Introduction Book to the future


This year’s FutureBook Conference has a new home, and two new additional strands reflecting the shapeshiſting publishing trade. Philip Jones explains


I


F LAST YEAR’S FutureBook Conference signalled a step- change in how the event covered the books sector and its ongoing digital transformation, this year the show is making a giant—and important—leap. First, FutureBook is going where the market is leading, most notice- ably into the audiobook sector—the fastest-growing digital content area among the major trade publishers— with the launch of a dedicated Audi-


Contents


04–05 Ten key findings from FutureBook’s Digital Census 2016 · 06–07 Meet the Keynotes · 08–09 What’s on... and why it matters to you · 10 Q&A: Jamal Edwards MBE · 11 Q&A: Naimish Gohil · 12 The live events space · 13 Mechanised audiobooks · 14 Audiobook buyers: the numbers · 15 Women in tech · 16–19 Conference programmes · 20 The potential of virtual reality · 23 FutureBook Awards shortlists · 25 BookTech Company of the Year finalists · 26–29 Meet the speakers · 30 New business models for audiobooks


oBook Revolution conference, with speakers from Audible, Storytel, BookBeat, Penguin Random House and Nielsen.


Second, aſter last year’s sessions on academic and professional publishing, the standalone EdTech for Publishers conference will focus on the intersection between digi- tal and the educational publishing sector. Programmed in association with the EdTech Exchange, the chief aim of the event is to look at how start-ups and traditional content businesses can best take advantage of the opportunities in the educa- tion markets as they experience their own digitisation.


The main FutureBook sessions are also markedly different this year, with fresh perspectives from within publishing—from Bonni- er’s Anki Ahrnell to Neon Play’s Oli Christie—but also from people working across media, including Ogilvy & Mather’s James Whatley, entrepreneur Jamal Edwards MBE and the Royal Ballet’s Emma


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Southworth (see Programme, pp16– 19, and Speakers, pp26–29) as well as the writer and scourge of Silicon Valley acolytes Andrew Keen. The key questions arising out of digital are no longer confined to book publishing and there is much now to learn from sectors experi- encing the same dynamics, but at different rates. So I’m delighted to have partnered with the Creative Industries Federation (CIF) on a session that will be chaired by c.e.o. John Kampfner bringing a “big picture” perspective to the stage. There is also much to applaud from publishing’s ongoing digital journey—including its use of social media, video and audio, both in the marketing of products but also in their production and imagination. Thinking beyond the book has gone mainstream. The FutureBook Awards will once again showcase what is best about this business, with a record 100 submissions whitled to a shortlist of 45. Congratulations to them all! I am grateful this year to those who have helped co-programme the event(s), including FutureBook’s associate editor Molly Flat; The Bookseller’s deput editor Bene- dicte Page; Ali Muirden, director and founder of Creative Content; Katie Banham, head of events at CIF; and George Burgess and Justin Smith, co-founders of the EdTech Exchange. Thanks also to this year’s sponsors—do spend some time at their tables this year. Their commitment to the sector is vital. I look forward to seeing you all at the conference! ×


Management PUBLISHER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE Nigel Roby 0361 Editorial EDITOR Philip Jones 0364 · DEPUTY EDITOR Benedicte Page 0367 · NEWS EDITOR


Lisa Campbell 0369 · CHILDREN’S EDITOR Charlote Eyre 0392 · REPORTER Katherine Cowdrey 0365 · REPORTER Natasha Onwuemezi 0366 Online ASSOCIATE EDITOR Molly Flat molly.flat@gmail.com · ONLINE EDITOR & PRODUCER Sarah Shaffi 0370 · WEB EDITOR Caroline Carpenter 0376 Charts FEATURES & INSIGHT EDITOR Tom Tivnan 0373 · CHARTS & DATA ANALYST Kiera O’Brien 0375 Books BOOKS EDITOR Alice O’Keeffe 0372 · NON-FICTION PREVIEW Caroline Sanderson carosande@aol.com · CHILDREN’S PREVIEWS Fiona Noble fionanoble@btinternet.com · PAPERBACK PREVIEW Alison Flood paperbackpreview@gmail.com · CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Cathy Rentzenbrink cathyrentzenbrink@hotmail.com Production CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Mark Guest


0377 · DEPUTY CHIEF SUB-EDITOR/BUYER’S GUIDE MANAGER Brian Payne 0378 · CREATIVE EDITOR Danny Arter 0379 Advertising HEAD OF PUBLISHER RELATIONS Emma Lowe 0362 · BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Lara Pace 0393 · CLIENT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Gerard O’hare 0384 · ACCOUNT MANAGER Emma Hare 0387 · PUBLISHER RELATIONS CO-ORDINATOR Sandra Williamson 0385 Marketing/Events HEAD OF SUBSCRIPTIONS & DATA Anna Martin 0371 · EVENTS MANAGER Grace Harrison 0386 · OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Francesca Pymm 0371


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