Founder of Purplebloom Publishers and convener of Authors’ Conference, Adejoke Oyekan, has stated that a book is not just paper but a legacy that represents something more creative that shapes people, history and society.

Oyekan stated this on Thursday in Ibadan during the second edition of the Purplebloom Publishers Authors’ Conference with the theme ‘Ink your dreams: Shaping the future through words’.

The Purplebloom Publishers’ boss described the conference as a gathering of voices that will outlive authors, adding, “When we ink our dreams, we do not just write for today; we shape tomorrow.”

She emphasised that authors should inspire one another to write “because the world is waiting for the words that only you can write.”

The founder and CEO of Datina Design, Tinu Smith, spoke extensively on how technology and digital spaces shape the way people write, tell stories, sell books, and communicate ideas to the world.

Smith stated that words and stories have existed for ages, but technology is now taking them to places far away that they might not have originally reached; hence, inspiring people and communities, and sustaining family, faith, and civilisation.

She further stated that in today’s digital world, ink and stories have found a companion in technology, stressing that artificial intelligence (AI) cannot produce human experience or replace great writers, adding that authors must “Go beyond books, embrace technology.”

The CEO of Primus Media, Afouda Samuel, titled his speech ‘Visibility is the new currency: Be seen, be heard, remembered’. He said that social media is now the new measure of visibility and attention, hence the need not just to create content but also value and a point of view, and to be consistent with it in building brands.

Temitayo Oluyege titled her speech ‘Building a grant-ready business that attracts funding’. She spoke extensively on how small business owners and young entrepreneurs can leverage financial skills and connections to attract funds for their ventures.

Olufunke Arokodare titled her speech ‘Becoming the person your dream requires’. She noted that dreams should go beyond just dreaming and into more of the processes of becoming what one dreams to achieve.

“God has given everyone a dream. What are you doing with yours? As writers, our words are powerful. They can inspire and empower,” she said.

In the course of the conference, there were two panel sessions titled: ‘From experience to truth: Balancing truth and authenticity in memoir writing’, moderated by Michael Olatunbosun;  ‘Mentoring the next generations of authors’, moderated by Temiloluwa Ala.

The event also featured book reading, spoken-word poetry, health talk, and other social activities.