Presenting at my first publishing conference

by Philippa Sims

After a three-year break due to the pandemic, the By the Book conference returned for the seventh time between 20 and 21 June 2022 at the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme Paris Nord. This year’s theme was ‘Publishing in the 21st Century’. As I am currently researching, writing, and creating the major project for my MA in Digital Publishing at Brookes, I had the opportunity to attend the conference and present an academic poster to delegates. 

This was the first research conference I had attended, and it was a fantastic experience. It was so interesting to learn more about the publishing industry and meet the speakers over the course of the two days. The conference’s keynote speakers were Naomi Bacon, Founder and Director of Tandem Collective, and John Thompson, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Cambridge. Naomi talked to Professor Angus Phillips about her marketing and social media engagement strategy with regard to influencer participation, and John covered digital trends and the future of digital in the publishing industry (which he also explores at length in his newly published, Book Wars). Alongside the keynote talks, the two days were split into breakout sessions and roundtable discussions which covered topics from audio, digital transformation and innovation to reading, authorship, and diversity. The OICP’s very own Antonia Mackay, Miriam Johnson, Sarah Franklin, and Alexandra Shakespeare hosted a roundtable talk about diversity and inclusion in the arts in which they discussed the BA Media, Journalism and Publishing and MA Publishing courses at Brookes.

On the first day in Paris, I had the opportunity to present an academic poster to all delegates in the university’s Amphithéâtre. My presentation was about museum publishing and explored how museums create and present their digital exhibitions. Prior to the conference, I had interviewed staff from some of Oxford’s most famous museums, including the Ashmolean, which then formed the basis for my presentation. I really enjoyed presenting my research to delegates and I received some great questions at the end of my talk. I am very grateful for the experience of both attending and presenting at By the Book and for the opportunities that the MA Digital Publishing at Brookes has given to me. I leave Paris with some fantastic memories, some new colleagues, and a picture of my poster from outside the Louvre!

Edited by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 27 Jun 2022 around 1pm

Last edited: 27 06 2022