UPF-BSM hosts the 10th edition of Forum Edita

The UPF Barcelona School of Management (UPF-BSM) has once again hosted this prominent international gathering on the book and publishing sector, which brought together more than 33 experts from around the world.

The Edita Forum, organized by the Guild of Publishers of Catalonia and the Master’s in Publishing at UPF-BSM, concluded today, with participants expressing satisfaction about the strong momentum of the book industry, which is expected to close 2025 as yet another year of growth.

The Forum is directed by the president of the Guild of Publishers of Catalonia, Patrici Tixis; the director and creator of the Master’s in Publishing at the UPF Barcelona School of Management, Javier Aparicio Maydeu; and journalist Sergio Vila-Sanjuán.

Leading figures in the sector present at the Forum

The Edita Forum, held on September 9 and 10, featured leading international specialists, including former Portuguese Minister of Culture Nuno Crato; Italian Enrico Turrin, Deputy Director of the Federation of European Publishers; Austrian consultant Rüdiger Wischenbart; and Colombian Margarita Cuéllar, Director of CERLALC – Regional Center for the Promotion of Books in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Also noteworthy was the participation of publishers such as Núria Cabutí, CEO of Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial; Jesús Badenes, General Director of the Publishing Division at Grupo Planeta; Luis Solano (Libros del Asteroide); Sandra Ollo (Quaderns Crema – Acantilado Publishing House); and Ofelia Grande (Ediciones Siruela).

Booksellers were also present, represented by Eric del Arco (Documenta Bookstore, Barcelona, President of the Guild of Booksellers of Catalonia), Anaïs Massola (Le Rideau Rouge Bookstore, Paris), and Pablo Cerezo (Pérgamo Bookstore, Madrid). Literary agencies were represented by María Lynch (Casanovas & Lynch, Literary Agency), Mónica Martín (MB Literary Agency), and Maribel Luque (Carmen Balcells Literary Agency).

Historian José Enrique Ruiz-Domènech delivered a keynote address on the role of books throughout history and reflected on how they can position themselves for the cultural battles of the 21st century.

All participants agreed, on the one hand, on highlighting the favorable moment that the book sector is currently experiencing; and on the other, on identifying new trends shaping the industry in recent years: changes in the distribution chain due to the rise of e-commerce, self-publishing, the consolidation of new formats such as audiobooks, the resilience of print against ebooks, and the growing impact of artificial intelligence.

The Romantasy phenomenon among young readers

One of the most positive developments in the sector, according to several specialists, is the increase in young readers who have reconnected with books. Much of this is due to the so-called “Romantasy” phenomenon, which already accounts for 61% of purchases in the fiction market, particularly among young people. These are romance-themed books, written by young authors, that speak to young readers in their own language, and are published with highly polished finishes. This trend was analyzed by experts such as Sandra López-Barrantes (Head of Fiction, Casa del Libro), Elena Ramírez (Director of International Fiction, Grupo Planeta), and Luisa Gutiérrez (Editorial Director of General Publishing, Grupo Anaya).

The impact of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence was a central topic at the Forum, discussed in several sessions. Two panels in particular focused on its impact on the publishing sector.

Jorge Corrales, General Director of CEDRO, presented studies estimating that “in the Spanish market alone, AI has already pirated more than 40,000 Spanish authors and over 1,100 publishing works, violating their intellectual property rights.” Pointing to legislative and judicial initiatives launched in the United States, Corrales called for political measures to protect copyright against AI, stressing that “as has been proven in the United States, it is possible to place limits on this ocean we call the internet.”

Taking a different stance, technology consultant Daniel Benchimol analyzed the evolution of artificial intelligence in recent years. According to Benchimol, “the progress of artificial intelligence is unstoppable, and the key question is how different stakeholders in the book sector can benefit from it to simplify tasks, processes, save time, and shorten deadlines.” He further emphasized, “it is crucial to consider the transformation AI is bringing to all consumer products, including books: more personalization and individualization of consumption.”

Presence at the Guadalajara International Book Fair

On November 29, the next edition of the Guadalajara International Book Fair in Mexico will open, considered the world’s most important book fair in the Spanish language. The guest city will be Barcelona, which will be represented by a wide range of publishers, authors, and other players from the Catalan book industry in particular, and the cultural sector in general.

For this reason, the Forum dedicated one of its panels to analyzing the opportunities this event could bring for promoting Barcelona as a global capital of books, as well as for the different stakeholders in the publishing industry. This follows last year’s success, when Spain was the guest country. The roundtable featured Jordi Martí (Secretary of State for Culture), Xavier Marcé (Councilor for Culture and Creative Industries of the Barcelona City Council), and Anna Guitart (Commissioner of Barcelona’s program at FIL Guadalajara 2025).

The Forum was closed by Sònia Hernández, Minister of Culture of the Government of Catalonia, who celebrated the fact that an initiative like the Edita Forum has reached its tenth edition despite challenges such as the pandemic, and committed to continuing to support book promotion through policies that will help the sector keep growing as it has in recent years.