With three emirates throwing money and muscle into the international publishing scene, this will be a huge boost to the international publishing economy, and mark another step away from the Atlantic axis for the global publishing industry.

Dubai’s Big Push into Publishing

Not that you’d know it reading Publishing Perspectives (you might not even realise Dubai exists reading Publishing Perspectives), but the second Dubai International Library and Publishing Summit, coming up 30 October through 1 November 2025, sets the stage for Dubai to assert itself as a formidable rival to neighbouring Sharjah and Abu Dhabi in the international book publishing arena.

Timed just before the Sharjah International Book Fair on 5 November, the summit marks a critical moment in the Gulf’s cultural calendar, with a high-profile presence of senior executives from three of the western publishing industry’s top players, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins.

Hosted by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, this year’s event builds on the momentum of its inaugural edition to position Dubai as a leading global hub for publishing. The summit’s ambitious theme, “The Future of the Publishing Industry,” signals its evolution from a regional showcase to a platform with true international clout.

Traditionally, Dubai has focussed more on video and audio rather than book publishing, leaving Sharjah and Abu Dhabi to represent the Arab world in this arena. This in turn meant Dubai did not feature high on the Buchmesse agenda, and therefore has ben largely ignored by Publishing Perspectives.

But this scaling up of Dubai’s book publishing focus is significant not only for the Emirates, but globally. With three emirates throwing money and muscle into the international publishing scene, this will be a huge boost to the international publishing economy, and mark another step away from the Atlantic axis for the global publishing industry.

Five Pillars

The Dubai programme is structured around five strategic pillars that address the changing face of publishing:

* Innovations, Technology, and Transformation: Exploring AI, blockchain, immersive storytelling, and practical impacts on the industry.

* The Global Publishing Landscape: Focusing on commerce, rights, sales, and marketing, reinforcing Dubai’s role as a global trading bridge.

* Translation: Recognising translation as a creative and cultural practice crucial for cross-border exchange.

* Publishing with Purpose: Tackling ESG concerns such as sustainability, accessibility, and dyslexia-friendly formats.

* The Craft of Writing: Honouring authors, illustrators, and designers who form the industry’s creative core.

With over 55 sessions and 80 international speakers across 14 countries, the summit offers a dynamic agenda of workshops and keynotes.

This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.