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Sharjah publishing conference puts rights, AI and accessible books into the business conversation
The Sharjah International Publishers Conference runs from 1–3 November, with rights meetings and a programme covering AI, translation and accessible publishing. The professional gathering precedes the book fair and focuses on the decisions that determine how books reach new readers.
A professional programme before the public fair
Sharjah’s sixteenth International Publishers Conference was scheduled for 1–3 November in the programme announced by WAM on 31 October. The official Sharjah International Book Fair website confirms the same conference dates. The programme combines industry discussions with business meetings, ahead of the book fair’s opening on 4 November.
WAM’s preview identifies translation rights, artificial intelligence, audiobooks and screen adaptations among the subjects. It also schedules one-to-one meetings for Monday and Tuesday and a Monday discussion on accessible publishing and implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty. This report describes the published programme as of 2 November. It does not claim that particular deals have been signed or that all planned sessions have produced agreed outcomes.
Analysis: the rights meeting is where expansion becomes specific
The following is original editorial analysis of the commercial questions behind the programme. A publisher’s ambition to reach another market becomes more concrete when a potential partner discusses a particular title, language and audience. The conversation then shifts from general enthusiasm to the work required to edit, translate, produce and distribute an edition that readers can actually obtain.
That is why a rights meeting can be valuable even without an immediate signature. It may establish whether the other party has relevant distribution, whether a title suits its list and what information is still missing. A disciplined follow-up records these questions, assigns responsibility and sets a realistic next step. Conference attendance alone cannot demonstrate that this work has been completed.
Translation requires an editorial proposition
The appeal of a book in one market does not guarantee the same response elsewhere. A prospective translation publisher needs to understand the intended readership, the role of cultural context and the quality of the proposed translation. A clear sample and a credible editorial plan can therefore be more persuasive than a large collection of promotional material.
For Gulf publishers, international expansion also raises a choice about which titles to prioritise. A smaller, well-supported selection may be easier to explain and deliver than a catalogue offered without a clear rationale. The useful question is what makes a specific book relevant to a particular reader. That question connects the rights negotiation with the eventual editorial work rather than treating translation as a purely administrative transaction.
AI discussions should stay connected to accountability
The conference programme’s attention to AI reflects a practical publishing debate: which tasks can be assisted while maintaining responsibility for the finished work? Proofreading support, marketing preparation and other uses can involve different risks. A tool that helps organise a draft should not be assumed to have verified its facts, cleared its permissions or preserved the writer’s intended meaning.
A publisher evaluating a workflow can ask who checks the output and how changes are recorded. Staff should be able to identify the source text, review alterations and reject misleading suggestions. The important measure is editorial reliability, not simply the volume of material processed. This is an assessment framework, rather than a claim about the practices of any company participating in Sharjah.
Accessibility belongs in production planning
The World Intellectual Property Organization describes the Marrakesh Treaty as making the production and cross-border transfer of specially adapted books easier for people with print disabilities. That context helps explain why the scheduled conference discussion matters beyond a technical rights debate. Access depends on whether suitable editions can be prepared and reach readers through the relevant lawful channels.
From a production perspective, accessibility is easier to address when it is considered before the final file is assembled. Clear structure, usable navigation and a planned quality review can influence how effectively content is experienced. A publisher exploring this area should consult the applicable requirements and specialist guidance. The conference agenda is an opportunity to examine implementation, not a substitute for determining the obligations of an individual project.
New formats require their own economics
Audiobooks and adaptations can extend the life of a work, but they also create separate production and commercial questions. Audio requires choices about narration, editing and distribution. A screen adaptation introduces a different set of creative decisions and partners. Neither should be treated as a guaranteed additional revenue stream simply because a title already exists in print.
A realistic discussion starts with the work and the audience it could serve in another format. It then examines the resources and rights required to develop that possibility. For smaller publishers and authors, this approach helps separate an attractive idea from a proposal with a credible route to production. The conference’s range of subjects makes those distinctions particularly useful when evaluating possible partnerships.
What would show meaningful progress
After the conference, useful evidence would include clearly described partnerships, editions moving into production and accessible formats reaching their intended users. These outcomes take different amounts of time, so a fair assessment should state the stage reached. A rights discussion, an option agreement and a published translation should be reported as distinct developments.
For readers, the professional programme offers a reminder that a book’s journey extends beyond the moment it appears at a fair. Decisions about language, format, distribution and access shape who can encounter it. Sharjah’s current gathering brings those decisions together in one programme. Its lasting significance will become visible through the books and partnerships that follow, rather than through assumptions about deals that have not been announced.
Gabriel Nicolaev – CyGuru
Sources & further reading
WAM: conference programme and dates
Sharjah International Book Fair: official conference listing
WIPO: Marrakesh Treaty background
Photograph: Hatem Mohamed — CC BY-SA 4.0