I had the pleasure of virtually attending this year’s IPG Autumn Conference, upon hearing this was virtual attendance, I breathed a sigh of relief. As a newbie to the publishing world, the word ‘conference’ unveiled thoughts of suits, coffee, and an auditorium full of speakers more knowledgeable than me.

Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong, and what a pleasure it was. Hearing so many passionate and friendly speakers from corner of the industry, reassured me that the field I was nervously stepping foot into, was indeed a welcoming one. 

Image taken from the IPG’s page on social media platform ‘X’ (@ipghq).

What I was most interested to learn about during the conference was trends and how publishers keep up with what readers want. Particularly before the days of ‘BookTok’ and ‘BookTube’. I also wondered how sustainable this was for a publishing house, in a market that is constantly changing and evolving. Lesley O’ Mara of Michael O’ Mara books, served my answer on a silver platter. She shared how their family run publishing company transformed from a two-person operation, based in the spare bedroom in their family home, to now a thriving business with a full staff. 

‘Today’s publishers have it much simpler: figure out what readers want to read and then publish it. As Cheetham’s book makes clear, when they get this right, it really is a mass market.’ (Phillip Jones, 2025).

Michael O’ Mara books indeed, got it right. Lesley spoke about how their main strategy was always ‘to be adaptable and willing to change’, this is what has helped their business thrive and succeed. When first starting out, O’ Mara books ‘looked for people who everyone was obsessed with’. They kept up with the hype of celebrities and people making headlines, to turn that into an opportunity for them. For example, they have published books about Princess Diana after her passing, Ozzy Osborne when the reality TV show ‘The Osbornes’ aired and more recently they published works on BTS after their rise to global fame. 

However, their focus wasn’t strictly on celebrities, keeping their adaptability in mind, O’ Mara books also recognised other types of trends that they could jump onto. O’ Mara provided examples such as Sudoku books, adult colouring books, and even texting books when the age of smartphones dawned. O’ Mara’s consistent adaptability and bravery to take a leap on a new trend is wildly impressive, it is exactly the kind of attitude needed in a market where consumer demands are varied and ever changing. The literature we read is a reflection of our constantly evolving society, our bookshelves could serve as an insight into our history on their own. O’ Mara books have secured their place with the consumer and putting to bed the idea that literature and books are falling behind in the digital age. 

Image taken from Michael O’ Mara Books website, picturing Lesley and Michael O’ Mara.

Bibliography:

Independent Publisher’s Guild [@ipghq] (2024) ‘Independent Publishers Guild Conference image.,’ X. https://x.com/ipghq/status/1834243245569671287/photo/1.

Michael O’Mara Books (2025) Who We Are – Michael O’Mara Books. https://www.mombooks.com/about/who-we-are/.

O’ Mara, L. (2025) ‘Leader’s Perspective’ The Shaw Theatre. IPG 2025 Autumn Conference. London, 16th September.