The programme features 80 sessions across five thematic tracks: Training, Innovation, Industry, Audiobooks and International Markets
AI, Audiobooks and Global Markets Lead Liber 2026 Conference Programme
Artificial intelligence, the rise of audiobooks, international expansion, reader acquisition and the evolution of professional skills will be among the key themes shaping the Liber 2026 Professional Conference Programme. With 80 events and nearly 150 speakers, the fair will once again provide a forum for reflection and analysis of the publishing industry’s main challenges and opportunities.
The sessions will take place during Liber, from 29 September to 1 October at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue, and will be organised into five thematic tracks: Liber Innovation, Liber Publishing Industry, Liber Audiobooks, Liber Training and Liber International. The programme will be complemented by additional presentations organised by exhibitors and book industry organisations in the Ágora space.
Innovation will feature prominently in this year’s edition. A number of conferences will examine how artificial intelligence and data management are transforming the book value chain, from content creation and marketing to reader engagement.
Sessions will showcase the latest AI developments with immediate implications for publishers, while addressing the challenges this technology raises in areas such as intellectual property, copyright, transparency and legal certainty. The programme will also explore the trends set to shape the industry through to 2030, as well as the strategic role of data in enhancing book discoverability and sales performance.
Additional sessions will focus on innovations aimed at maximising the value of backlist catalogues, specialist marketing strategies, print run efficiency, cost and inventory management, and improvements in returns management and reverse logistics.
Audiobooks and New Readers
The sustained growth of the audiobook market will be reflected in a dedicated strand within the Professional Conference Programme. Publishers, platforms and specialist companies will share insights into how best to capitalise on one of the fastest-growing segments of the publishing industry.
The Liber Audiobooks track will address emerging business models, listening and consumption habits, audiobook marketing strategies and the impact of artificial intelligence on audio content production. The programme will conclude with the presentation of the Liber Audiobook Awards.
Building and strengthening reading communities will be another major topic of discussion. A significant part of the programme will examine how publishers can engage children and young people, how their cultural consumption habits are evolving, and which marketing and reading mediation strategies can improve book visibility. The programme will also reflect on the role of education and educational publishing in fostering critical citizenship in the age of artificial intelligence.
Promoting reading from an early age will also feature prominently through sessions on children’s literature and reading mediation workshops. In addition, a dedicated event will explore the relationship between reading and well-being.
Within this context, Reading Is a Right. Reading Promotion Plan 2026-2030 will be presented. One of the programme’s most significant institutional initiatives, the plan aims to foster reading habits and expand the readership base over the coming years.
Libraries will also have a strong presence throughout the programme, highlighting their crucial role in guaranteeing access to reading, serving as key social infrastructure and acting as vital agents of cultural mediation.
International Expansion and Other Industry Challenges
Internationalisation will once again be one of the cornerstones of the Liber Conference Programme. Sessions will address growth opportunities in strategic markets and analyse the international circulation of works, authors and content from around the world. Topics will include routes to market and distribution channels in North America, the evolving customs and tariff landscape for Spanish-language books in the United States, opportunities in markets such as India and China, fixed book price regulation in Latin America, and the internationalisation of Latin American women authors.
The programme will also focus on issues that are critical to the future of publishing, including the evolution of professional roles, accessibility, sustainability, rights management, literary translation and production efficiency.
Liber 2026, the International Book Fair, will hold its 44th edition from 29 September to 1 October in Hall 1 of Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue. Organised by Fira de Barcelona and promoted by the Spanish Publishers’ Association (FGEE), the event will bring together around 250 exhibitors from more than 15 countries and approximately 9,000 industry professionals.
Liber 2026 is organised by Fira de Barcelona and promoted by the Spanish Publishers’ Association (FGEE). The fair is sponsored by Spain’s Ministry of Culture, ICEX Spain Trade and Investment, Barcelona City Council, the Government of Catalonia and CEDRO. It is also supported by Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), the Catalan Language Publishers Association and the Catalan Publishers Guild.
Barcelona, 10 September 2026
VIEW THE CONFERENCE PROGRAMME here
Images (Barcelona 2024 edition) available here
LIBER 2026 PRESS ACCREDITATION available here
Maria Dolores Herranz
Press Officer Liber 2026
[email protected]