Since everyone else is talking about it anyway, we might as well drop any kind of modesty and also provide you with a plug for the global launch night for BookMachine’s online networking platform, bookmachine.me, which is taking place on 25 September with six events in six cities around the world. The new site – will be inaugurated with events in London, Oxford, Brighton, Barcelona, New York and Toronto, and Phil Collins will be at all of them each with its own unique speaker for the night.

As well as founders Gavin and Laura, London will have Eric Huang, Development Director at Made in Me, the award winning digital agency specialising in children’s entertainment and brand development. Oxford has Emma Barnes, ten year veteran of an award-winning independent trade publisher who now uses her understanding of the realities of modern publishing to build publishing management software. Brighton will hear from Julia Kingsford, CEO of annual celebration of reading World Book Night. Barcelona has Julieta Lionetti, a former international trade publisher with over 20 years’ experience in the industry who now consults with tech companies and traditional publishers. New York will have Brett Sandusky, founder of consultancy bdigitil Media Labs, which provides UX, product development services, physical and digital prototypes, and strategy assistance to companies launching new ventures. Lastly, Toronto has Sophie Kahan, Manager of Publisher Promotions at Kobo, Canada’s global eBookseller.

Early-bird tickets are on sale now and are available here. Guests at each event will be greeted by a host, and each city has local sponsors supporting the event with drinks, prize draws and special offers. Charly Ford, Project Manager at Osprey Publishing, is hosting in Oxford for the fourth time, and says of her experience: ‘Organising and hosting BookMachine events in Oxford is fantastic – they bring in such a friendly and welcoming crowd. It’s so exciting to see a roomful of publishing professionals making new contacts and catching up with people they already know!’

Needless to say following use of the words ‘friendly and welcoming’, I definitely can’t make it to any of them, so now you have no reason not to go.