade.

Jenny Lord

Jenny Lord

Executive publisher, W&N and Orion Literary

Orion

Depth of experience and sharp judgement make Lord one of the best literary publishers in the business, and she excels at recruiting outstanding rising talent for Orion. 

Polly Osborn

Polly Osborn

Publishing strategy and communications director

Simon & Schuster UK

Osborn’s dynamism, candour and collaboration at Simon & Schuster UK drives organisational change, commercial success and the undying loyalty of her team. 

Startup

AI, audio, e-reading and discoverability… our four startups of the year cover all the big bases when it comes to future tech. But these ambitious young businesses aren’t just digitally savvy; they’ve worked hard to understand what readers want, and what the industry needs. First stop, FutureBook Award shortlist; next stop, world domination?

Footnote Press

Footnote Press

Launched in partnership with Bonnier Books UK, Footnote combines new technologies, urgent issues and diverse authors to create a disruptive and inspiring press. 

Immer

Immer

Bite-sized, colourful, social and flexible, the Immer Reading System offers bespoke plug-in digital possibilities to bookstores, libraries, publishers, educators and more.

Narrative Muse

Narrative Muse

With its diversity-focused recommendation engine Taste Space, this New Zealand-based start-up aims to banish echo chambers and provide fresh insights to publishers.

Sounded.com

Sounded.com

This emerging AI-enhanced audiobook platform is making waves in the industry by combining strategic clarity and innovative product development with ethical rigour.

FutureBook Excellence Award

These six projects aren’t just successful in and of themselves. They pioneer approaches and ideas that could help the book trade to become more responsive, diverse and sustainable on a far wider scale. With initiatives in technology, design, development, marketing, author care and education all showcased, this is a feast of cross-sector inspiration.

And Other Stories’ new series design

And Other Stories’ new series design

And Other Stories

A masterclass in iconic, impactful and sustainable book design, the publisher’s revamped covers demonstrated fresh thinking and careful execution at every step.

Changing the Story Freelancer Training Programme

Changing the Story Freelancer Training Programme

Hachette UK

Hachette UK’s fully-funded workshops and mentoring gave a real boost to accessibility and representation in publishing’s freelance workforce.

Debut Writers' Academy

Debut Writers' Academy

Orion

Offering an 8-week course to demystify the publishing process and build a support network, Orion’s speedy response to debut stress set a new standard for author care.

 

GPT: Write me an academic book

GPT: Write me an academic book

Springer Nature

By uniting authors, editors and reviewers in a focused hackathon, this pioneering project took just 5 months to create the first book using Generative AI.

HarperFiction’s industry-first student activation

HarperFiction’s industry-first student activation

HarperCollins UK

This nationwide initiative designed to reach university students during fresher’s week captured a previously untapped and trendsetting new audience.

Lit in Colour: Pioneers programme

Lit in Colour: Pioneers programme

Penguin Random House UK

In partnership with exam board Pearson Edexcel, this programme got diverse set texts into over 200 schools via teacher training, resources and creative content. 

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