New voices bring different experiences, challenges and ambitions to an international exchange shaped by diverse publishing markets
Sharjah, 21 September, 2026 : Every book that reaches a reader is part of a much wider network of connections between booksellers and publishers, distributors and markets, and industry professionals exchanging knowledge across borders. Each year, the Sharjah Booksellers Conference brings these connections together, creating a space for the global industry to share experiences, explore opportunities and build new partnerships.
At its fifth edition, that network has expanded further. Among the 912 delegates from 99 countries are first-time participants from a number of countries joining the conference and bringing new perspectives, experiences and ambitions to its international exchange.
Their reasons for coming to Sharjah reflect the different realities of the markets they represent. For some, the value lies in stepping outside the pressures of their home market to learn from others. For some, it is an opportunity to find partners, discover new content and take their books beyond national borders.
Looking beyond the home market
For Mandy Nakazwe Kateka, Director of Business Development at Maiden Publishing House, a first visit to the conference is opening up a different set of possibilities. The Zambian publisher has been operating for 30 years, with educational materials and school textbooks forming its core business alongside general publications.
“We would like to have our materials not just in Zambia, but outside as well, in the international market,” Kateka said. “We are hoping to find strategic partners during this conference.”
Her ambitions extend in both directions. Alongside introducing Maiden’s publications to markets beyond Zambia, Kateka is looking for content and rights that could diversify its offering at home and elsewhere in Southern Africa.
“We’re looking for titles that we could adapt and probably buy some rights as well, for us to be able to use them in Zambia and our part of Southern Africa,” she said.
Bringing professionals from different publishing markets together makes those conversations easier to begin. “It does a great job of bringing different publishers together, where we exchange ideas and share our materials,” Kateka added.
Opening new markets for Arabic-language books
For Labiba Bahari, Co-founder of Matrace publishing house in Belgium, attending the conference for the first time has created opportunities to connect with industry professionals from different markets and explore new possibilities for her Arabic-language titles.
Bahari said she had met distributors interested in the publisher’s Arabic books, offering a potential route into markets where demand for Arabic-language content is stronger than in Europe.
“It is a great opportunity for us because in Europe there are fewer Arabic-speaking readers, while here it is the opposite. We have met distributors who are interested in our books, so this is a huge opportunity for us,” she said.
She added that meetings held during the conference had also given her new ideas and practical advice that she hopes to apply after returning home.
Expanding reach through digital solutions
For Lamia Al Rassi, Managing Partner of Planet News Business in Lebanon, participating in the conference for the first time provided practical answers to challenges she had been trying to address for several years, particularly around making content available digitally while protecting intellectual property, using ISBNs effectively, and taking advantage of print-on-demand services to reach readers in distant markets.
“I am leaving the conference with a clearer understanding of how we can get our publications to Arab readers in any country without having to print large quantities, while still protecting our rights,” she said. “The sessions on print-on-demand were among the most practically useful for me.”
Finding inspiration beyond borders
For Oleksii Erinchak, Founder and CEO of Sens Bookstore, attending the Sharjah Booksellers Conference for the first time offered an opportunity to reconnect with the global book industry and discover new experiences and approaches within the sector.
“When you work within your own country, you often don’t know what’s going on abroad”, said Erinchak, who said he was invited to Sharjah after speaking at a bookselling conference in Riga, Latvia in 2025.
That makes meeting booksellers and other industry professionals confronting their own challenges particularly valuable. While the markets may differ from one to another, Erinchak believes sharing experiences can provide something professionals often need when they return to the everyday demands of their businesses: fresh inspiration.
“I think that everyone here came for some inspiration, some knowledge, some practice, some experience, but mostly inspiration,” he said.
Whether the goal is finding inspiration, exploring rights opportunities, entering new markets or simply discovering how peers elsewhere are responding to change, each new participant brings another perspective to the conversations taking place in Sharjah.
