But perhaps most telling was watching academic publishers embrace AI while trade publishing CEOs hid behind their bestselling authors. Wiley pocketed $44 million from AI deals while the Society of Authors demanded authors be allowed to opt out of the future.

The highlights are not necessarily the ones I would have chosen, nor reflecting the most read, but an impressive show of summary power, and I do love this bit:

“Wiley pocketed $44 million from AI deals while the Society of Authors demanded authors be allowed to opt out of the future.“

All that follows below was put together by Coauthor’s AI machine, based on my public online LinkedIn activity. I’m impressed by its scope!

While western publishing fretted about AI in 2024, the real transformation was happening elsewhere. From Spotify’s audiobook disruption to emerging market growth, this was the year the global publishing industry finally broke free from its New York-London axis.

The numbers tell the story:
• OverDrive hit 2 billion digital checkouts since 2021
• Kindle Unlimited paid out $575 million to self-publishers
• Cairo International Book Fair drew 4.8 million visitors
• Spotify forced Amazon to add audiobooks to Amazon Music

But perhaps most telling was watching academic publishers embrace AI while trade publishing CEOs hid behind their bestselling authors. Wiley pocketed $44 million from AI deals while the Society of Authors demanded authors be allowed to opt out of the future.

Three posts that captured the industry transformation:

“Wiley to pocket $44 million this year from AI deals”
On why publishers, not authors, make strategic decisions
“The publisher takes the risk, puts up the investment, does the post-writing heavy lifting to get the book to market, and takes whatever actions it deems necessary to maximise revenues.”
https://lnkd.in/eUGPSMjx

“Children reading for pleasure at an all-time low”
On the real crisis facing publishing’s future
“Does anyone seriously believe a child will read for pleasure if they cannot read properly?”
https://lnkd.in/e-a37Jwi

“Thailand’s first rights fair will be part of the 22nd Bangkok International Book Fair”
On emerging markets embracing digital transformation
“Thailand’s book market is 42% digital, and having 62 million people online helps.”
https://lnkd.in/efA547kc

2025 will be the year AI moves from threat to opportunity, as more publishers follow academic publishers’ lead in monetizing AI access to content. Meanwhile, audio will continue its unstoppable rise as AI translation opens new global markets.

And I’ll keep reporting it all from my sunny corner of West Africa, where unreliable internet and unpredictable power cuts are a small price to pay for front-row seats to the future of global publishing. Though I still haven’t mastered Bangla.

Get your 2024 LinkedIn Rewind! Go to coauthor.studio in your browser.

This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.