SHARJAH, 21st September, 2026 (WAM) -- Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) concluded the fifth edition of the Sharjah Booksellers Conference, held on 19 and 20 September at Expo Centre Sharjah, following two days of discussions on ways to develop bookselling businesses, diversify revenue streams for independent bookstores, and improve access to titles for readers across local and international markets.
The conference, which featured more than 300 professional meetings, brought together 912 participants, including booksellers, publishers, distributors and representatives of online bookselling platforms, from 99 countries.
On the second day, the programme focused on the practical aspects of managing the bookselling businesses, the role of bookstores in enriching the cultural life of their communities, and the use of digital tools to better understand readers’ needs and facilitate book discovery.
Mansour Al Hassani, Director of Publishing Services at SBA, said: “Through the Sharjah Booksellers Conference, we work to expand the range of markets accessible to professionals across the book industry. We seek to create new avenues for distributors and booksellers to connect with partners from different countries and commercial contexts. The broader the attendee network becomes on our event platform, the greater the opportunities for books to reach new markets and readers. This is what we seek to strengthen with every edition.”
He added: “Under the guidance of Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of SBA, we are committed to ensuring that the conference serves not only as a professional avenue, but a platform that is able to deliver tangible impact beyond the event itself through relationships that continue, opportunities that develop, and shared expertise that translates into practical steps within participants’ own markets.
“Our aim is for participants to return to their businesses with new connections, opportunities as well as knowledge they can build on, and see the impact of their meetings extend well beyond the conference’s two days.”
The conference featured 65 exhibitors from 29 countries, representing a broad spectrum of organisations across the book industry. These included publishers, distributors, bookstores, literary agencies, translation and printing companies, as well as organisations specialising in children’s books, education, academic and technical content, book data and rights management, software solutions for publishers, and cultural and research institutions.