We Traveled the World to See What Is Really Changing in Publishing

Over the past couple of months, PublishDrive has been on the move. Frankfurt. Sharjah. Author Nation. NINC. Experiencing these events back to back gives a much clearer picture of what publishing truly needs right now. Similar questions surfaced across continents. Ambitions aligned across different business models. And everywhere we went, the demand for smarter workflows, more global reach, and faster innovation was unmistakable.

These conversations reinforced what drives us as a company. The future belongs to independent authors and publishers who have the tools, access, and technology to grow beyond the limitations of the traditional publishing model. Everything we heard on the road confirmed that this is exactly where PublishDrive needs to continue investing.

Frankfurt Book Fair

Frankfurt delivered its familiar intensity. Meetings were short and scattered between vast halls, each packed with an impressive cross section of the global industry. Editors, translators, audiobook producers, printers, distributors, rights teams, and technology providers are all navigating growth pressures that are becoming increasingly difficult to manage with traditional resources.

Several conversations stood out and captured the reality behind the scenes. Meru Gokhale spoke about the widening gap between the rising number of authors and the relatively fixed number of editors who can support them. The imbalance is creating bottlenecks and leading to difficult tradeoffs for publishers. Suzanne Collier later explained that proofreading budgets have been reduced dramatically in many places. What once was allocated as twenty four hours of work is often now compressed into eight. This was not said as a complaint about editors, but as a reflection of budgets that can no longer stretch to meet the demand.

What made these points resonate even more was how naturally AI entered the discussion. It was clear that AI is becoming a practical support mechanism within editorial workflows, taking on heavy lifting tasks so teams can focus on quality rather than quantity. It was not presented as a theoretical option, but as a necessary part of holding strained systems together.

We also heard several accounts about affordability challenges across global markets. In some regions, a single print book now costs more than an average monthly salary. Combined with data showing a five percent decline in print sales since 2021, representing roughly ninety five million fewer books sold, it was evident that digital formats are becoming increasingly important for reader access. Even children’s books, typically stable, are slowing due to demographic changes rather than creative output.

Despite the pressures, the energy at Frankfurt was focused on growth. Many authors and publishers were exploring new formats, new languages, and new territories. Conversations often leaned toward the need for tools that support increasingly complex publishing strategies without adding unnecessary administrative weight.

How Frankfurt Shapes Our Work Ahead

Frankfurt reinforced that the industry is evolving quickly and needs technology that can keep pace. AI is becoming essential for alleviating editorial strain. Digital and global expansion are becoming central to business models. And creators need tools that help them scale across formats and markets without overwhelming their workflows. PublishDrive will continue responding to these needs with AI supported tools, wide global reach, and workflows optimized for scalable publishing.

Sharjah Publishers Conference

Sharjah offered a sharp contrast to Frankfurt. With everyone gathered in a single room for structured thirty minute meetings, the pace felt more focused and grounded. Although rights trading was at the heart of the event, conversations expanded naturally into translation, audio, distribution, and cross market growth.

Publishers from across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and Europe were thinking well beyond their local markets. Many are managing multilingual catalogs and are seeking ways to bring their titles into entirely new regions. This made the reaction to our Publishing Assistant tools, especially AI Metadata, particularly strong. Metadata accuracy and consistency are critical when operating across languages, and seeing how AI could support this need resonated immediately.

Ethical AI surfaced repeatedly. People were not debating whether AI should be used, but how to use it responsibly. They were searching for ways to accelerate translation, produce audio more cost effectively, and streamline expansion without sacrificing quality or reader trust.

Sharjah reflects a global publishing environment that is ready to move faster and reach wider audiences but needs technology that supports growth without adding operational complexity.

What Sharjah Clarified for Our Strategy

Sharjah strengthened our focus on multilingual and cross border publishing. Publishers want to reach more readers in more markets, and they want tools that make that expansion manageable. PublishDrive supports this through multilingual metadata optimization, global store coverage, and AI powered workflows that reduce manual labor. These insights guide how we continue to evolve our platform.

Author Nation and NINC

Author Nation and NINC offered an inside look at how authors think about their careers and where they see their opportunities. PublishDrive is not new to these communities. Our presence, our educational content, and our technology driven approach have been part of the conversation for years. This year, that familiarity shaped the discussions in a meaningful way.

Authors approached us with a clear understanding of the challenges they face and a more mature sense of what they need. They were evaluating their publishing strategies with a stronger focus on sustainability, diversification, and long term growth. Rather than asking what PublishDrive does, they were exploring how PublishDrive can help them scale into new formats and new markets.

Wide distribution remained a major topic. Many authors acknowledged fluctuations in wide sales or said they had tested exclusivity temporarily, but almost none viewed exclusivity as a foundation for their careers. Instead, they were seeking ways to use wide more strategically. Library distribution stood out as a meaningful opportunity, with several authors highlighting how PublishDrive gives them access to global libraries they would not reach otherwise.

AI supported audio and translation remained key points of interest. Authors want to expand their backlists, reach new language markets, and diversify income streams. They want to grow without adding unnecessary complexity. This reflects a more strategic and confident approach to using AI.

Trust played a major role throughout the conversations. Authors who already followed Brave New Bookshelf, our blog content, or our platform found it easy to engage in deeper conversations about global strategy and growth opportunities.

What Author Nation and NINC Reinforced for PublishDrive

These events confirmed that authors are ready for platforms that help them scale responsibly, globally, and efficiently. They want tools that simplify their workflows, increase their reach, and support multipronged publishing strategies. PublishDrive will continue improving onboarding, metadata workflows, multilingual support, library reach, and AI supported audio and translation tools so authors can grow confidently in a competitive global market.

Where PublishDrive Goes Next

The insights from these events align directly with the path we are already taking.

• Continue empowering authors and publishers globally with wide store coverage and AI supported creation for rapid expansion into new formats and languages
• Continue making our tools intuitive so creators at every stage can scale without friction
• Continue investing in responsible AI that helps users optimize and accelerate their success
• Continue democratizing publishing by offering modern SaaS tools that give every creator the chance to reach a global audience

All of this supports our vision:

To empower independent authors and publishers at every stage of their creative journey, connecting them with readers worldwide for unrivalled success.

This vision guided our conversations at every event, and it will guide everything we build next.

If you met with us, shared your insights, or simply stopped by to talk, thank you. Your feedback is shaping the future of PublishDrive.