Emerging Leaders in Publishing 2025

Welcome to the 2025 Emerging Leaders in Publishing Summit!

Now in its 10th and final year, this four-day intensive has always been an opportunity to bring together a special combination of academics and industry to dig into current and meaningful issues, discussions and groundbreaking ideas in the landscape of publishing.

An insightful gathering of authors, publishers, industry associations, and scholars explores the current Canadian reading market, how ideas become books, how books become other assets, the intricacies of the editorial, design and marketing realms in the current moment, and so much more... through those doing the thing -- the making of cultural expression and the business of bringing the diversity of voices that we deserve to hear to audiences in Canada and beyond. 

Its our week of bringing grad students, Writing and Publishing students, faculty and industry insiders together once againg for conversation, insight and inspiration.  And we will be in person at SFU Vancouver with speakers and participants also joining us on-line by Zoom.

Topics for this year's Emerging Leaders in Publishing Summit, include:

• The Canadian Reading Market
• From Idea to Page
• Editorial and Design Landscape (Marketing is Everyone's Job)
• The Author/Editor Relationship
• Old Challenges in a New Design Environment
• A Seat at the Table
• Women in Publishing Leadership Roles
• Indigenous Publishing Retailer Marketing/Buyer/Account Strategies
• Discoverability Challenges, New Channels
• International Markets in a Tariff-fueled World
• Media Pitches

Industry experts alongside SFU's faculty and students come together over consecutive days through a series of panel discussions, lectures, and interactive dialogues, consider the challenges and opportunities within Canadian publishing today. 

Through solution-oriented discussions, the summit sessions led by industry leaders, is intended to inspire our students' brainstorming and thinking more broadly and deeply about topics they will continue to iterate on throughout their careers. Being alongside a wide variety of industry professionals often leads to personalized mentorship opportunities in areas which will either deepen or widen their industry experience.

As a cornerstone event for fostering future industry-academia collaboration, the Emerging Leaders in Publishing Summit has been a launchpad for those poised to embark on dynamic careers in publishing, nurturing and inspring creativity in the future of the Publishing arena.