Early Bird Registration Open Now!

We’re pleased to announce that registration for the AALA’s People of Publishing 2026 conference is now open.

WHEN: 
September 30, 2026

WHERE: 
Fashion Institute of Technology
227 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION

Registration for the conference opens now. You can book at a reduced rate with our Early Bird Pricing until May 31, 2026, or until Early Bird Tickets sell out. We have limited capacity so please don’t wait to book your tickets. 

PRICING

EARLY BIRD AALA MEMBERS: $149
AALA MEMBERS: $199
EARLY BIRD GENERAL ADMISSION: $199
GENERAL ADMISSION: $249

Contact conference@aalitagents if you’d like to explore group pricing options for groups of ten or more.

ATTENTION AGENTS, EDITORS, AND PUBLISHING PROFESSIONALS

Following a strong inaugural year, the People of Publishing Conference returns this fall to convene literary agents, along with editors and publishing professionals from major publishing houses and independent presses, at a time when the industry is adapting to shifts in discovery, audience behavior, and technology. This year’s conference centers on the practical questions agents and editors are working through every day:

• How should professionals think differently about building lists, structuring deals, and navigating career paths? 
• What practical shifts are needed in how projects are framed, pitched, and brought to market?
• Where are the most promising opportunities for growth, and how should the industry support authors in that expanded ecosystem? 
• How should agents and editors be adapting to artificial intelligence as it reshapes editorial judgment, rights, and how books are positioned and protected?

The program reflects the conference’s broader goal: to build a clearer, shared understanding of the marketplace and create direct points of connection for agents, editors, and publishing professionals. From high-level leadership conversations to focused roundtables, the conference creates space for both perspective and practice, bringing the industry into more direct, informed conversation.

For 2026, conference programming will feature:

• How She Leads: Innovators and Disruptors, headlined by visionary leaders shaping the future of the industry;
• Agent/Editor Roundtables, small, peer-led discussions organized by genre and topic, designed to create direct, practical exchange among participants;
• The Year in Publishing: Key Trends, Consumer Shifts, and Why They Matter, offering a data-informed view of what’s selling—and why;
• Power Pairs: How Editors and Agents Shape Books That Win where agent–editor teams share how they collaborated to bring a book to market, offering a focused look at the decisions that made the difference;
• Behind the Bestseller Lists, a clear look at how bestseller list’s function, what they signal, and where their influence begins and ends;
• Selling into a Transformed Marketplace, examining what drives acquisitions, secures retailer support, and moves books in today’s retail environment;
• Everything BUT the Auction: Options, Exclusives, Pre-empts and More, exploring the range of deal strategies shaping how books are bought and sold;
• And more!

We’ll continue to add sessions and speakers soon. Please check peopleofpublishing.org for the latest updates.