The London Book Fair once again provided a platform for stimulating, insightful, and forward-thinking conversations about the state of scholarly publishing. It was fantastic to see the community come together. The smaller exhibitor area allocated to scholarly publishing did not stifle or hinder networking opportunities. Although there were fewer stands, there were still plenty of chances to catch up with friends and make new connections, perhaps more so than in previous years.
There were many discussions about the geopolitical climate and the effects of new administrations and higher education budget cuts as well as funder goals, and uncertainty about how these factors will impact funding, research, and dissemination of scientific information. Encouragingly, there was also strong interest in emerging markets and leveraging new licensing opportunities, which could be a silver lining as organizations actively explore and invest in these areas.
Research integrity remains a key focus as publishers reflect on their role in the ecosystem and work to combat misinformation and poor research practices through community engagement. AI technologies are still central to the conversation, but discussions have become more pragmatic. The focus is shifting toward how the community can utilise these tools internally and externally, with appropriate guide rails and support to help users navigate the growing array of options. There was an interesting demo from a company that has used an AI tool to build an innovative approach to mining a database of books for specific insights.
The hesitancy around investing in digital transformation is fading. Legacy systems are increasingly seen as barriers to growth, holding back new approaches to workflows and processes that could enhance competitiveness. The consolidation of companies within publishing and among vendors is reshaping how organizations view their tech and vendor landscapes, driving a shift toward more integrated, end-to-end solutions. There’s also growing interest in refining sales strategies to support new products coming onto the market and the different ways that users want to ingest and interrogate information.
We were also pleased to see a shift in conversations around accessibility, as more publishers are investing to make their content accessible, although, of course, there is still a long way to go.
Book publishing formed part of many of our discussions with clients old and new. Discoverability, re-seller partnerships and the commissioning of new, market-driven content and collections development were high on the agenda.
It was clear that pressure on smaller publishers is continuing as they grapple with flatter revenues but still increasing costs. Add to that the need to invest in better workflows and new technologies and it is easy to see why more and more of them are being driven to partner with larger publishers. But despite this, there were examples of smaller organisations and societies continuing to thrive as they pivot to focusing on new services.
The London Book Fair continues to be a valuable forum to supplement the ongoing communication with our partners, and we look forward to attending again next year.
Rebecca Moakes is an accomplished senior publishing professional specialising in product and platform development. With extensive experience working for and with publishers, she offers a combination of strategic, commercial, and technical insights to deliver measurable business goals.