The Riyadh International Book Fair opened with a two-day long Publishers Conference, held September 27-28, which offered of talks from global publishing executives to foster professional development. Topics under discussion included audiobook trends, children’s book publishing, distribution challenges, the future of storytelling, book marketing, self-publishing, translation, and the best means of developing the book marketing the Middle East.

Professionals attended from across the region, including from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Turkey, as well as from Australia, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Among those from the U.S. were Michele Cobb, executive director of the Audio Publishers Association; Dan Gerstein, CEO of Gotham Ghostwriters; Kempton Mooney, director of client development for NPD Group; publishing consultant Lorraine Shanley; and Chad Post, publisher of Open Letter Books.

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