Sharjah: Following the directives of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), the 'Sharjah NYU SPS Executive Publishing Programme', organised by SBA in partnership with the Centre for Publishing, Writing, and Media at the NYU School of Professional Studies, commences tomorrow at the American University of Sharjah (AUS).
According to Emirates News Agency, this marks the first time the prestigious programme is being held outside the United States. The four-day event aims to empower local and regional publishing executives through advanced workshops and discussions on content creation, digital marketing, artificial intelligence, and global publishing industry trends. These sessions will be led by a distinguished group of international academics and publishing experts.
The programme will be inaugurated with introductory remarks from Andrea Chambers, Associate Dean of the NYU SPS Centre for Publishing, Writing, and Media (PWM), and Christie Henry, Director of Princeton University Press. They will inform participants about the agenda and purpose of the event. Christie Henry will then lead a session exploring the impact of independent presses, leveraging her experience with Princeton University Press.
Subsequent discussions will delve into strategies for global audience engagement, including a case study on Princeton University Press's expansion into China. This will be followed by a collaborative workshop with Dan Hayter of Glassboxx on leveraging websites to drive readership and revenue. The day will conclude with insights from Michael Reynolds of Europa Editions and Inez Munsch of Abrams and Chronicle Books on acquiring globally resonant titles and designing covers for international markets.
Tuesday's agenda focuses on innovation and global outreach, with Christie Henry returning to lead a session on unconventional market expansion through case studies. This will be followed by a discussion with Samantha Schnee of Words Without Borders on the growing importance of translation rights. Participants will engage in an interactive exercise to identify translation opportunities, while Naveen Kishore and Sunandini Banerjee of Seagull Books will highlight how translation and design synergise to fuel growth. The day will close with a case study on collaborative publishing models led by Princeton University Press' In©s ter Horst and Christie Henry.
On Wednesday, the focus shifts to global market dynamics. The day will begin with HarperCollins' Chantal Restivo-Alessi outlining strategies for international growth and consumer trends. Carlo Carrenho of Alpine Global Collective will analyse the rapid rise of audiobooks, while Restivo-Alessi will return to dissect digital sales and operations. Participants will then test their skills in a negotiation workshop before Kelly Gallagher of Ingram Content Group concludes the day with an analysis of shifts in international print sales.
The final day will spotlight innovation, opening with Joana Jamil of Meta discussing digital marketing strategies for book promotion. Chantal Restivo-Alessi will explore AI's implications for publishers, followed by HarperCollins' Marine Debray mapping global innovation trends. Keith Riegert of Ulysses Press will demonstrate practical AI applications for publishers, culminating in team-based exercises to apply learned tools.