Rebuck, Newton and Harris to speak at OPG Summer Conference

The Oxford Publishing Group is hosting speakers including chair of Penguin Random House Gail Rebuck, Bloomsbury founder Nigel Newton, Chocolat author Joanne Harris and head of the Bodleian Library Richard Ovenden at this year's Summer Conference in June. 

Publishing Without Boundaries takes place on 14th June at St Catharine's College and will feature talks by leading figures from the publishing world to highlight "exciting and innovative work" being done in the industry - and to "challenge conventional ways of working".

Baroness Rebuck, a recipient of the London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award, will be in conversation with journalist and TV presenter Mariella Frostrup. Newton will talk about Bloomsbury - which recently announced its "Bloomsbury 2020" strategy to captialise on the £3.4bn academic libraries' market, while Ovendon will lead a panel discussion on libraries' role in "curating culture". Meanwhile, Harris, who just published her new psychological thriller Different Class, will talk about how publishers, authors and readers can work together more effectively.

The conference will also comprise panels and break out sessions led by senior publishing professionals like Robert Sulley, group international director of Hodder Education, Euan Hirst, online bookseller at Blackwells, on understanding the book buyer, Liz Marchant, editorial director for journals (education) at Taylor & Francis on working with competiitors and Marc Bloch, head of digital for secondary learning services at Pearson UK who will be talking about why "everything you know is bollocks" -and Tom Scholes, director of Grove Street Media on transitioning from a provider of books to successful services.

Miller said: "With breakout sessions covering international publishing, bookselling, how industry metrics are transforming academic publishing, and the move from books to 'services', there is something for publishers from any company - trade, academic, educational and professional. The conference includes a sit-down lunch, a wine reception at the end of the day and coffee breaks allowing everyone to mingle, network, meet old friends and make new ones!"

Tickets are priced £85, available on the Brookes website.