Global publishing post-COVID: an interview with Bodour Al Qasimi

• Author: Catherine Jewell
• Position: Information and Digital Outreach Division, WIPO

What does it mean to you to be the first woman from the Middle East and only the second woman ever to lead the IPA?

“The IPA is at its most relevant today. When COVID-19 hit, the IPA led

a collective response and recovery plan that captured and shared

publishers’ experiences and innovative countermeasures,”

says IPA President, Bodour Al Qasimi. (Photo: Ivana Maglione)

I feel very honored, yet I’m mindful of the big responsibility that comes with this role. It is important for me to bring greater diversity and inclusion to publishing, so my aim is to lead by example. Imbuing the IPA with different voices, experiences, and cultures is crucial for its relevance and success. This means listening, collaborating, and responding to our members and partners worldwide. When we are united in our objectives, our voice is stronger and we are more likely to reach our goals. This has never been truer than in the post-COVID world.

What role does IPA play in the world of publishing?

I think the IPA is at its most relevant today. When COVID-19 hit, the IPA led a collective response and recovery plan that captured and shared publishers’ experiences and innovative countermeasures. Now, we’re unifying the voice and vision of the publishing ecosystem through our International Sustainable Publishing and Industry Resilience (InSPIRe) plan and the IPA Academy, an online learning portal, which is under development. These initiatives will enable publishers to upskill and take better control of their digital transformations. IPA’s unifying umbrella has made this positive, collective approach possible.

The new normal presents a challenge for many publishers. While many have responded to the shift to online learning and reading, a full understanding of new publishing trends requires good data. We are working closely with WIPO to gather quality global publishing statistics, but more cooperation on research and data gathering from all markets will allow a firmer grasp of new currents.

The move towards digital formats requires publishers to make big investments and entails risks because online piracy is a major problem worldwide. That’s why we support our members in petitioning governments to strengthen copyright protection and enforcement. We also represent all publishers at WIPO and other relevant international forums.

What has been the impact of the pandemic on the publishing industry?

The IPA’s 2020 report, From Response to Recovery, clearly shows that markets with existing ecommerce infrastructure and a developed reading culture weathered the storm far better than those without them. The pandemic has exposed a large gap that we must bridge if we are to secure the future growth of the industry. There is clear agreement across the global publishing ecosystem that we are stronger when we work as a cohesive whole. Markets where authors, publishers, booksellers and governments came together during the pandemic to stabilize and strengthen the publishing ecosystem are showing signs of a faster recovery. Supporting the coalitions...