The professional development and networking event will be held live in Sydney on Wednesday 14 September, with satellite events in Brisbane and Melbourne, and streamed online. 

The Children's Publishers Committee of the Australian Publishers Association is delighted to once again be holding this one day conference in conjunction with the Australian Booksellers Association.

The conference is targeted at publishing professionals and booksellers with a particular interest in children's and YA books. The program will be filled with sessions that aim to inspire and educate, as well as creating opportunities for discussion.

The keynote session 'Reading in the Dark: Books in a crisis' will be presented by Megan Daley, teacher librarian, author, podcast and website creator (and so much more). Further panel sessions will cover children’s publishing, bookselling, working with libraries, author events and ‘reading for joy’, with the program and speaker list available below.

Book tickets here

Ticket sales for in-person events end Friday 2 September.

Program

Reading in the Dark: Books in a Crisis

• Megan Daley (teacher librarian, author, podcast and website creator)

Bookselling: What publishers want to know

• Chair: Meg Whelan (Affirm Press)
• Kimaya Charlton (Avid Reader Bookshop) 
• Hannah Gardiner (Berkelouw Books/BOOKFACE)
• Rachel Robson (Gleebooks)

State of the Market 

• Bianca Whiteley (Nielsen BookScan)

Publishing: What booksellers want to know

• Chair: Danica Beaudoin (Beachside Bookshop)
• Chren Byng (Hardie Grant)
• Clare Hallifax (Walker Books Australia)
• Rachel Bin Salleh (Magabala Books)

Events: What works, what doesn't, how to get a crowd, and dealing with Covid

• Amelia Lush (formerly Sydney Writers' Festival) 
• Anna Burkey (Australian Publishers Association) 

Working with Libraries

• Chair: Jemma Myors (HarperCollins)
• Rebecka Sharpe Shelberg (Stanton Library)
• Paul Macdonald (The Children’s Bookshop)
• Megan Daley (teacher librarian) 

Reading for Joy

• Chair: Megan Daley (teacher librarian)
• Clayton Zane Comber (author)
• Kirsty Rizzo (Hardie Grant)

Locations

Sydney

The conference will be held in-person at the Wesley Mission in Sydney, with catering provided. 

Brisbane & Melbourne

There will also be satellite events held at Avid Reader in Brisbane and the Australian Booksellers Association office in Melbourne, which will provide an opportunity for attendees to watch a live stream together with lunch provided.

Online

For anyone who can't attend a physical event, the conference will also be available to watch online.

Tickets

Book your tickets here

Ticket sales for in-person events end Friday 2 September.