The International Conference By the Book 10 “Divergence and Convergence in Publishing Today” successfully held at the Ionian University

The International Conference “By the Book10” on the Publishing Industry and the Book, titles “Divergence and Convergence in Publishing Today”, was successfully held on June 25 and 26, 2025, at the Ionian University. The By the Book10 Conference was organized by the Department of Archives, Library Science and Museology, along with the “Information Technologies Laboratory” (director: Professor Petros Kostagiolas), and was held under the auspices of the European Publishing Studies Association (EuroPub).

The Scientific and Organizing Committee of the Conference was co-chaired by Professor Christina Banou, Department of Archives, Library Science and Museology, and Professor Angus Phillips, Director of the Oxford International Centre for Publishing, Oxford Brookes University. Keynote speakers included Professor Gino Roncaglia (Roma Tre University), Professor Anna Karakatsouli (Department of Theatre Studies, Director of the Laboratory for the History of the Book, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), and award-winning author Josi Wismar (BookTok Author of the Year 2024 and Spiegel bestselling author).

The conference brought together distinguished academics and researchers in the field of publishing, as well as publishers and authors. Discussions focused on contemporary research issues in the publishing industry and the evolution of the book nowadays. Topics included the impact of Artificial Intelligence, reader communities, the influence of social media in publishing activity, reading practices, the role of the publisher and the editor, promotion strategies, the redefinition of the publishing value chain, and the characteristics of specific publishing industries in the framework of both divergence and convergence.

The European Publishing Studies Association (EuroPub) is committed to promoting dialogue about the modern book trade. The By the Book10 conference served as a nexus for academics, industry experts, educators, and researchers to explore key aspects of book publishing and to advance the discipline of publishing studies.