Reading, Rights and the Road Ahead: 3 Key takeaways from the IPG Spring Conference 2026
In February, the PLS team joined delegates from across the independent publishing world attending the Independent Publishers Guild Spring Conference 2026: The Business of Reading.
As always, the Conference offered a wealth of provoking keynotes, engaging breakout sessions and lively discussion on the biggest issues facing the industry right now.
Here's what we took away.
1. Reading is a shared mission
The conference opened with an energising keynote from Jonathan Douglas, CEO of the National Literacy Trust, who set the tone for the day with a compelling call to action: social and economic purpose must be integrated, not treated as competing priorities. For publishers and literacy organisations alike, the goal of increasing reading rates and improving literacy is a shared one.
"Your social purpose sits at the heart of your vocation." — Jonathan Douglas
This spirit of collective endeavour is reflected in two fantastic initiatives:
- The National Year of Reading is gathering momentum, backed by partners across tech, media and publishing.
- The Big Help Out, the national volunteering campaign, is this year focused on recruiting Reading Champions.
Visit goallin.org.uk to get involved.
2. AI, trust and the creative industries
The morning's second keynote came from Katie Razzall, the BBC's Culture and Media Editor, introduced by IPG President and former PLS Director Oliver Gadsby, and it was one of the most thought-provoking sessions of the day.
Razzall spoke candidly about the challenge of navigating a media landscape in which verifying content has become genuinely difficult: "I as a journalist do not know what's true and what's not" in a landscape of generated content and misinformation.
For publishers and journalists alike, the ability to trust and cite sources is eroding fast and the tools and practices to verify AI-generated or AI-influenced content are still catching up. The session reinforced what many in the room already feel: AI cannot replace creatives, and the creative industries must grapple seriously with what algorithmic content recommendation means for both creators and audiences.
3. The legal and licensing landscape: where the creative industries stand
In an afternoon breakout on law, policy and licensing, Simon Bennett and Scott Steinberg of Fox Williams outlined progress on IPG-led warning letters to AI operators and ongoing US class actions.
George Walkley, the IPG's policy advisor, then gave a thorough overview of where things stand on government policy and content licensing for AI. He called back to the Make It Fair campaign and the case for licensing, pushing back firmly against an opt-out or exception model.
Walkley left attendees with a clear message, the licensing market for AI is developing and that various options are becoming available to publishers of all sizes wishing to licence their content.
Finally — a reminder on awards
The deadline for all entries for the IPG Independent Publishing Awards is midnight on Sunday 8th March 2026. Shortlists will be announced in due course and we will celebrate all the winners at a very special lunch in London on Wednesday 29 April 2026.
PLS are delighted to sponsor the AI Award.
We look forward to seeing what the rest of 2026 brings for independent publishing, and look forward to supporting the IPG Autumn Conference this September.
