Your chance to meet the publishers

The Booksellers Association will be hosting its annual Academic, Professional and Specialist Bookselling (APS) Group Conference at the Old Ship Hotel, Brighton on March 13-14. The Association represents the interests of some 95% of British bookshops and its conference is aimed at helping academic booksellers open a dialogue with students and academics.

Alan Staton, The Booksellers Association Head of Marketing, said in a statement: “The APS conference offers an increasingly important forum for publishers and booksellers to hear first-hand from students and lecturers about the rapidly changing academic market including changes in behaviour and expectation. This will be facilitated by a great line up of key note speakers, the hugely successful student panel which is back for a third year running and a new lecturer panel debate introduced by popular demand this year.”

A spokesman told Felix that the Association was keen to promote the event to students as “it offers them the unique opportunity to voice their opinions about book-buying and borrowing in the modern day.” Attendees “will be able to meet publishers and academic booksellers first hand to discuss how the increase in tuition fees last year and the introduction of digital textbooks has impacted on the way in which they consume their textbooks”.

The keynote speech will be given by Professor Christopher F. Higgins, Vice-Chancellor of Durham University. The programme will also include talks and panels by students and other academics from Durham, Brighton and Plymouth Universities.

Prospective delegates should email Naomi.gane@booksellers.org.uk to register.