We aim to make stories more accessible, human: Bodour

Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), has officially opened the 15th Sharjah International Publishers Conference, featuring 1,258 publishers from 116 countries; being held at Expo Centre Sharjah from 2-4 November ahead of the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair.

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In her opening remarks, Sheikha Bodour said: "Every year, the Sharjah Publishers Conference shows that the story of global publishing has many authors. As our industry evolves and adapts to technology and transformation, we must stay united in our basic purpose: to make stories more accessible, diverse and human. Through the Sharjah Publishers Conference and other initiatives, Sharjah is committed to building bridges that connect publishers, empower creators, and strengthen the shared future of this business."

The opening ceremony was attended by Ahmed Al Ameri, CEO of SBA; Gvantsa Jobava, President of the International Publishers Association (IPA); Madeline McIntosh, Co-founder and CEO of Authors Equity and former CEO of Penguin Random House US; and Phaedon Kidoniatis, Vice-President of the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) and representative of Greek Publisher Association.

They were joined by senior international publishing leaders and representatives of publishers’ associations.