'The publishing world has gone mad.'

‘Whether you're an author, agent, publisher or retailer, depending on your view it's either a terrifying or exhilarating time. The only certainty is that it's all changing... The publishing world has gone mad. But throughout it all, one thing will survive - the inspiration of stories, the power of words. It's what unites all of us at this party. Of course we need to embrace all the digital world has to offer, but we mustn't ever forget that at the heart of everything we do are you, our authors, and your words and stories. So my advice to publishers would be: by all means play with the tech companies, but think carefully about becoming one. There's a world of difference between the culture of a content business and a tech business and in the end I'm not sure that you can comfortably marry the two.'

Victoria Barnsley, CEO, at the HarperCollins UK summer party which turned into her leaving party, as reported in Bookbrunch