Resonance from the 2026 IPG Autumn Conference

Posted on September 17, 2026 in AHEAD, UK

I was delighted to represent the Society of Young Publishers at the 2026 Independent Publishers Guild (IPG) Autumn Conference at the Pullman – Shaw Theatre, London on Thursday 10 September.

The day was about exploring challenges and learning about the practical ways in which independent publishers can adapt, innovate and find new opportunities for growth. The themes of the conference were around growth, technology and scale & reach.

The conference was kicked off by Oliver Gadsby with his brilliant welcome note.

A few talks that resonated with me:

• Videl Bar-Kar, Mariana Féged and Matt Sweet talked about the audiobook market becoming more diverse in their title talk ‘Soundings from Audio’. Publishers need to adapt to the evolving listening habits, formats and emerging platforms. Where and how people want to listen is becoming an imperative factor. For example, mock consumer models like podcasts and audio book listening in both mature markets like US and Europe and developing markets like Latin America, India and Arabia.
• Emily Farrell and Olivia Railton of Taylor & Francis Group explored the advantages of partnership with major publishers in a changing industry. They shared insights on keeping up with evolving eBook technology, accessibility standards and where to start with AI standards. Specific examples included an in-house tool that can classify, generate and test EPUB files against accessibility guidelines while its automated digital workflow can deliver content to multiple distribution channel and at pace and scale.

An overarching buzzword that stuck with me was “Publishing Growth in Every UK Postcode”, referring to the spread of publishing activity and opportunities across all regions of the UK, not just major cities. It is inspired by Andy Burnham’s recent slogan of “good growth in every postcode.”

For independent publishers, it can mean:

• Supporting publishers across geographies, beyond London and the South East.
• Leveraging new markets and access to books and publishing opportunities.
• Making use of digital, audio, AI and international distribution to allow smaller publishers to grow from anywhere.

Thanks to Imogen Race, Hamilton Brown and Izzy Hussain for this opportunity to engage and explore.

Well done to the IPG for an insightful day!

Written by Subhranil Banerjee