International publishers: Sharjah is a global forum that brings together knowledge makers to build bridges between world cultures

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Sharjah, November 4, 2017 – An elite group of publishers participating in the second and third days of the fifteenth session of the International Publishers Conference confirmed that the meeting in Sharjah went beyond the boundaries of professional and commercial exchange to form a humanitarian and cultural space that restored the publishing industry to its essence based on passion, knowledge and cooperation.

They said that they found in Sharjah a glimmer of hope that prompted them to continue serving the book, as the attendees discovered that Sharjah had become a global forum that brought together knowledge makers around a common belief in the power of the word and its ability to build bridges between world cultures.

In statements to the Emirates News Agency, WAM, Mohammed Fadl, Director of Foreign Rights at the Book Juice Publishing House from Egypt, said that his participation in the International Publishers Conference in Sharjah is for the eighth time in a row, indicating that the conference is witnessing remarkable annual development that contributes to the largest number of contracts between participating publishing houses from various countries of the world.

Nadine Bakhos from Dar Al Boomah Publishing and Distribution, a house specializing in children’s books, indicated that her participation in the International Publishers Conference in Sharjah is the first of its kind as a publisher, as she previously participated in the “Publish” program organized by the Sharjah Book Authority, pointing out that the conference represents an ideal opportunity for any publisher seeking to get to know international publishers and measure the extent of acceptance of published topics to the foreign world and any other non-Arabic speaking country.

Abdulaziz Al-Mutairi from Dar Jusoor Saudi Arabia praised the level of the International Publishers Conference in Sharjah, considering it the largest in the world. During his second participation, he saw publishing houses from multiple nationalities that he had not seen in similar exhibitions and conferences in Beijing, Frankfurt and London.

Fatima Al Khatib, founder of Sidra Publishing House and member of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Publishers Association, said that the conference is an exceptional opportunity to build global bridges of communication with publishers and literary agents from various countries, noting that Sharjah’s support for the conference contributes to enabling local publishing houses to obtain the rights to publish and translate international books in various languages.

Naziniguba Kabore, founder of Les Editions Ecovie in Burkina Faso, said that his participation in the Sharjah conference restored his hope for the future of publishing after he had lost it when his son refused to continue working in the family house, believing that “there is no future in books.”

He added that he saw in Sharjah that the book industry was still strong and able to continue and influence, and this is what gave him new energy to continue the journey, because of his belief that books are capable of changing minds and inspiring generations.

Hulya Balci from Dogan Publishing House in Istanbul said that the conference is a pioneering platform for professional communication, as it allows the transition from getting to know each other by name to direct meeting, which establishes real and sustainable professional relationships.

She added that she came to Sharjah with two main goals: searching for new books to buy and selling the publishing rights for her own publications, noting that this balance between the two sides of the publishing industry makes the conference an ideal environment to facilitate building the global ties necessary to develop business and expand presence in the international book market.

Peter Thorne from the French publishing house Édition Mirages et Lumières came to Sharjah for the first time with a clear goal, which was to search for Arabic texts to be translated into French. He said that the biggest advantage of the Sharjah conference is the ease of communication, as everyone here is on the same level and you can simply start a conversation with anyone, pointing out that this openness made him achieve tangible results from the first day.

Khaled Mahmoud from the Pakistani Jamhoori Publications believes that the conference and working sessions between publishers constitute a source of new ideas, cultural exchange, exchanging experiences and ideas with international colleagues, and learning about publishing methods in other countries. The main focus is Arabic literature, which is why we are keen to participate in the conference every year. We have a schedule full of meetings and we seek to turn these meetings into actual cooperation agreements that benefit our company and open new horizons for us.