Thinkpub Conference – Reader Engagement in the Digital Age – Program

Alma Čaušević Klemenčič, Thinkpub project leader.

We need to talk about reading

Reading’s digitization is entering a new phase. Beyond e-books, apps, and e-readers, we are now seeing the automation of reading itself, with a large part of it being delegated to AI. This shift is changing where cognitive work happens and what it means to read. After years spent improving digital reading experiences, the next challenge is : how do we engage with reading, in all its forms, when machines can read alongside us?

The mindful machine: designing digital reading for deeper engagement

In an increasingly distracted world, how can digital platforms not only deliver content but also cultivate profound reader engagement? This session will explore how Rakuten Kobo intentionally designs its e-reading ecosystem—from the physiological comfort of E Ink screens and ComfortLight PRO to intelligent personalization and interactive features—to support sustained attention and richer comprehension. We will delve into how insights from cognitive science inform hardware and software development, how AI can foster genuine discovery rather than just consumption, and how features like annotation and integration with reading communities are reshaping “active reading” for the digital age. Join us to understand how thoughtful technological innovation can deepen our relationship with books and truly serve the evolving needs of the modern reader.

Michael Tamblyn is the CEO of Rakuten Kobo, one of the world’s largest eBook retailers and makers of eReaders. Part of the founding team since 2009, he became CEO in 2016, guiding Kobo from a Canadian startup to a global brand now in 30+ countries. A lifelong reader, Michael believes digital platforms should make reading lives better, not just digital, and has pushed Kobo to experiment with both hardware and software to keep eBooks open and accessible worldwide. He speaks internationally on publishing, tech, and innovation, and is deeply involved in shaping the global e-reading landscape through strategic partnerships and new business model development.

Beyond free and piracy: delivering value in legal Manga platforms

Explore how legal digital manga platforms can deliver greater value to readers than unauthorized scan sites. The session will examine strategies around content selection, format adaptations (including webtoon), and ongoing product development, as well as the role of business models such as subscriptions and partnerships with major publishers. It will provide insights into how to build attractive, sustainable legal offers that better meet reader expectations.

The reading experience from an academic perspective: a brief overview and some takeaways for publishing

Over the past few decades, researchers from a wide range of disciplines, including literary studies, history and cognitive sciences, have increasingly turned their attention to how people actually experience reading, respond to texts and interpret them. Recent projects address these questions empirically by analysing readers’ testimonies (letters, interviews, online reviews…) across cultural and historical contexts, often using digital tools to build and explore large corpora. This talk offers a brief overview of key data sources, methods and outputs from this research field and explores how they could provide practical takeaways for editorial work, notably strategies for reader engagement.

Taking care of reading in the digital age

This roundtable, moderated by Virginie Clayssen, gathers the day’s speakers to discuss how reading is evolving in the digital age. The discussion will address the challenges of sustaining attention, creating value in legal digital offerings, ensuring accessibility, and learning from past failures.

The panel will explore what it means to take care of reading today. This involves balancing depth and enjoyment in new formats such as audiobooks, social reading, and interactive experiences. By placing current innovations in a historical context, participants will reflect on what should remain central to the reading experience as it evolves.

To be confirmed.