Publishing Signal
Media Transformation Summit by Publishing Signal

Publishing is changing.
The hard part is knowing what actually matters.

A practical online summit for publishing executives and transformation leaders, built around data-backed insights, real examples, and the signals that matter.

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Third edition300+ previous registrations150+ live attendees
Summit signal board
Event snapshot

Media Transformation Summit

by Publishing Signal

Powered by knk

July 22, 2026
9:00 AM–1:00 PM EDT
Online
Free to attend
At a glance
  • 3rd edition
    Proven format
  • 300+ registered
    Previous edition
  • 150+ live attendees
    Previous edition
  • 4 focused segments
    Sequential program
What attendees valued
Signal note

“The data and sources were extremely helpful for our strategic planning.”

— Previous attendee feedback

This year's focus
  • AI
  • Metadata
  • Formats
  • Revenue
  • Operations
  • Audience
  • Rights
  • Workflow
Free online summit
Third edition · 300+ previous registrations
Register now
Real insights
From publishing leaders
Practical frameworks
You can use
Actionable examples
More show, less theory
Built for publishing
Not generic tech
Program themes

Four threads through the morning

Four connected conversations about where publishing changes first.

01 / ROUNDTABLE

Formats and Revenue

How publishers expand, monetize and manage content across formats, channels and AI-powered models.

With

Mohit Srivastava · Andrew Weinstein

02 / ROUNDTABLE

Operations and Technology

Simplifying workflows, applying AI usefully, and modernizing operations without adding complexity.

With

Arantza Larrauri · Adam Hyde

03 / ROUNDTABLE

Content, Audience and Discovery

Discoverability, positioning and audience signals in a fragmented, AI-shaped discovery environment.

With

Thad McIlroy · Emma House

04 / TALK

Metadata, SEO and GEO

Why metadata, SEO and Generative Engine Optimization are becoming the foundation of book discovery.

With

Sarah Arbuthnot

Each thread stands on its own and strengthens the others.
Program · The morning

The morning, in working order.

Eight working sessions across four hours.

All times in Eastern Time (EDT).
  1. Welcome

    9:00 AMWelcome & Opening

    WITH
    • Sebastian Mayeres, CEO, knk Software LP

    A short opening to frame the Summit, the program, and why practical publishing transformation needs a clearer conversation.

  2. Keynote

    9:10 AMTransformation Is Not a Project: How Publishers Build Change That Lasts

    WITH
    • Amy Jones, Chief Transformation Officer, Emerald Publishing

    A senior transformation perspective on how publishers align business process, technology and culture so change becomes embedded, practical and durable across the organisation.

  3. TalkAI Pipeline

    9:30 AMBigFiveKiller: Building a Fully Automated Publishing Pipeline with AI

    WITH
    • Fred Zimmerman, Founder, Big Five Killer / Nimble Books

    What happens when a publishing technologist tries to rebuild the traditional publishing pipeline with AI and automation.

  4. RoundtableFormats & Revenue

    10:00 AMFormats and Revenue: How Publishers Build and Monetize a Multi-Format Business

    WITH
    • Mohit Srivastava, Strategic Content Partnerships and Licensing, Dashverse
    • Andrew Weinstein, US Country Manager, Bookwire

    How publishers can expand, monetize and manage content across formats, channels, platforms and emerging AI-powered content models.

  5. TalkAudience & DiscoveryAI Strategy

    10:40 AMFrom User Needs Model to AI in Multimodal Content Strategies

    WITH
    • Dmitry Shishkin, Independent Media Advisor, Independent

    It is no longer enough to understand the needs of media users. In 2026, media companies will not fail because they lack insight. The harder problem is that formats are not aligned, systems are fragmented, and teams often speak different languages. Dmitry Shishkin shows how clean data architecture and shared taxonomies can help media organisations scale multimodal content strategies and apply AI more effectively.

  6. RoundtableOperations & Technology

    11:10 AMOperations and Technology: How Modern Publishers Simplify Workflows, Use AI Effectively, and Scale

    WITH
    • Arantza Larrauri, Market Director, Europe and Latin America, De Marque
    • Adam Hyde, Founder, Pure Science Inc.

    A practical conversation on workflow simplification, AI use cases, infrastructure and what it takes to modernize publishing operations without creating more complexity.

  7. TalkMetadataAudience & Discovery

    11:50 AMFinding Readers in the AI Era: Why Metadata, SEO & GEO Matter for Trade Publishers

    WITH
    • Sarah Arbuthnot, President, Supadu

    The way readers find books is changing. AI-powered platforms are increasingly the first place people turn for recommendations, and they do not just crawl search engines. They pull from retailer listings, publisher websites and reference sources like Wikipedia to decide what to surface and recommend. For publishers, metadata, SEO and Generative Engine Optimisation are becoming the foundation of getting found.

  8. RoundtableAudience & Discovery

    12:20 PMContent and Target Audience: How Content Gets Discovered, Positioned, and Connected with the Right Readers

    WITH
    • Thad McIlroy, Technology Analyst and Consultant, The Future of Publishing
    • Emma House, International Publishing Consultant, Emma House Consultancy

    Discoverability, positioning, audience signals, and what it now takes to connect content with the right readers in a fragmented, AI-shaped discovery environment.

  9. Closing

    1:00 PMEnd of Conference

    Closing remarks and next steps.

Speakers

The people doing the work.

Operators, practitioners, and publishing leaders with something concrete to add.

  • Amy Jones

    Amy Jones

    Chief Transformation Officer

    Emerald Publishing

    Aligns process, technology, and culture at Emerald Publishing to deliver real-world transformation impact.

    On the program

    Transformation Is Not a Project: How Publishers Build Change That Lasts

  • Fred Zimmerman

    Fred Zimmerman

    Founder

    Big Five Killer / Nimble Books

    Three decades at the intersection of books and digital change; now rebuilding the publishing pipeline in silico.

    On the program

    BigFiveKiller: Building a Fully Automated Publishing Pipeline with AI

  • Mohit Srivastava

    Mohit Srivastava

    Strategic Content Partnerships and Licensing

    Dashverse

    Leads content partnerships at Dashverse, expanding premium storytelling across AI-powered formats like microdramas.

    On the program

    Formats and Revenue

  • Andrew Weinstein

    Andrew Weinstein

    US Country Manager

    Bookwire

    Grows Bookwire in the US after twelve years at Scribd and a decade at Ingram in print-on-demand and digital distribution.

    On the program

    Formats and Revenue

  • Dmitry Shishkin

    Dmitry Shishkin

    Independent Media Advisor

    Independent

    Advises Condé Nast, Reuters Foundation, Yahoo, Globo and Ringier; operationalised the User Needs Model globally at BBC.

    On the program

    From User Needs Model to AI in Multimodal Content Strategies

  • Arantza Larrauri

    Arantza Larrauri

    Market Director, Europe and Latin America

    De Marque

    Two decades in the book industry across Círculo de Lectores, Random House, Libranda and De Marque.

    On the program

    Operations and Technology

  • Adam Hyde

    Adam Hyde

    Founder

    Pure Science Inc.

    Founder behind Book Sprints, Kotahi, Paged.js and PurePub.ai; leading voice on AI agents in scholarly publishing.

    On the program

    Operations and Technology

  • Sarah Arbuthnot

    Sarah Arbuthnot

    President

    Supadu

    Leads Supadu, helping publishers grow direct-to-consumer revenue and make books in every format more discoverable.

    On the program

    Metadata, SEO and GEO

  • Thad McIlroy

    Thad McIlroy

    Technology Analyst and Consultant

    The Future of Publishing

    Director of The Future of Publishing and contributing editor at Publishers Weekly; focused on AI's impact on publishing.

    On the program

    Content, Audience and Discovery

  • Emma House

    Emma House

    International Publishing Consultant

    Emma House Consultancy

    26 years across magazine, book and journal publishing, including the London Book Fair and the Publishers Association.

    On the program

    Content and Target Audience: How Content Gets Discovered, Positioned, and Connected with the Right Readers

  • Sebastian Mayeres

    Sebastian Mayeres

    CEO

    knk Software LP

    Works with publishers on the operational core of transformation: systems, data, processes, metadata, rights, royalties.

Frequently asked

Logistics, plainly.

The Summit is online and will take place as a Zoom webinar.

Founded and powered byknk

Publishing Signal is an industry platform backed by knk. It is built to support practical, independent conversations for the publishing industry.

Registration

Save your place for the Media Transformation Summit.

Four focused hours on what is actually changing in publishing, and what to do next.

July 22, 2026 · 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM EDT · Online

Register now

By registering for the Media Transformation Summit, you agree to the Event Participation Terms and acknowledge the Privacy Policy.