There has never been an easier time to enter publishing — or a harder time to be noticed. Micro-publishing, print-on-demand and digital tools have lowered the drawbridge, but they have not removed the moat. In an age of AI slop, the new independent publisher must become gatekeeper, editor, designer, curator and provenance-keeper.

Before Amazon and algorithms, children’s book clubs brought curated, affordable books into homes, schools and workplaces. From Puffin Post to Red House catalogues, this is the story of a vanished reading culture.

Is coincidence fate, pattern, or just the story we tell ourselves? In this interview, Patricia Borlenghi discusses A Book of Coincidences — her literary memoir about memory, identity, and the serendipitous moments that shape a life — alongside publishing, belonging, and what it means to live between two cultures.

The Bologna Children’s Book Fair isn’t just an event — it’s where global children’s publishing decides what survives. From instinct-driven acquisitions to geopolitical tensions, here’s what really happens behind the scenes — and why, even in 2026, nothing has kept the industry away.