Global Publishing Exchange 2026 Highlights India’s Push Toward Global Publishing Scale

Global Publishing Exchange 2026 in New Delhi spotlighted India’s publishing growth, focusing on global expansion, distribution, and partnerships with Sharjah.

on Apr 15, 2026

Global Publishing Exchange 2026 Highlights India’s Push Toward Global Publishing Scale

With the Global Publishing Exchange 2026 conference held in New Delhi, there was new optimism surrounding the future of publishing in India, showing how the sector is shifting gradually from being a domestic phenomenon to becoming an international player.

Convened by Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone in collaboration with Mint, the conclave featured representatives of the publishing world who pondered over the important issue of how Indian publishing can break out of its domestic confines and move further.

Despite having a market value of more than $8 billion and being a rapidly growing sector, the focus remained on how much content India was producing that had a wide appeal but not yet enough to achieve international recognition.

Saif Al Suwaidi, in his keynote speech, referred to Sharjah not just as a destination but as a gateway for publishers seeking to grow internationally, as their systems are optimized to ensure that the process is seamless and effortless.

Other speakers at the event pointed out how agreements such as the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) are facilitating smooth operations across borders.

One of the notable discussions during the session was by Ramesh K Mittal, who referred to the India-Sharjah partnership as a “strategic growth corridor” in which the strong editing skills of India converge with the global and middle-eastern market access of Sharjah.

The discussions held during the conclave revolved around actionable strategies, from making use of Sharjah as a logistic base to cut costs and provide better connectivity to Europe and Africa, to making use of the internet in promoting content and making rights transactions possible.

During the fireside discussion, Iman Ben Chaibah pointed out how important it was becoming to pay attention to the MENA region in view of its role as more than just a market but also a vital logistical center for educational and cultural content.

As the conclave drew to a close, one theme was clear: India’s publishing industry already has everything it requires in order to go big – all that remains is ensuring that the books written make their way to readers everywhere.