161 publishers from 18 countries participate in the training program for Arab and African publishers 2025 in Sharjah.

Sharjah, 1st November / WAM / International experts and speakers confirmed that emerging markets represent an unprecedented opportunity to expand the book industry globally, pointing out that overcoming existing challenges requires an integrated institutional and legislative infrastructure and strengthening partnerships between publishers and government agencies to ensure sustainable growth of the publishing sector. They pointed out the rapid growth of the audiobook industry and that the Arabic digital market is witnessing accelerated growth at a compound annual rate of 147%.

This came during the training program for Arab and African publishers 2025, which was organized by the Sharjah Book Authority today in cooperation with New York University, with the participation of 161 publishers from 18 countries, including 75 publishers from the African continent, in addition to the presence of an elite group of writers and specialists in the publishing industry from various parts of the world.

This year, the program focused on three main axes, which included managing audio content, developing effective strategies for publishing audiobooks, transforming family businesses in the publishing sector into global brands, and modern digital distribution strategies, which reflects the growing trend towards innovation in the publishing industry and adopting the latest technologies to enhance the spread of knowledge and expand markets for publishers from the Arab world and Africa.

Mansour Al Hassani, Director of the Publishing Services Department at the Sharjah Book Authority, confirmed that the Authority is organizing this program as part of its ongoing efforts led by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Authority’s Board of Directors, to enhance the capabilities of workers in the publishing sector and enable them to learn about the experiences of industry leaders in the world, which contributes to the exchange of knowledge and building bridges of cooperation between publishers from different countries in order to develop the industry and raise its efficiency.

In turn, Andrea Chambers, Assistant Dean at the New York University Center for Publishing, Writing, and Media, pointed out the importance of this platform in exchanging best practices and strategies that support the growth and development of the publishing industry, stressing that the program represents an opportunity to expand the horizons of cooperation between Arab and African publishers and explore more effective means to reach new audiences and enhance the spread of books, which contributes to the prosperity of the publishing sector at the regional and global levels.

In his keynote speech, Marcus Doll, former CEO of Penguin Random House, linked the opportunities for developing the future of the book industry to the facts and trends related to the publishing sector in emerging economies, which include about 6.9 billion people, pointing out that it represents an unprecedented opportunity to expand the book industry globally.

He explained that India has become the tenth largest book market in the world in terms of the number of titles issued, and that book sales in Brazil and Mexico have witnessed a noticeable increase since 2024, while the value of the book market in Africa is expected to reach $18.5 billion annually by 2050, while the commercial book market in Southeast Asia is heading for annual growth of 4% during the next decade.

The program witnessed a session entitled “Audiobook Monetization: Effective Strategies for Large and Small Publishers,” presented by Amanda Daccherno, Global President of Penguin Random House Audio, who pointed out that the audiobook sector in the Arab world, which includes 400 million Arabic speakers, has a tremendous opportunity, as while about 30% of the world’s population has listened to at least one audiobook in their lifetime, there are only 12,000 titles available in Arabic.

Amanda highlighted the importance of smart marketing for this type of publishing, noting that a well-known narrator can double the spread of the work, and that promoting the use of audiobooks during times of transportation, home work, and exercise contributes to attracting new listeners.

The session concluded with group activities in which attendees were divided into groups to develop marketing concepts for audiobooks.

In turn, Brooke O’Donnell, Senior Vice President of International Business Development at the Independent Publishers Group, presented during the “Exploring New Sales Strategies” session a comprehensive vision for expansion into international markets, explaining that success requires developing a clear global strategy to identify new markets and choose reliable distribution partners while taking advantage of print on demand to reduce costs and accelerate access to readers.

Mariana Vigde, General Manager of Bookwire in the Middle East and North Africa region, reviewed the growth of the company’s business, which includes more than 2,500 clients in seven markets and distributes more than one million e-books and 200,000 audiobooks, noting that audiobooks represent the most profitable source, generating about 71% of digital revenues. She confirmed that the Arabic digital market is witnessing rapid growth at a compound annual rate of 147%.

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