Dan Houser, Monica Ali, Jamie Smart, Lucy Clarke and Liu Zhenyun Champion Creativity in the Industry at Day Two of The London Book Fair 2025.

LONDON– Today thousands of visitors returned to Olympia for the second day of The London Book Fair, experiencing a thrilling programme of authors, illustrators, creatives and industry professionals who took part in the latest cultural conversations about AI and technology, audiobooks, creativity in the industry, and much more.Adam Ridgway, Director of The London Book Fair, said: “The second day of The London Book Fair was just as lively as the first. Busy as ever, it was inspiring to hear such groundbreaking and renowned speakers share their wisdom, including Dan Houser, Monica Ali, Jamie Smart, Lucy Clarke, Liu Zhenyun and more, and to be able to celebrate Gloria Bailey MBE, recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for a stimulating final day!” Top L-R: Dan Houser, Monica Ali in conversation with Chris Power; Bottom L-R: Jamie Smart during his draw-along, Katie Piper introducing her new book.        Highlights from Day Two of the Fair (Wed 12 March): The Welcoming Remarks were given by Fee Mak, a Radio and TV Presenter at BBC Radio 1Xtra. Dan Houser, the Creator and Founder of Absurd Ventures, the legendary entertainment and video games company, gave a talk about how reading and his love for books has impacted him, including his creative process, and he delved into the process of writing for different formats.The Author of the Day was Monica Ali, author of five books, including Alentejo Blue, Brick Lane, In the Kitchen, Love Marriage, and Untold Story. She was in conversation with Booker Prize Chair Chris Power, discussing her work, inspiration, and screen adaptations.Meanwhile, the first ever Creative of the Fair Jamie Smart ran a popular talk & draw-along over at Author HQ, sharing insights from his award-winning career, including his much-loved Bunny vs. Monkey comic series, with chair Tom Fickling.The illustration content on Author HQ continued with the Illustrators’ Afternoon Networking Reception, where fellow illustrators were able to meet up and share their artistic processes.Georgina Kamsika, Author, Ravi Mirchandani, Publisher, and Christy Lefteri, Author, looked at how far authors can go when writing from the perspective of minority groups, they discussed whether there is a line that writers can cross when writing from a perspective that they have not experienced and where that line might be in the English PEN Literary Salon, Writing Others’ Experiences: Freedom and Appropriation.The Influence & Impact: Shaping the Future of Publishing panel, with Daphne Tonge, Founder and CEO of Illumicrate, Tammi Clarke, Book and Beauty Content Creator, and Emma Quick, the Market Director at Simon & Schuster Children’s Books, discussed the growth of book influencers and how they are shaping and redefining the publishing industry.Lucy Clarke, Sunday Times bestselling Author known for her book The Castaways, a destination thriller, was joined by Ben Harris, Screenwriter and Showrunner, Judith Murray, Clarke’s Literary Agent at Greene & Heaton, and Mike Benson, Executive Producer at Clapperboard Studios, to discuss the process that she underwent while turning The Castaways from a novel to a TV series. A Fireside Chat Session hosted by Helena Gustafsson, CEO of Storytel’s Audiobook Publisher StorySide, Ana Maria Allessi, President and Publisher of Hachette Audio, Eric Bartoletti, Head of Business Development at Bookwire, and Ed Nawotka, Senior International and Bookselling Editor at Publishers Weekly, delved into helpful information on how to take advantage of AI and understand how it is reshaping the audiobook environment.Serving as the Reading Ambassador for the Beijing International Book Fair, renowned author and screenwriter Liu Zhenyun took centre stage in a session alongside esteemed literary voices Jenny Niven and Nicky Harman, with moderator Alicia Liu. The session spotlighted the evolving global impact of Chinese literature and the universal appeal of Chinese storytelling, highlighting how Liu’s works — translated into over thirty languages and adapted into films and stage productions around the world — are bridging cultural divides.High-profile authors visited The London Book Fair to tease their upcoming books, including the historical novelist Philippa Gregory for her highly anticipated Boleyn Traitor and activist and campaigner Katie Piper for her empowering memoir, Still Beautiful.The Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising an individual who has made a significant mark in the international book industry, was granted to Gloria Bailey MBE earlier this year. A special reception celebrated her incredible contribution to the book industries.