The familiar world of the book is facing some key challenges. These include the decline of bookselling on the high street, the growth in the sales of ebooks, and competition from other media. There is continued experimentation around the book in digital form, exploring non-linear narratives and the use of multimedia. Meanwhile, for authors there are many new routes available for finding a readership, including self-publishing or using crowdfunding to finance publication. Will traditional publishing survive in this environment? Why do authors still need publishers? Should readers have a greater say in what is published? Our expert panel considers these and other questions.

Nigel Newton is the founder and chief executive of Bloomsbury Publishing, which publishes 2000 books a year and employs 500 people. Its authors include J. K. Rowling, Margaret Atwood, William Boyd and Ben Macintyre. Richard Ovenden is Bodley Librarian. He has worked at the Bodleian Library for ten years, previously as keeper of special collections and as deputy librarian. Anthony Cheetham has enjoyed a long career at senior levels in publishing including founding or running, Orion, Abacus, Futura, Century, Quercus, Corvus and Head of Zeus.  Tim Waterstone is the founder of the bookselling chain Waterstones, the third largest bookseller in the world. The event is chaired by Angus Phillips, director of the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies at Oxford Brookes University. His most recent book is Turning the Page: The Evolution of the Book, which examines the effects of digital and other developments on the book itself.

Presented by the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies at Oxford Brookes University.