11th August, 2026

Guest Post: Sarah Johnson reflects on the IPA Congress 2026

Earlier this year, our Deputy CEO Sarah Johnson was selected to attend the International Publishers Association Congress in Kulala Lumpur with a group of delegates from the British Council. In today’s guest post, she reflects on the experience which offered a valuable opportunity to network with the international publishing community.

Publishing Futures: 7 Inspiring Days in Kuala Lumpur

In July 2026, I was fortunate enough to be selected by the British Council as one of only three publishers from the UK to attend the International Publishers Association Congress in Kuala Lumpur. I’ll be honest, I nearly didn’t apply, struck for a moment by the ridiculous notion that I was too busy to go and couldn’t possibly spare the time. But then the email came through telling me I’d been selected – far from being the long shot I’d initially thought, I’d been given an opportunity, and I was determined to make the most of it.

I’ve always relished the chance to learn new things, especially when it relates to books or publishing. There’s nothing better than coming together with other likeminded individuals to talk about what we love, and the work we put in day in day out to produce books which motivate, engage and inspire readers. Not only that, I was looking forward to representing Welsh publishing on the international stage.

What stands out when I think back on this trip, is the interesting, varied and passionate discussions I had with everyone I met. On day one, the British Council group, made up of publishers from the UK, Malaysia and Indonesia, came together to talk about our markets and the challenges and opportunities we confront on a daily basis. As well as offering my first introduction to South East Asian markets, these sessions shifted my perspective on the UK industry, particularly when thinking about freedom to publish and the nuances of censorship. At the same time, it was comforting to be reminded of our many shared experiences, with each of us battling issues such as cash flow, low retail price ceilings and increased production costs. The open discussions we engaged in on this day set the tone for the rest of the programme.

Before the IPA Congress officially began, we were invited to join a bookshop tour. The first stop was Raja Tun Uda Library (Selangor State Public Library), an inviting, state-of-the-art facility embedded in the local community with spaces that encouraged creative expression, skills development and improved access to books. Later in the day we visited The Library by BookXcess, and I was fortunate to meet the founder, Andrew Yap, that evening who explained the concept behind the store which sells predominantly remainder stock. Designed to appeal to everyone, not only ‘book readers’, it hosts a café, a fashion store, a bakery and operates as a 24/7 library for students at Sunway University. Users of this multi-functional space are surrounded by books which are on offer at affordable prices, and often, they buy one before they leave.

This subtle shift in mind-set sends a powerful message to the industry; one picked up in talks during the IPA Congress in the following days. ‘As an industry, we’re very good at talking to avid readers’ said Anna Burkley, CEO of Australia Reads in a session on Reading Habits. ‘We need to get better at marketing to everyone else’. How else are we going to combat the decline in reading for pleasure?

One of the sessions I found most inspiring was Adibah Omar’s talk on Building National Reading Infrastructure. As CEO of Malaysia’s Book City Corporation, she works closely with the Malaysian Government, publishers and the wider book industry to improve access to books for readers of all ages. This includes offering vouchers to school children to spend on any book they want and investing in technology that supports readers of Braille. She talked about knowledge as infrastructure; something vital to society which travels further than privilege. Creating readers through better access, creates markets – this is not a revolutionary idea, but it’s one that’s easily overlooked within the daily grind. I hope to continue this conversation now that the congress has ended.

In his closing keynote, Markus Dohle encouraged us to be more positive as an industry. We’d talked a lot about what threatens us – AI, the global decline in literacy levels – but he reminded us that we’ve faced seemingly insurmountable challenges before and have emerged stronger. Perhaps this is why I came away from this trip feeling ultimately hopeful. My fellow delegates and I were selected to be there, in part, because we represent the future of our industry. These threats, and their solutions, will undoubtedly impact our careers, so what are we going to do about it?

I don’t have the answer right now, but I’m determined to use everything I learned to make a positive impact. And in the meantime, here’s what I’ll be reminding myself more often:

• Never be afraid to go for the opportunity – someone has to be chosen, why not you?
• Networking with others who share your passion is never as hard as you think!
• Creating more readers is vital to the future of our industry.
• Remember to look up once in a while and remind yourself that the work you’re doing and the books you help produce, have the power to change lives.

Sarah Johnson
Deputy CEO & Head of Marketing & Sales