06/05/2026
Message from CEO Regina Brooks:
At the Bologna Book Fair, I moderated a conversation about ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐น, ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐. And this week at the U.S. Book Show AI Summit, I had the pleasure of joining Brooke Dobson (Shimmr AI), Samir Patil (Stck), and Emma House (Editrix) for a discussion on how AI is reshaping discovery across the publishing ecosystem.
A few themes stood out:
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐๐ป'๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บโ๐ถ๐'๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บ.
We publish more books than we can effectively surface to readers. As Brooke noted, millions of books sit in what she called "the dark bookstore"โvaluable works that remain largely invisible because our industry lacks the bandwidth to help readers find them.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ.
One of the most important discussions focused on the gap between AI capability and AI adoption. Publishing is grappling with legitimate concerns around rights, governance, transparency, and trust. At the same time, editorial teams, agents, and marketers are operating under increasing pressure. The question is no longer whether AI can assist the workflow. The question is how we implement it responsibly.
๐ฃ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐ฏ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐.
As editorial staffs shrink and workloads expand, we need to think carefully about how the next generation of publishing professionals develops expertise. AI can help us work more efficiently, but it cannot replace judgment, taste, mentorship, and the human skills that have always been at the heart of great publishing.
๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด.
Readers increasingly encounter books through AI conversations, podcasts, social platforms, communities, and recommendation engines long before they ever walk into a bookstore or visit an online retailer. Discovery is shifting from a supply-driven model to a demand-driven one, and our industry must adapt accordingly.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐.
The most exciting part of the conversation wasn't about creating new pathways for books to find readers, unlocking backlist potential, protecting intellectual property, and helping more creators build sustainable careers. The future belongs to organizations that can combine technology with strong editorial judgment, thoughtful governance, and a commitment to serving readers and authors alike.
๐ ๐ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐:
AI will not replace the need for publishing expertise. But publishing expertise combined with AI may look very different from the workflows we've relied on for decades. The future of publishing will be built by people willing to rethink how stories are discovered, developed, and connected with readers.
