Agenda – 11 February 2027

Paul Siegel, Founder of Starweaver, frames the day: the shift from print to experiences is no longer a pilot, it is a business-model change. He sets out the three questions this summit will answer: what authentic content is worth in an AI world, how it should be transformed and distributed, and how the economics should work for publishers, authors and partners.

A senior publishing leader makes the case that the book is no longer the end product but the source of many products. Drawing on real catalog decisions, the keynote shows how trusted content is being reborn as courses, credentials and personalized learning experiences, and why the publishers who move now will set the terms for everyone else. Speaker to be announced.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

— Explain why authoritative, rights-cleared content is gaining value as AI-generated content floods the market.

— Describe the main formats into which book content is now being transformed, from courses to adaptive journeys.

— Identify the strategic choices a publisher faces: build, partner, license or wait.

— Recognize early signals of which content categories convert best into learning experiences.

— Frame print-to-digital as a portfolio decision rather than a one-off project.

When anyone can generate plausible text, provenance becomes the product. This panel tackles the tension at the heart of publishing today: protecting intellectual property from unlicensed AI use while putting it to work in AI-enabled learning. Panelists debate licensing to AI companies, attribution and brand, author consent, and the guardrails that let publishers say yes with confidence. Invited: Wiley, Pearson, Hachette, Macmillan.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

— Distinguish between licensing content to AI model developers and deploying content inside AI-enabled learning products.

— Assess the risks and rewards of AI licensing deals, including scope, exclusivity and pricing.

— Apply practical guardrails for AI use: no-training clauses, secure environments and data retention controls.

— Explain how provenance, attribution and brand build trust with learners and buyers.

— Understand how leading publishers are handling author consent and communication.

— Identify contract terms that protect IP while enabling new formats and channels.

Most publishers are sitting on backlists with far more value than their print sales suggest. This panel shows how books are being converted into courses, specializations, credentials, podcasts, simulations and adaptive journeys, and what separates a compelling learning experience from a recorded chapter. Panelists share how they choose titles, design for engagement, and build modular content that can be repurposed as technology changes. Invited: Kogan Page, John Murray, Macmillan, Wiley.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

— Use demand data to decide which backlist titles to convert first.

— Describe the components of an engaging learning experience: video, demos, labs, explainers, job aids, readings and cases.

— Explain how instructional design turns expert content into measurable skills outcomes.

— Design modular content that can be reused across formats, channels and future technologies.

— Compare course, specialization and certificate structures and when each makes sense.

— Recognize common quality pitfalls in book-to-course conversion and how to avoid them.

— Estimate realistic timelines and effort for a first batch of titles.

Ten minutes to stretch, refill and meet fellow attendees in the virtual networking room.

Learners now buy through platforms, earn credit through universities and learn on the job through enterprise systems. This panel brings the buyers to the table: what platforms, universities and enterprises actually want from publisher content, how they evaluate it, and how channel economics differ. Expect candid views on discovery, credit, integration standards and what makes content sell. Invited: Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, University of Maryland Global Campus, enterprise learning leaders.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

— Map the main distribution channels for publisher-derived learning: platforms, universities, enterprises and direct.

— Understand how platforms select, rank and promote content, and what drives discovery.

— Explain how universities assess content for credit and non-credit programs.

— Identify enterprise requirements, including LTI, SCORM, LMS integration and skills alignment.

— Compare channel economics, from revenue share to licensing and subscription models.

— Evaluate publisher-branded channels versus partner-led distribution.

— Recognize how one course can be adapted for different audiences and markets.

Print economics do not map neatly onto digital learning. This panel gets specific about the deal structures now in play, from fixed fees and advances to cost recovery and pure royalty models, and how publishers, producers, platforms and authors share risk and reward. It closes with the terms partners most often get wrong. Invited: publisher rights and licensing leaders, platform partnership leaders.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

— Compare the main commercial models: fixed fee, advance plus royalties, cost recovery plus royalties and royalties only.

— Understand how risk, upside and control shift across each model.

— Structure deals by batch so terms can evolve as results come in.

— Address author royalties and rights clearance for derivative learning products.

— Negotiate distribution, territory, translation and AI-use terms.

— Set up reporting, audit and payment processes that build long-term trust.

— Identify the most common deal mistakes and how to avoid them.

A live walk-through of the full pipeline: analyzing a publisher backlist against market demand, prioritizing titles, producing a course through a tracked workflow, and turning it into a personalized learning journey. Attendees see each step, the decisions behind it and what the publisher sees along the way.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

— See how market demand data is set against a backlist to rank titles by opportunity.

— Follow a course through outline, script, recording, editing, quality review and approval.

— Understand how a single course becomes a personalized, adaptive learning journey.

— Recognize what visibility and controls a publisher should expect during production.

— Identify questions to ask any production partner about workflow, quality and data.

Paul Siegel and the session moderators distil the day into a short list of decisions and actions, followed by live audience questions. Attendees leave with a practical checklist for their first or next print-to-digital initiative.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

— Summarize the key takeaways from each panel.

— Prioritize three actions to take in the next 90 days.

— Use a practical checklist to scope a first print-to-digital initiative.

— Know where to find follow-up resources, recordings and partner contacts.