London Book Fair takeaways

London Book Fair delegates came home talking less about splashy book deals and more about how publishers will use artificial intelligence, meet accessibility rules, and speed up editorial work. (sixredmarbles.com) The fair ran March 10 to 12 at Olympia London, and organizers describe it as a global marketplace for rights, licensing, and industry meetings with more than 100 seminar sessions. London Book Fair says the 2026 event was the last one at Olympia before a move to ExCeL London in 2027. (londonbookfair.co.uk 1) (londonbookfair.co.uk 2) Six Red Marbles, a publishing services company that exhibited at the fair, said publishers were asking for “practical ways” to improve how content is created, reviewed, and delivered, and said its day-one Tech Theatre session drew about 110 people. Its post-fair write-up grouped the strongest demand into three buckets: practical artificial intelligence, accessibility at scale, and lower-friction editorial workflows. (sixredmarbles.com) That emphasis showed up in other post-fair accounts. Integra, another exhibitor, said sessions on the International Stage and in the Tech Theatre spent less time on whether artificial intelligence belongs in publishing and more time on governance, accountability, transparency, and where human judgment stays “firmly in the loop.” (integranxt.com) Accessibility was not a side topic. London Book Fair’s own materials highlighted diversity and inclusion, while exhibitors tied accessibility work to production demands such as multi-format output, evolving digital standards, and compliance requirements that publishers now have to handle across print and digital programs. (londonbookfair.co.uk) (sixredmarbles.com) The fair’s seminar program also put reading access and audience growth on stage. In February, London Book Fair named the nine charities behind the National Year of Reading as its 2026 charities of the year, with sessions and a March 10 reception built around widening participation in reading. (londonbookfair.co.uk) Artificial intelligence still drew the sharpest disagreement. Six Red Marbles said publishers wanted tools that cut repetitive work and support accessibility, but also raised constant questions about ethics, oversight, and quality. (sixredmarbles.com) Ulverscroft, a large-print and accessible publishing group, said the most visible protest at the fair was “Don’t Steal This Book,” organized by Fairly Trained founder Ed Newton-Rex, with about 10,000 authors including Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory, and Richard Osman backing an empty book handed out on the show floor. Ulverscroft said the protest targeted artificial intelligence companies training models on books without permission. (ulverscroft.com) The result was a fair where rights trading still anchored the business, but production talk kept pulling attention back to software, standards, and workflow design. In 2026, the publishing argument at London Book Fair was not whether technology is coming into the business; it was where to put it, who controls it, and how much human editing remains in charge. (londonbookfair.co.uk) (integranxt.com)