By the Book7

Taking place:

Villa Finaly, Florence

POSTPONED UNTIL 2022

Postponement of By the Book7
In the light of the coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy, we have taken the decision to postpone the By the Book conference until 2022. The situation remains uncertain and we have decided that it is prudent to move on the conference now rather than wait until nearer the conference date. Other conferences at the Villa have also been cancelled and we learnt yesterday that the Bologna Book Fair has been delayed. There is the risk that the virus will spread to neighbouring countries and we are conscious that delegates may have travel issues with either inbound or outbound quarantine. Also the health advice at national level is being updated continuously.

By the Book7 brings together industry professionals, educators, and scholars to examine key issues around readership and publishing, as well as to discuss the developing field of publishing studies. Presentations will take different forms to accommodate the range of academic, professional, educational, and independent voices that make By the Book, now in its seventh year, such a unique conference. By the Book7 has the theme ´Reconfiguring the Reader´. In our screen world reading culture is changing by the day, as new practices - digital and analogue - spring up and proliferate.  In previous years themes have included Building Audiences (2016), Curation (2017) and Power (2019).

Postmodern theories of translation and adaptation have shifted the focus from the creative inspiration of the author to the collaborative formation of the text by intermediaries who read and transform the text for new audiences, as well as those individual readers themselves. The patterns of reading are like thumb prints, unique and diverse, influenced by the geography of book culture. In this conference we seek papers which address contemporary research issues within the industry, or for the industry. We ask what insights into the changing dynamics of book culture can we provide for each industry member of the publishing chain.

Papers are also welcome on other topics, not directly related to the overall theme, where the case is made that they address the contemporary needs of the publishing industry, publishing pedagogy or further academic research in the field.

Travel Information

There will be some accommodation available at the conference venue, the Villa Finaly, to be arranged once papers are accepted. Delegates should make their own arrangements for travel.