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Dr Julie Smith, Steven Bartlett and Michael Sheen to headline London Book Fair
Author and TikTok "sensation" Dr Julie Smith, "The Diary of a CEO" podcast host Steven Bartlett and actor Michael Sheen will be headlining events on the main stage at this year’s London Book Fair (LBF).
Smith, the author of Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? (Michael Joseph), will open the proceedings with an “in conversation” event on Wednesday 13th March. She will address the state of mental health for authors and the creative sector, as well as her rise on TikTok, where she posts videos about mental health. "My journey as an author has been so exciting and I can’t wait to share it with LBF audiences, while highlighting the vital importance of mental health for each and every one of us," she said.
The main-stage programme on the second day of the fair will continue with a session with entrepreneur, investor, podcaster and author Bartlett. He will discuss his book The Diary of a CEO (Ebury Edge), as well as his journey from podcaster to published author, as well as his "lessons in leadership business and marketing". He will also talk about the thirdweb development platform, and the potential applications of this in the book industry. Bartlett said: "From speaking with so many incredible authors on my podcast, it’s clear to me the power of books to define culture, create conversation and encourage connection."
Sheen, the co-founder of A Writing Chance – which aims to improve access to the writing industries for those from lower-income backgrounds – will take part in a panel on the main stage on Thursday 14th March. He will be joined by Tracey Markham, head of UK at Audible, Farrah Storr, head of writer partnerships at Substack, and novelist Sunjeev Sahota. The session will focus on how diversity and inclusion are delivered within publishing and the wider creative industries, and what constitutes good practice in this area.
LBF director Gareth Rapley said: “Following some already huge announcements for the main stage, including keynotes from Jonathan Karp, chief executive of Simon & Schuster, and the "SheEOs in Publishing" panel led by Bodour Al Qasimi, and featuring Judith Curr and Ameena Sayid, we are beyond excited to add three leading stars from across the book and screen community.
"I cannot wait to hear Dr Julie Smith, Steven Bartlett and Michael Sheen share their unique and fascinating insights into extremely pressing topics, whether it’s mental health for authors, how marketers can sell more books or how we can grow accessibility to the industry. That we have these fantastic main-stage speakers at this year’s fair is a testament to the significance of LBF and how it is reflecting key topics across the full breadth of publishing and aligned creative content industries.”
The London Book Fair will return to Olympia London from 12th to 14th March.
