Forum Edita Barcelona brings together over 500 people at the UPF Barcelona School of Management

On September 4, 5 and 6, the UPF Barcelona School of Management hosted the eighth edition of Forum Edita, the international forum that analyzes the world of publishing and books. Organized by the Gremi d’Editors de Catalunya (Catalan Association of Publishers) and the UPF-BSM and its Master in Publishing, the title of this year’s edition was “The future that awaits us”, which focused on the impact of Artificial Intelligence in the sector, the revolution currently under way in bookshops, and the different strategies for promoting books and reading, among other topics.

Back to the three-day format

The event has resumed its three-day format instead of two, with the return of the institutional welcome to open the forum, given on this occasion by Laia de Nadal Clanchet, the Rector Universitat Pompeu Fabra, and Patrici Tixis Padrosa, the President of the Catalan Association of Publishers.

“Books are still an innovative, vibrant sector. It is the leading cultural industry throughout Spain”, emphasized Patrici Tixis Padrosa, who co-directed the forum with Sergio Vila-Sanjuán, the journalist at La Vanguardia, and Javier Aparicio Maydeu, the Creator and Director of the UPF-BSM’s Master in Publishing.

The opening day of the event also included a conversation between Sergio Vila-Sanjuán and Juan Luís Arsuaga, the paleontologist and Co-Director of the Atapuerca research team, who explained that, since childhood, he had felt attracted  to the kind of scientists that take part in contemporary debate. A fan of  Baroja and Kipling, the Co-Director of the Atapuerca research team emphasized that “books are an extension of the hippocampus”, and contribute towards the development of learning and memory of human beings.

The impact of Artificial Intelligence in the book sector

The Forum particularly focused on the challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence for the book sector. Jorge Carrión, the author and Director of the UPF-BSM’s Master in Literary Creation, stated that “ Chat GPT must share its benefits with the authors it has used to train itself”. While he believes that Artificial Intelligence offers multiple tools for creating and helping to develop the “laboratory” idea in writing, he also emphasized the need to create ethics commissions to regulate this field. Along the same lines, the computer engineer Josep Maria Ganyet added that "it is impossible to talk about technology without discussing ethics".

Daniel Fernández, the editor and President of the Spanish Federation of Publishers’ Associations, had a discussion with the MEP Ibán García de Blanco, about the European legislation on Artificial Intelligence and intellectual property. The politician and lawyer explained that, in Brussels, a law is already being devised to establish precautions and a scale of risks because “we have to redesign the copyright directive. AI is putting certain jobs and professions at risk”.

The revolution under way in the world of books

Ignacio López, the Head of Market Intelligence at GfK, gave a snapshot of the Spanish publishing market, assuring the participants at the forum that it is a “resilient” sector that continues to grow despite the huge challenges posed by a changing market. In the first half of the year, the average price of a book was over 16 euros, increasing revenues by 7%. While sales in bookshops have grown (almost 3%), there has been a fall in revenues from hypermarket sales (-7.4%).

Resurgence of young readers and the emergence of new reading habits

Young people read, and they read a lot. This was the conclusion drawn by the best-selling Mallorcan writer Joana Marcús, the author of more than 24 novels who has achieved international success since she started publishing her stories on  Wattpad at 13 years old. She emphasized that "on the internet, it is the readers themselves who decide whether or not a book is worth reading”, adding that “young people are overwhelmed with advice. All they want is to be treated like adults and read a good book”.

The booktuber Anna Pardos (Mixa), in a conversation with the editors Paulo Cosín and Enric Masllorens, and librarian Rosa Maria Dos Santos, explained that young people see reading as a “form of socialization”, adding that “cocial media has democratized reading”.

Promoting books and reading through public administrations

"Reading is linked to wellbeing and, as such, it is a right that should be accessible to everybody”, stated Izaskun Arretxe, the Director of the Institució de les Lletres Catalanes (Catalan Literary Institution), and Montserrat Ayats, the Coordinator of the Catalan National Book and Reading Plan, who gave an overview of the new project to promote reading in Catalonia.

Elvira Marco, the curator of the project overseeing Spain’s participation as the guest country of honor at the 2022 Frankfurt Boom Fair, argued that the keys to promoting books and their international profile are “planning, consistency and collaboration between the public and private sector. Frankfurt marked a milestone in terms of promoting Spanish literature abroad, with around 450 books being translated into German”.

The eighth edition of the international event held in Barcelona came to a close on Wednesday, with the participation of more than 500 people. Sergio Vila-Sanjuán, the Co-Director of Forum Edita, concluded the event with a reflection: “Time has accelerated so much that every moment we live now forms part of the future”.