258. The human side of publishing, with Emma Lowe of the London Book Fair

Everyone in publishing has their own love story with books, and today we get to hear from Emma Lowe, director of the London Book Fair (LBF). Emma and I will be discussing the importance of humanity and publishing, like creating inclusive spaces to support diverse reading needs and neurodivergent engagement. We also dig into the hot topic of AI and how AI intersects with the world of publishing.

Emma shines a light on how LBF has integrated self-publishing into a traditional publishing trade show. Self-published authors have gained a huge amount of space in the publishing playing field, especially when traditional publishing methods are slightly less relevant for authors.

Whether you're an aspiring author, a published author, a publishing professional of any kind, or somebody who’s just publishing curious, you are sure to gain a lot from this conversation.

With over two decades of experience spanning publishing, media, and events, Emma Lowe took up the role of director of LBF in July 2025. She began her career at RX working as head of sales for LBF, before spending nine years as commercial director at The Bookseller, followed by roles as publishing account director at GlassBoxx and head of events at HarperCollins. She is widely regarded as a careful, detail-oriented leader with a warm personality and deep roots in the UK publishing community.

Get to know Ema:

• LinkedIn
• London Book Fair
• The Alliance of Independent Authors
• Tonies Box

Book recommendation:

• A Room with a View, by E.M. Forster

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• LinkedIn
• YouTube @stacyennisauthor

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