Philippines bookseller Jaime Daez gives keynote at Sharjah meeting
Jaime Daez, Managing Director of Fully Booked bookstores in the Philippines, gave the keynote speech at the fifth Sharjah Booksellers Conference.
Publishing Perspectives published the text of that speech on 21 September 2026, making the full address available to read beyond the room Publishing Perspectives. The publication followed sessions held over the preceding weekend. A keynote, meaning the opening address that sets the theme for a meeting, is often reserved for a voice from the shop floor.
The fifth edition of the conference was opened by Bodour Al Qasimi. That opening and Daez's keynote role were reported by WAM on 19 September WAM. The report places a bookseller from the Philippines at the centre of the programme in Sharjah.
The programme also included key conversations about selling books. Cyrus Kheradi moderated those discussions, according to a 18 September report Sharjah24. Jaime Daez from the Philippines and Adi Ekatama took part in them.
A booksellers' conference, in plain terms, is a trade meeting for the people and companies that sell books to readers. It sits at the retail end of publishing. That end covers orders, stock, display and the till, after an author, agent and publisher have done their work.
What makes this stand out for general readers is the perspective. Most book news starts with authors and prizes. Here the starting point is the bookshop. The manager who decides what reaches the shelf speaks first.
For readers, this means direct access. The speech is not summarised in clips or quotes alone. The complete text is now published and can be read in full. The moderator credit and the guest list give the context for where it was said and who was in the discussion around it.
