You can follow in this video the conversation that took place at Readmagine 24 around strategic aspects in the book industry. When designing the Readmagine program, it was decided to open the three days of debates, presentations of new ideas and exploration of alliances with a relaxed conversation that Porter Anderson managed with three great voices in the industry: Madeline McIntosh, Richard Charkin and Michael Tamblyn.
Below we offer a very summarized view of some of the themes that can be heard in this video.
The conversation explored various dimensions of the publishing industry, focusing on the significant influence of some transformations, the international reach of some strategies and the evolving nature of reading and publishing amidst technological advancements.
You may follow the complete recording of this very interesting conversation between Madeline McIntosh (CEO at Authors Equity), Michael Tamblyn (CEO at Rakuten Kobo) and Richard Charkin (Founder of Mensch Publishing), moderated by Porter Anderson (Editor-in-Chief at Publishing Perspectives) in this video.
That session was part of the panels organised during the first day of Readmagine. Some of the Key points were the following ones:
Porter Anderson started with an explanation of the title chosen by Luis González Martín (Director of GSR Fondation), Publishing in an Age of Anxiety, after listening the tone and concepts mentioned by this group, when organising the structure of the session in Readmagine during a remote meeting months before. Anderson mentioned that the London Book Fair and Bologna Fair revealed a frenetic, chaotic energy in the industry. There’s a pervasive sense of urgency and anxiety, possibly stemming from technological changes and their political implications. This anxiety isn’t necessarily tied to digital threats but reflects broader concerns about the industry’s future.
On the field of literacy and reading trends, the starting point was that despite the assumptions that the pandemic would boost literacy, UNESCO reported a decline on that respect. There’s concern about adults drifting away from reading, though platforms like Netflix are promoting world literature and the Ljuvliana Manifesto was mentioned as a call for «higher reading» emphasizes the need for critical thinking and long-form reading to sustain democracies.
During this conversation also was commented certain generational shifts in Reading, because younger readers are driving changes in book consumption, favouring trade paperbacks influenced by social media. Meanwhile, traditional big sellers like presidential biographies are losing traction. This shift is creating tension and anxiety among older authors and publishers.
Michael Tamblyn mentioned the digital formats and the attention economy, providing some opinions about the evolving demographics of e-book readers, noting a mix of older readers and younger, social media-savvy consumers. The emergence of digital borrowing and the popularity of audiobooks reflect changing habits. The challenge is to capture and retain attention amidst diverse media competition.
McIntosh and Charkin discussed the issue of author and agent dynamics. They commented the varied reception of new publishing models like profit-sharing. Some authors and agents embrace these changes, while others remain sceptical, reflecting broader industry anxieties about adapting to new paradigms.
The future of publishing and technology is also part of the content in this video. The impact of AI on publishing is considered, not in terms of writing books but as a new competitor for attention. The industry faces continuous adaptation challenges, striving to remain relevant amidst technological shifts and changing consumer behaviours.
Madeline McIntosh is the co-founder, CEO and Publisher of Authors Equity, a recently launched US-based publisher dedicated to reshaping the relationship between author and publisher. She is known for her work as a digital pioneer, having played a seminal role in each of the major inflection points in the consumer book market over the past three decades, including ecommerce, digital audio, and ebooks. Prior to founding her new company, Madeline was the CEO of Penguin Random House in the US. She currently serves on the boards of Simon & Schuster and the US-based non-profit, Poets & Writers.
Michael Tamblyn, President and Chief Executive Officer at Rakuten Kobo, drives growth, profitability and international expansion in a fiercely competitive market. He combines a passion for reading with a deep focus on hardware and software experiences. In addition to leading Rakuten Kobo, the global digital bookseller, He advises startups focused on aging and technology as Chief Entrepreneur of Age-Well NCE, is on the board of directors of the Law Commission of Ontario, Ontario’s law reform body, as well as The Power Plant, Toronto’s foremost contemporary art gallery. Michael has been a part of Rakuten Kobo’s executive team since its inception in 2009, and previously held the role of Chief Content Officer. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario.
Porter Anderson BA, MA, MFA, is a journalist, speaker, and consultant specializing in book publishing. Formerly with CNN and CNN International as well as the Village Voice, the Dallas Times Herald, and The Bookseller, he is Editor-in-Chief of Publishing Perspectives, founded and operated by Frankfurt Book Fair New York. Publishing Perspectives is the news medium for the international trade publishing industry. With Jane Friedman, Anderson produces The Hot Sheet, a private subscription newsletter of expert industry analysis written expressly for trade and independent authors.
Within the past year, Anderson has spoken and/or covered and/or programmed events in international publishing at venues including Frankfurt Book Fair and its Business Club, The International Publishers Association’s 32nd World Congress in New Delhi, StoryDrive Asia in Singapore, London Book Fair, Publishers Forum in Berlin, BookExpo in New York City, the Women’s Fiction Festival in Matera, PubTechConnect in New York City, The Muse and the Marketplace in Boston, FutureBook in London, the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference in New York and Los Angeles, Digital Book World in New York, Sharjah International Book Fair and the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair in the UAE, and the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) in Tampa and Washington.
Richard Charkin is a former president of the International Publishers Association and the United Kingdom’s Publishers Association. For 11 years, he was executive director of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. He has held many senior posts at Macmillan, Oxford University Press, Current Science Group, and Reed Elsevier. He is a member of the international advisory board of Frankfurter Buchmesse, and is a senior adviser to nkoda.com and Shimmr AI, a non-executive director of Liverpool University Press, and Cricket Properties Ltd., and has founded his own business, Mensch Publishing. He is the author, with Tom Campbell, of ‘My Back Pages; An Undeniably Personal History of Publishing 1972-2022, that will be published in Spanish later this year.
