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CONTENTS 3 Welcome Ahmed Al Ameri 4L iterature in the Arab world and the Sharjah International Book Fair His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi 6 SIBF Preview Roger Tagholm 7 The SIBF Translation Grants Nicholas Clee 8A PAC A preview of the most ambitious Arab Publishing Association Conference to date 10 The SIBF Awards Roger Tagholm 11 Copyright and the Arab world Emma House 12 A growing collaboration between the American Library Association and SIBF Mary Mackay and Michael Dowling 14 Authors at SIBF: interviews with Susan Abulhawa and Darren Shan 16 Map of the Arab literary world 18 Comics come of age at the new comics pavilion Kuo-Yu Liang 19 The Sharjah Book Authority; Sharjah and China, a growing relationship 20 Reawayat, a new young adult imprint Tamer Said 21 Online booksellers Jamalon and nwf Roger Tagholm
Bookbrunch/Publishers Weekly A World of Words Š BookBrunch Ltd and PWxyz Published by BookBrunch Ltd and Publishers Weekly Registered office: BookBrunch Ltd, McKelvie and Co, 82 Wandsworth Bridge Road, London SW6 2TF Publishers Weekly, 71 West 23rd Street, New York, New York, 10010, USA Editors: Nicholas Clee and Louisa Ermelino Publishers Weekly Publisher and Vice President: Cevin Bryerman Design and Production: Jane McKenna
WELCOME AHMED AL AMERI, CHAIRMAN, SHARJAH BOOK AUTHORITY The 34th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), gateway to the publishing world in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, takes place under the patronage of His Highness, Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, the United Arab Emirates Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. This year, Sharjah welcomes the prestigious Arab Publishers Association for its bi-annual conference. I would like to thank again all our partners and friends in the UAE and internationally for their support of the Fair. The partnerships we have forged across the world and which join us here in Sharjah are of great importance to SIBF. In particular, we welcome members of the American Library Association who, after last year’s successful inaugural event, have come again to meet their counterparts from the Arab world. This year, registration numbers are looking as strong as last year, when more than 600 librarians attended. 2015 marks our sixth International Cultural Program and the fifth Matchmaking Program. This year, we are delighted and proud to be welcoming international writers of great stature, including John McCarthy, Darren Shan, Ben Okri, Susan
Abulhawa and Fatima Bhutto. This year’s Matchmaking Program welcomes over 250 publishing professionals from more than 30 countries, with several new countries represented, including Albania, Argentina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Mongolia and Serbia. The SIBF Translation Grant which was launched in 2011 has to date facilitated the translation of over 390 titles, and continues to grow. It awarded 168 grants in 2014, a 50% increase over the previous year. SIBF also won the prestigious Market Focus Achievement Award at the London Book Fair International Excellence Awards 2015; the judges commented that SIBF is “raising the profile of Arabic literature in translation”. I hope you enjoy World of Words, designed to showcase the Arab market and to deepen our understanding of the huge opportunities that exist within it, and its place in the international publishing world. I welcome you to Sharjah and I wish you, on behalf of the Sharjah International Book Fair team, a productive and interesting visit.
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LITERATURE IN THE ARAB WORLD AND THE SHARJAH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH DR SULTAN BIN MOHAMED AL QASIMI reflects on the rich history behind the development of the Fair
History and archeological discoveries over the years tell us that our region, the Arab world of today, is the cradle of writing. Our ancestors realized the need for written communication thousands of years ago, and wrote on stones, clay slabs, walls of temples, papyrus rolls and other media in different areas. In the relatively more recent history, scholars and writers from our region contributed significantly to the preservation of prior knowledge of different civilizations. From the seventh century AD, scholars from our region translated into Arabic many of the scholarly texts of distinguished scholars and thinkers of earlier times. The contributions continued for centuries after that, not only in translation but also in generating highly intellectual and scientific texts. Scholars from our region built on the knowledge of previous civilizations and made significant scientific and scholarly contributions and raised the frontiers of knowledge to greater heights in many fields. They documented their work in handwritten books in Arabic, many of which have been translated into Latin and modern languages, and were made available to scholars and scientists in Europe. Some of these books have been printed and are still available today in print form. Unfortunately, the golden era of dominance of scholars and writers from the Arab world slowly faded during the last five centuries, and other regions in the world took centre stage in the writing and publishing arena. We, and other concerned individuals and groups in the Arab world, have realized the urgent need to advance the publishing industry in our region, and enhance significantly the reading habits of our people, especially the younger generations. We have also realized the importance of making available the works of Arab scholars and authors to readers outside the Arab world in their native languages, and vice versa. Nowadays, about 400 million people in our region dominantly speak the Arabic language. Arabic is also the language of the Quran, the holy book of Islam, and over one billion people all over the world recite and read verses in Arabic every day. All of them are potential readers with considerable literary thirst for quality published content in Arabic and other languages. These are formidable challenges, but we decided to try to make a difference. The approaches adopted by different countries in our region varied and are too many to mention in this very brief article. We
shall limit ourselves to some highlights of the approaches we have adopted in Sharjah. We established the Sharjah International Book Fair in 1982. This annual Fair is now the fourth largest book fair in the world. In 2014, it hosted over 1,250 exhibitors from about 60 countries and was visited by about 1.4 million individuals of all ages in its 10-day duration. The Fair’s activities typically include a wide range of seminars, workshops, and literary events featuring notable authors, poets, and thinkers from all domains of cultural activity. To encourage all members of our communities to enhance their reading habits, we upgraded the libraries in every school and donated mini libraries, for all ages, in every household. Stemming from our firm belief in the central role reading has on children’s development, in 2007 our daughter Bodour Al Qasimi established Kalimat Publishing, the first publishing house dedicated to production of quality original Arabic children’s titles in the Gulf region. We also established major multi category prizes for the best books for children and for the youths. The prizes are awarded annually at the Fair. In the international domain, we established in 1998 the UNESCO-Sharjah prize for Arab culture to encourage cultural communication between the people of the world. Each two years the prize is awarded to two laureates who through their work and outstanding achievements have contributed to the awareness and knowledge of Arab art and culture. In 2004, the Arab world was the Guest of Honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair. We worked with eight German publishing houses to translate many key books from Arabic to German for presentation to the German public at the Fair. In 2013 we established translation grants to be awarded annually at Sharjah to promote the translation of books to and from Arabic and other languages. These are only glimpses of some of our efforts in support of the publishing industry. Our vision for societies of avid readers, and for the continuous generation of stimulating, high quality content in all media, is clear. We are making excellent progress, and we will expand our efforts and programs to realize our vision in the near future. This is an edited extract from an address given by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, at the 2015 London Book Fair
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IF YOUR BUSINESS IS BOOKS, THINK SHARJAH When His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, was a young boy he would sometimes walk with his father beneath a giant banyan tree (‘rolla’ in Arabic) in what is now Rolla Square in old Sharjah. Many people would enjoy the shade provided by its wide, spreading branches, and children would climb its lower limbs. Today, as the emirate’s involvement in the written word spreads ever wider and touches ever more people, we can compare the emirate’s commitment to books and culture to that famous tree from Sharjah’s history. Everyone benefits from the nurturing of the leaves of knowledge. This is a special year for Sharjah. The establishment of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) and its ambitious plans for the Sharjah Free Zone “publishing city” made industry headlines around the world, reaffirming Sharjah’s status as the cultural emirate. As SBA Chairman Ahmed Al Ameri observed at its launch, the development will see the establishment of the first international distribution company in the Middle East offering services that cover both the Arab and African markets, as well as printing facilities just minutes from the international distribution hub of Dubai. The message is clear: if your business is books, think Sharjah. The emirate is also proud to be hosting the third Arab Publishers Conference this year – the first time it has been held in the UAE – and to be welcoming publishers from across the Arab world and beyond, many of whom will stay on for the 34th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) which follows. The SIBF itself won the Market Focus Achievement Award at the prestigious London Book Fair International Excellence Awards. The winner of this award, which recognizes particularly special achievements, is chosen from all the countries and territories that have been Market Focus since 2008. The judges praised the SIBF for its “continual investment into new initiatives and relationships to help raise the profile of Arabic literature in translation, and support the Arab publishing community in its internationalization”. As if all this doesn’t emphasize enough Sharjah’s contribution to books, the SIBF will also host the second American Library Authority show from November 10–12, where once again US librarians will share best practice with librarians from the UAE and the wider Arab world.
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ROGER TAGHOLM
Other book programs continue in the emirate, among them Knowledge without Borders, which aims to provide a library of 50 books for every family in the emirate and has been praised by UNESCO; the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, which, like Knowledge without Borders, was launched in 2008 and quickly gained international recognition; and the famous match-making sessions between Arab and foreign publishers at the Chamber of Commerce that have done so much to boost the flow of books both to and from the Gulf (and have occasionally led to the odd sore throat, such is the hustle and bustle of business in this fondly named “rights souk”). Commerce here is once again aided by the SIBF’s generous translation grants. All of these initiatives stem from His Highness’ belief in the power of books and culture to affect change and to take people forward. He has a poet’s sensibilities, combined with a businessman’s acumen for what will facilitate trade. And so to this year’s fair which, once again, has attracted more than 300 international publishers and agents, and some very high profile, international authors. The fair set the marker incredibly high last year when it pulled off the huge coup of securing global best selling author Dan Brown. The appearance by the author of The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol was a sell-out, a cross between a rock concert and an inspirational TED talk. It was Brown’s first visit to the Middle East and his first appearance at a book fair outside of the US. It might even mean that Sharjah will make an appearance in the next Robert Langdon story, since Brown is well-known for writing about the places he visits. The appearance of major international writers continues this year with the novelist Ben Okri, who won the Booker Prize for The Famished Road, the travel writer and broadcaster John McCarthy, a familiar face in the Arab world because of his work with Al Jazeera; and bestselling children’s author Darren Shan, prolific creator of horror yarns. They are among nearly 20 authors appearing at the fair. Sharjah’s position as the cultural emirate is more assured than ever as those branches of knowledge continue to grow and nourish its people. Roger Tagholm is a London-based freelance journalist specialising in the book trade
RAPID GROWTH FOR TRANSLATION GRANTS PROGRAM NICHOLAS CLEE is Editor of BookBrunch
Among the attractions of doing business during the Matchmaking Program – formerly the Professional Programme - at the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) is the possibility of winning grants on the back of book deals. Up to $4,000 is available to subsidise the translation of a general title or series, and up to $1,500 for a children’s title. Last year, 168 grants were allotted following deals at the 2014 Fair – more than double the number given in 2013 (71), reflecting the rapid growth of the Program, which attracted 280 delegates from 49 countries (up from 156 delegates and 33 countries in 2013). Among the recipients were translators into Arabic of books in languages including English, Turkish, Dutch, and Finnish; translators from Arabic into various languages; and translators to and from languages other than Arabic. SIBF launched the translation fund in 2011, the 30th anniversary of the Fair. The fund totals $300,000. Of this sum, $250,000 is earmarked for translations to and from Arabic, and $50,000 is for translations from any other language to any other language (though only one award fell into this category last year). The organizers view the grants as part of their mission to enrich both Arabic and global culture “with new and valuable stocks of knowledge and science that belong to our cultural opposing world”. They want to be the conduit for forging contacts with Arab societies, and “to act as the bridge of appreciation and understanding among people of different cultural groups”. They also aim to encourage “more and better quality translators”. A further goal is the promotion of SIBF by offering incentives to international publishers, agents and scouts
to meet their counterparts in the Arab world, and to do business at the Fair. Those wishing to secure grants need to submit forms at the Fair; they have until late February to complete their applications. The rights holder and the rights buyer fill out the form, accompanied by a copy of the relevant book or manuscript and a description of the content. Successful applicants learn of their acceptance by late March, when they should submit the book contract, including details of the translator’s fees. The submission releases 30% of the grant to the rights buying publisher; a further 20% comes on receipt of the first draft of the translation, and the 50% balance on submission of 10 copies of the finished book. What kinds of books win these grants? The organizers list fiction, non-fiction (including memoir, history, and cooking), children’s and young adult, and poetry. Children’s books have fared well, with successful titles ranging from Lauren St John’s One Dollar Horse novels (Orion), to OUP’s Wendy Quill series (including Wendy Quill Is Full Up of Wrong and Wendy Quill Is a Crocodile’s Bottom), to the rhyming picture books A Leaf Can Be and Water Can Be (Millbrook). Adult titles have included unusual applicants such as Salvador Dali’s only novel, Hidden Faces (Peter Owen), but more common recipients are books on current affairs and business books such as Cultural Diversity and Global Media (Wiley), Drones and Target Killing: Legal, Moral and Geopolitical Issues (Interlink), and Networking Is Not Working (IdeaPress). Among the Arabic publishers and agencies whose books have won translation grants are Kalimat, Kalem Agency, Raya Agency, and Kalem Telif Haklari.
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THE 3RD ARAB PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE IS HELD IN UAE FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH ALEC ROSS, BODOUR AL QASIMI AND ELIAS KHOURI HEADLINING EMINENT FIGURES IN THE PUBLISHING WORLD WILL BE MAKING AN APPEARANCE AT THE MOST AMBITIOUS ARAB PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE TO DATE
Held in the emirate of Sharjah for the first time on November 2 and 3, the third edition of the influential Arab Publishers Association Conference promises to be an exciting gathering of Arabic and international publishing professionals. Headline speakers include Alec Ross, a leading US expert on innovation and advisor to President Obama during the first two years of his initial presidential campaign. Ross serves as an advisor for world leaders and CEOs to help them better understand the implication of factors emerging at the intersection of geopolitics, technology, and innovation. The Honorary President for the Emirates Publishers Association, Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, who is an avid campaigner for the promotion of Arabic children’s literature, will also be making an appearance. Voted by Forbes as the 34th most powerful Arab woman in family business, she is the Founder and CEO of Kalimat Publishing Group, and the Patron and Founder of the UAE Board on Books for Young People. Also appearing is Elias Khouri, the brilliant and thought-provoking Lebanese novelist, literary critic, columnist and editor-in-chief of The Journal of Palestine Studies. He has published 12 novels, four books of literary criticism and three plays, participated in writing two
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film scripts, and his work has been translated into more than 14 languages. Other speakers include Richard Charkin (International Publishers Association and Bloomsbury) and Eng. Assem Shalabi (Arab Publishers Association). The conference, themed ‘The Publishing Industry: Horizons and Challenges of the Digital Age’, is a joint effort between the Arab Publishers Association and Emirates Publishers Association. Sharjah was selected as the host city for the prestigious event in recognition of its outstanding work in supporting the publishing industry and promoting reading at the local, Arab, and regional levels. Bodour Al Qasimi said, “Hosting the APA Conference in Sharjah is significant not only for Sharjah, which is a beacon for supporting and promoting publishing, but also for the UAE as a whole. There are already a number of internationally reputed book related events in the UAE and hosting the APA further cements the region’s position as a significant contributor to Arab publishing. Hosting the conference will afford Arab publishers greater international exposure and an opportunity to connect with the international community, which is crucial to supporting continued growth. The UAE leadership strongly believes in the importance of supporting
ELIAS KHOURI was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1948, a novelist, literary critic, and a columnist. He is since 2010 the editor in chief of the Arabic quarterly The Journal of Palestine Studies, and a visiting professor at the Lebanese American University in Beirut. He was the director/editor in chief of the “Mulhak”, the weekly literary supplement of the Lebanese daily “Al Nahar”, and a global distinguished professor at New York University.
He taught at Columbia University, the American University of Beirut and the Lebanese University, and he was the director of the Theatre de Beirut (1992-1998), and the co- director of the Ayloul Festival for modern arts (1997-2002). He has written 12 novels, as well as criticism, plays and screenplays. His novels are translated into English, French, German, Swedish, Italian, Norwegian, Hebrew, Dutch, Portuguese, Catalonian, Farsi, Polish, Albanian and Turkish.
publishing, not only because it is a vital economic activity, but also because a strong publishing sector is one of the foundation elements of building a knowledge-based society.” The two day conference will explore a range of topics and issues currently at play in the publishing world, from copyright and piracy to innovation and distribution, with a particular focus on how they affect the Arabic publishing community. Attended by publishers, booksellers, distributors and other publishing professionals from across the Arabic region, this will be an unprecedented opportunity to meet and network. Taking place in parallel with the SIBF 2015 Matchmaking Programme it will also be attended by international publishing professionals from across the globe. The conference will feature a full schedule of workshops, presentations, plenary sessions, and keynote addresses by preeminent figures in the publishing world. The first Arab Publishers Association’s Conference was held in the Saudi capital Riyadh in October 2009. The second APA Conference was held in Alexandria, Egypt, in March 2013. More about the Arab Publishers Association (APA) Established in 1995, the Arab Publishers Association (APA) is a
regional independent organisation representing the interests of Arab Publishers on forums, platforms, and any other arena where their interests are at stake on both the Arab and international levels. The APA aims to defend and develop the Arab publishing industry, promote and advocate the protection of copyright and intellectual property rights, and protect the freedom to publish. The APA promotes literacy and the establishment of a culture of reading, and champions the defense of Arab Culture in all its components. More about the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) Established in 2009, the Emirates Publishers Association works to develop the UAE’s publishing industry, representing UAE publishers at regional and international events, exhibitions and seminars. The Association also promotes training, and disseminates the UAE’s intellectual output throughout the Arab world and worldwide. EPA cooperates with local publishing, printing, and distribution houses and is working to establish a distribution company for its member publishers. The Association is a member of the Arab Publishers Association and a member of the International Publishers Association (IPA).
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THE SHARJAH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR AWARDS 2015 ROGER TAGHOLM
The glitzy ‘opener’ to the Sharjah International Book Fair, the Book Fair Awards, is an occasion to savour. One of the special ways in which His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah and Member of the Supreme Council, expresses his love of books and learning, the Awards presentation is a highlight of the UAE cultural calendar. Held on the opening morning of the fair, it is a breathtaking event, an Arabic Oscars, with sweeping lights, dramatic music, giant screens and more banks of cameras than at the Cannes Film Festival. But unlike the worst aspects of the movie industry, this is an event that has books, rather than botox, at its heart. It is here that artistic talent, both home grown and far-flung, is recognized, and not only are the authors honored, but also those who work so hard behind the scenes to bring these writers’ works to the public. First held in 1995 and judged by a high-profile Selection Jury, there is a range of awards, from fiction to academic writing, translated works to books about the UAE – and as befits His Highness’ belief in looking outwards, this is an occasion that reaches its hands across the oceans. So there are also awards given to international titles and international publishers in a ceremony that shows cultural diplomacy at its sparkling best, proving once again, that it is words, not wars, that win hearts and minds. The first award presented is always for the Cultural Personality of the Year, announced before the fair and recognizing the recipient’s ‘contribution to the cultural scene in general, their productivity in the field of writing and creativity, or their roles in the government or social-cultural activities’. Last year’s winner was Dr Abdulaziz bin Othman Al-Tuwaijri, DirectorGeneral of ICESCO (Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation), the body founded in 1979 whose objectives include contributing to the achievement of world peace and security, particularly through education, science, culture and communication. There are four awards for Emirati writers: Best Emirati Book by an Emirati Creative Writer, Best Emirati Academic Book, Best Emirati Foreign Translated Book and Best Emirati Book about the UAE. The last was won by Live from the UAE, which tells the story of the rise of the media in the region and includes
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interviews with the first female journalists and presenters. The award for the Best Arabic Novel was won last year by Mansoura Izzeddin for Jebel Al Zumurrud, while David Baldacci’s The Finisher won the Best International Fiction category. Youssef Islam’s Why I still Carry a Guitar won Best International NonFiction – and those of a certain age will know that Islam is better known as the singer/songwriter Cat Stevens. The award was accepted by his daughter, Hasna Islam. Publishers who were recognized included Beirut’s Al Furabi, which was named Best Arab Publishing House, and Dubai’s own Madarek Publishing, which won the award for Best Local Publishing house. Taschen received the award for Best International Publisher. There is always a starry side to the occasion and last year was no exception. Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown joined His Highness at the top table, along with dignitaries from the UAE and across the Arab world; in 2013, Jeffrey Archer occupied this special place. This year the internationally acclaimed writer and broadcaster John McCarthy, who is well-known for his work with Al Jazeera and the BBC World Service, will attend the awards for the first time. Other high-profile guests include the Man Booker Prize-winning author Ben Okri and the teen horror sensation Darren Shan. His Highness often uses the occasion as a platform for a speech that touches on political or cultural issues and is addressed as much to the wider world as to the audience directly in front of him. Last year he waxed poetic, imagining a dialogue with his own heart – a heart that is appalled by some of the barbarous acts happening in the Muslim world. He asked: “Do the acts have anything to do with our noble Arab values? My wish is to have many arms that can reach everywhere in this Arab world which has become in such a shameful state. I see truth and virtue in great books that exist on Earth…I seek these books and find them in order to bring light through the clouds of darkness, despair and ignorance.” There is no doubt that His Highness sees books as a way of dispelling all kinds of darkness – political, cultural, educational – and sees the Sharjah International Book Fair Awards as a way of making the winning titles and the people behind them, stars that shine even brighter.
COPYRIGHT AND THE ARAB WORLD EMMA HOUSE is Director of Publisher Relations at the Publishers Association.
The Creative Industries and indeed the “Knowledge Economy” are becoming increasingly important the world over, no more so than in the Arab World. The Arab world has enjoyed a long history of producing world renowned authors, musicians, artists, film-makers and designers. However, for many countries, especially in the Gulf, this is an emerging sector upon which many governments are now, rightly, focusing, given the major role creativity, the content industries and the Knowledge Economy play in contributing to the social and economic wellbeing of a country. Copyright is the bedrock of the creative industries. It is the exclusive right of the creators (or authors) to their work. Creators rely on copyright protection to translate their creative endeavour into financial reward and ensure that dissemination, reuse, and copying of their works remain within the realms of their control. Copyright is vital to allow creativity to flourish, new talent to be nurtured and to sustain an environment of investment in bringing fresh knowledge to the world. Creators need reward for their work if they are to make a livelihood from it. The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) is the governing body of treaties for copyright and has 188 members. One of its first treaties is the Berne Convention which deals with the protection of works and the rights of their authors. It is signed by all major countries within the Arab World, committing countries to ensure a minimum protection of rights. Copyright infringement within the publishing industry can take many forms: physical (photocopying and actual copies of books), online (accessing content via file sharing sites or through social media which has been illegally uploaded), and plagiarism. All forms are present in the Arab world, a problem they are not alone in facing. The advent of digital distribution, including the vast take up of smart phone usage, has been an enabler in many countries for businesses looking to distribute and monetize content online. In the Arab World where crossing borders with physical goods can be time consuming and expensive and sometimes not possible, digital can overcome these challenges and obstacles. Yet digital also brings with it the negative – infringement of copyright. Why do people infringe copyright? Many reasons can be cited for this. In some cases infringement may be inadvertent with infringers not even knowing they are being mis-sold the rights or being sold physical copies that are not genuine. However, most infringement happens knowingly – through ease, lack of access to original content a belief that content, (knowledge) should be “free”, or, increasingly, for monetary gain. How to overcome piracy in the Arab World? Tackling copyright infringement is something rights-holders are battling with world over and there is certainly no single answer, tool or
action that will be the golden solution, and it is unlikely infringement will ever be totally eradicated. There are, however, actions that can be taken by rights-holders and governments to at least create deterrents and enable legal action to be taken against those who persist in breaking the law. The onus is on both parties to work in partnership to use all services and instruments available to minimize the impact. What can the rights-holder do? Much infringement happens because legal content is not easy to access. As such, making content easily accessible in all formats and price appropriate is often the first step to fending off infringers. Also, carrying out in–depth studies to ensure the rights are available in the first instance avoids duplication of a work where rights have already been sold. On a social level, rights-holders can work together to raise awareness of the importance of copyright to culture and creativity within the consumer sphere but also to policy makers and legislators. Book fairs in the Arab World are often the main outlet for the sale of a pirates’ handiwork so rights-holders can work closely with the organizers to stamp out the sale of pirated books and take steps to blacklist vendors. What is the call on governments? As signatories to major international treaties on copyright protection, governments have a major role to play in tackling infringement, starting with good national copyright laws and robust, enforceable penalties for breaking the laws. Such economic crimes need to be taken seriously by law enforcers and the judiciary – who themselves need to be trained to recognize and take action against infringement. Essentially, it is extremely difficult for rightsholders to protect their property if there is no legal framework or will to enforce that legal framework. Governments can also support rights-holders in their efforts to establish and run Collective Management Organizations in the publishing sector – none of which currently exist in the Arab World. A good reprographic rights collecting society regime brings about an awareness of copyright, order to and legal access to copyrighted works, and solutions to reduce infringement. The UAE is a great example of investment in the knowledge economy – not only by nurturing and showcasing creative talent, but by providing a strong enforcement regime and providing rights owners with sufficient tools to take action against infringers. Surrounding countries still have some way to go in recognizing the value of copyright and understanding how contributing to an environment where rights-holders can maximize control over their work and ensure fair reward brings benefits to both society and the economy.
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A GROWING COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION AND SIBF
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MARY MACKAY & MICHAEL DOWLING
Building on the American Library Association (ALA)’s global theme, “Partnering to build stronger libraries worldwide,” the collaboration with the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) is a natural fit. It offers the chance to raise the visibility and use of libraries in Sharjah and the region while also improving delivery of ALA’s face-to-face, digital, and print products and services. The mission of the ALA, a 55,000-member international organization founded in 1876, is “to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.” The initiatives and work of the Association help meet the mission by focusing on the following key action areas: Advocacy for Libraries and the Profession; Education and Lifelong Learning; Intellectual Freedom; Organizational Excellence; Diversity; Equitable Access to Information and Library Services; Literacy; and Transforming Libraries. “We’re looking forward to a long-term relationship that will help ALA meet its global mission,” says ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels. “We are pleased to work together on the development of related professional activities, seminars, and forums, and on extending the opportunities for current members in the region to participate in and benefit from engagement with ALA.” The SIBF/ALA Library Conference is at the heart of this growing collaboration, offering an important opportunity for librarians from across the region to network and share best practices, as well as to visit and purchase materials at the Sharjah Book Fair. The upcoming 2015 conference (November 10-12) continues and builds on the success of the inaugural conference in November 2014, when 600+ librarians from 20 countries, including the UAE, Syria, Afghanistan, Oman, Jordan, Qatar, Malaysia, Bahrain, India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, and Nigeria, energetically networked and shared knowledge and ideas. It was ALA’s largest international professional development event to date. At the 2015 SIBF/ALA Library Conference, registrants will again have the chance to hear and talk with an international
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roster of experts during 15 concurrent programs covering topics relevant to all types of libraries (public, academic, school, and special libraries): new trends and technologies, information literacy, e-resources and virtual libraries, innovative spaces and services, rebranding and proving the value of the library, implementing open-access policies, staff and leadership development, promoting the love of reading, and more. ALA 2015-16 President Sari Feldman, Executive Director of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Ohio, will deliver a keynote at the opening session. Feldman will discuss ALA’s new “Libraries Transform” public awareness campaign which highlights how libraries are evolving to meet changing needs. Libraries transform people by supporting exploration and learning that drives individual opportunity, and are committed to advancing their legacy of reading and developing a digitally inclusive society. Columbia University Librarian Emeritus James Neal will deliver one of the keynotes on the second day of the conference. Sessions throughout the conference are offered in English and Arabic (simultaneous translation), and communications about the event are available in both languages. Registrants receive certificates of attendance and have access to all session recordings after the event. The staging of the conference alongside the Sharjah International Book Fair itself provides a unique opportunity for librarians to combine professional development with exploring and acquiring materials for their libraries. “We consider this an excellent opportunity to bring new and improved delivery of appropriate products, services, and opportunities to audiences throughout the region – especially training and professional development,” says Al-Ameri. A full-day optional preconference added for 2015 on RDA: Resource Description and Action will be led by the head of The Ohio State University Libraries’ Cataloging Department, Magda El-Sherbini.
Presenters from the first SIBF/ALA Library Conference reunited and caught up with Director Ahmed Al-Ameri at the SIBF booth at 2015 ALA Midwinter Meeting. They included 2014-15 ALA President Courtney L. Young, Magda El-Sherbini, Rick Anderson, Lynn Silipigni Connaway, and Michael Clark Levine. Also pictured are ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels, ALA International Relations Office Director Michael Dowling, ALA Marketing Director Mary Mackay, and Combined Book Exhibits directors Jon Malinowski and Janet Fritsch.
Resource Description and Action represents an important global development in cataloging, envisioned as a truly international standard that will be translated and functional in a multitude of languages and embraced across borders, continents, and oceans. Attendees also have access to the Librarians’ Lounge, sponsored by SIBF and library-related companies, providing an informal space for networking and for information about new products and services. Sponsorships at the Platinum and Gold levels sold out early this year, showing the growing interest in the conference and the opportunities it provides to connect directly with librarians in the region and beyond. Platinum Sponsors for 2015 are Ingram Content Group, the American Psychological Association, and Books Kinokuniya. Gold Sponsors are BDS (Bibliographic Data Services), Follett, Panworld Education LLC, YBP Library Services, RefME Ltd., and Antiquariat INLIBRIS. An added sign of the conference’s growth is demand for the new
library-related exhibits area, located near the Lounge. The conference is managed by SIBF, ALA International Relations Office, and Combined Book Exhibit, which serves as sponsor liaison. To review the 2014 conference, visit ala.org/sibf for links to the program, recordings of the presentations, a list of the poster sessions presenters and topics, and photos. SIBF representatives including Al-Ameri have helped strengthen the collaboration by attending ALA Annual Conferences and Midwinter Meetings since 2013, offering information and resources to US libraries to showcase UAE culture and libraries, and build related collections of materials. For additional information, please contact the ALA International Relations Office at intl@ala.org. Mary Mackay is ALA Marketing Director; Michael Dowling is ALA International Relations Office Director
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Q&A
AUTHORS AT THE FAIR A STARRY LINEUP OF AUTHORS IS ATTENDING THE SHARJAH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR
SUSAN ABULHAWA is an author and activist. Her novels are Mornings in Jenin and The Blue Between Sky and Water
WE SPOKE TO TWO OF THEM SUSAN ABULHAWA
DARREN SHAN
Is this your first visit to the UAE and Sharjah? I was born in Kuwait; so, the Gulf region has been part of my childhood. I’ve also attended several book festivals in the UAE since the publication of my first novel.
Is this your first visit to Sharjah? (I see that you launched the Zom-B series in Dubai.) I’ve been to Dubai a couple of times, but this will be my first visit to Sharjah.
What are you hoping to gain from the experience? I’m not hoping for gain.
How was your previous experience, and what are you hoping to accomplish this time? I had a wonderful experience both times that I’ve been in the UAE. I love travel and getting to see different parts of the world and meet people with different backgrounds and beliefs. I’m looking forward to seeing more of the region and chatting with the people.
Do you think there is a different approach to literature and storytelling in the Middle East from that in the West? Since poetry has been the dominant literary tradition in the Middle East for centuries, Arabic prose tends to be more poetic and lofty. But that observation should come with the disclaimer that it’s a gross generalization and the landscape of Arabic literature is as vast and diverse as the literature in Western languages. You are an activist for Palestine, as well as a novelist. Do you see these roles as complementary, or are they ever in conflict? They are different facets of a whole, in the same way that being a woman, a writer, a mother are different facets of the same identity. There is no conflict, nor is there necessarily complement. In the US, feelings about the issues about which you campaign and write run very high. How do you cope with being a prominent figure amid this atmosphere? Speaking truth to power and living in a socially responsible way is not a thing that I cope with or endure. It’s a way of life, a way of meaningful living. You have lived in the U.S. since you were 13. Do you nevertheless see Palestine as your continuing subject? I live in the US because others have stolen my home, heritage, and inheritance. So, I suppose you can say that Palestine is my “continuing subject.”
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How important to you is interaction with fans? For me it’s the highlight of the job. I love writing, but it’s very isolated, solitary work. When I’m working, I won’t see anyone else during the day (except occasional brief glimpses of my wife and child), and it does sometimes get lonely. I miss the dynamics of working in a group. Touring is my form of compensation for the lonelier days. It’s an amazing feeling to see my stories come alive in the imaginations of my readers, to have fans tell me what they liked (and disliked!) about my books, to be able to share my fictional worlds with a very real readership. For me, that interaction with the fans is when my stories truly come to life, and I find out (after having spent two or three years working on each book) whether or not I’ve been wasting my time. Zom-B was an ambitious new series, with a new publisher. How has it been going? It’s been a fascinating rollercoaster ride. It was a very ambitious concept, to release twelve books very swiftly (most of the books came out at three month intervals), and to have one large story play out over the course of them. While I’ve done long series before, there were independent movements within those storylines, e.g. you could have read my Vampire Mountain trilogy as a self-contained story, or Lord Loss as a one-off book. But with Zom-B, once you strapped yourself in with book one, there was
JOHN MCCARTHY is a writer and broadcaster. He is the author of Some Other Rainbow (with Jill Morrell) and of You Can’t Hide the Sun: A Journey Through Palestine
DARREN SHAN’S bestselling children’s horror novels include The Saga of Darren Shan series and the Zom-B series
BEN OKRI has published many books, including The Famished Road, which won the Booker Prize. His work has been translating into 26 languages and won numerous international prizes
KERBY ROSANES Philippines-based illustrator Kerby Rosanes works mainly with ordinary black fine liners to illustrate his “doodle” world
no pause for breath. The story rocketed forward from book to book, with almost every entry ending on a huge cliff-hanger. It was very difficult to do that and not lose readers along the way – make it too complicated, and people’s interest would drop; yet without evolution and change, it would become static and dull. Zom-B was a real experiment, and I wasn’t sure how readers would react. To my great relief, the reception has been mostly hugely positive, with the more recent books in the series picking up some of my best reviews. Hopefully that’s going to continue through the last two book in the series! The series comes to an end next spring. Can you reveal anything about your next project? All I can say is that I am working on a new series, and it’s a move away from the grislier style of Zom-B or The Demonata. But at the moment that’s all I can say, because a) I don’t like to talk too much about work in progress, and b) I’ve no idea how many books there will be, or where exactly I’m going to go with the story. But it’s massive in scale and scope, the biggest challenge I’ve yet to set myself, and I’m both excited and terrified by the prospect of it! You have self-published adult horror novels. After having adult novels conventionally published in the past, why did you go the self-publishing route? I’ve always had a difficult time with publishers on the adult front. Although I’m sold as a horror writer, and my books definitely are dark and horrific, I actually mix genres up and write very different types of books. Sometimes there are even huge tonal shifts within the course of a series – for instance, in The Saga Of Darren Shan, where the main character ages about twenty years over the course of the story, his narrative voice gradually maturing and changing throughout the run of books. On the children’s front, that hasn’t been a problem, and publishers have got behind the books, and readers have taken them to heart. My adult books have found (and continue to find) favour with readers, but publishers have proven harder to
stimulate. At every turn I’ve faced the same problem – they want more of the same. The last adult book that I published under the Darren Shan name, Lady Of The Shades, was a supernaturally-tinged, twist-filled thriller. I was very pleased with it, and so was my publisher, but having done that, I then wanted to do something entirely different with my next book, and the book after that, whereas they just wanted Lady Of The Shades Mark II and Mark III. In the end I tired of the struggle and decided to self-publish my future adult books as Darren Dash, as it’s the only sure-fire way I can get the books I want to write out to my public. The internet has made self-publishing far easier than it was in the past, and it’s been an intriguing process. What are some of the things you have learned from self-publishing? Well, the main thing I’ve learned is that you really need to put a lot of time into the promoting of the books! Because of my “day job” as Darren Shan, I just don’t have the time to give the Darren Dash books the kind of push that they need. Sales have relied pretty much solely on word of mouth, bolstered by the occasional review. While sales have been steady over the last couple of years that I’ve been doing this, I get the feeling that the books could reach a much larger audience with the right push – unfortunately I’m not in a position to give the books that push, and traditional publishers don’t believe they’re worth pushing! Because of the success of my Darren Shan books, I don’t need to write for money or do anything that I don’t want to do, so I’ll just keep pegging away with the Darren Dash books. I always say to young writers that they shouldn’t worry about the market or sales, that they should write stories that come from the heart – and my Darren Dash books are kind of my way of showing that I’m serious about that. The authors on this page are among a group of nearly 20 who are attending the Fair
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MAP OF THE ARAB LITERARY WORLD THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY IN THE REGION AT A GLANCE ROGER TAGHOLM
TURKEY Arabic and multilingual bookstore Pages opened in Istanbul by Syrian publisher Bright Fingers
TUNISIA Operates on French consignment model creating difficulties for UK publishers – low discounts but high returns
EGYPT More stability. Consumer confidence returning. Bookshops feeling the benefit. Reinvigoration of cultural sector, but some currency controls leading to payment problems
MOROCCO Virgin Megastores and France’s Fnac both in Casablanca. Mainly Francophone market, but younger generation tend to be English speaking
ALGERIA English publishers exploring possibility of taking part in the French and Arabic Algiers Book Fair
SAUDI ARABIA Major market. Jarir chain a very good customer for western publishers
POPULATION: 380m (World Bank. Approx) GDP: $2.856 trillion (World Bank. Approx) SIZE OF BOOK MARKET: $180m - $250m print; $50M – digital (Industry estimates)
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IRAN
LEBANON
UK and international publishers tentatively looking at re-starting trade
Strong retail and wholesale sector. Boutique indies like Beirut’s Little Bookshop and Paper Cup well served by wholesalers Ciel and Levant. Funky urban regeneration
KUWAIT IRAQ Promising signs on hold because of the rise of Da’ish. Trade titles still found in Baghdad via Lebanese wholesalers Ciel and Levant
Jashanmal has opened first branch. Strong interest in graphic novels, both here and right across Gulf
QATAR Fnac opened in Doha earlier this year. Saudi chain Jarir has two stores. Opportunities for UK educational publishers in Doha’s new, Lusail ‘education city’
YEMEN Yemen Bookshop in Sana’a still courageously trading, despite civil war
OMAN Arrival of ‘super malls’. Virgin Megastores has opened first branch in Muscat. Borders now has two stores
SHARJAH/UAE Sharjah Book Authority’s establishment of printing facilities and ‘publishing free zone’ near Dubai and Sharjah airports set to make UAE ‘world hub’ for book industry. Hosting of Arab Publishers Conference in 2015 a significant milestone in history of cultural emirate.
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COMICS COME OF AGE AT THE NEW COMICS PAVILION
KUO-YU LIANG is Vice President Sales & Marketing at Diamond Comic Distributors, the world’s largest distributor of comics & related pop culture merchandise
This year for the first time, the Sharjah International Book Fair will host a Comics Pavilion. The 150 sq metre Pavilion is organized with ComicCave, the UAE’s largest distributor of comics, and will be sited in the main expo centre. Aimed at all ages, it will feature favorite brands and genres such as Marvel, Hello Kitty, and Manga, with activities, events and signings. Action figures and toys as well as books will be on sale. In 2015, everywhere you look you see comics: Avengers: Age Of Ultron is one of the biggest movies of the year globally, while one of the most anticipated new movies is Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets by Luc Bresson, based on a French comic book. On television, The Walking Dead is aired in over 200 markets. Attack On Titan, a Japanese comics series, with more than 52.5 million copies in print is a bestselling book all over the world. A highly anticipated book this Fall is Sandman: Overture, a graphic novel by the English author Neil Gaiman. The readers and viewers of comics are also voracious consumers of t-shirts, toys and games based on comics. Batman: Arkham Knight is one of the biggest video games of the year. According to one study, the Superman logo was as well known as McDonald’s golden arch. Free Comic Book Day, a huge event held on the first Saturday of May, celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2015. The winner of this year’s Tony Award for best musical is Fun Home, based on a comic book. Comics conventions from Shanghai to San Diego, Angouleme to Jakarta draw hundreds of thousands of people every year.
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Frankfurt Book Fair’s Hall 3 - the comics hall - is overrun by tens of thousands of young Germans, often dressed in costumes of their favorite comic book heroes. Appropriately, the Sharjah International Book Fair - one of the biggest in the world - introduces a Comics Pavilion this year. Comics are big, comics are profitable, comics are global. There is also a literary angle. Comics are the great gateway to getting young people to read instead of playing video games. Reading comics can be the first step to discovering that reading is fun. Indeed, when you read interviews by many of today’s great literary writers, such as Junot Diaz, you will learn that they grew up reading comics. One US survey showed that comics were among the highest circulated items in libraries. Comics have something for everyone. Superheroes, fantasy, crime noir, science fiction, romance and teen angst are all represented. Using visual storytelling to talk about an important subject is a hot new trend. There are comics that cover issues from the history of the American civil rights battles (March by John Lewis), to a memoir by Jennifer Hayden of her struggles with breast cancer. This is a great time for writers, artists, booksellers and publishers to be involved. For the comics art form to keep growing and engage readers, we need continued support and investment in creativity. Comics are big business, but they are also a beautiful art form and important literature for the new generation.
SHARJAH AND CHINA – A GROWING PUBLISHING RELATIONSHIP
THE SHARJAH BOOK AUTHORITY – A PLATFORM FOR KNOWLEDGE
Over several decades, China has been acting as a link between East and West. The Sharjah Book Authority, through its participation in the Beijing International Book Fair, seeks to revive this historical significance and promote dialogue and understanding between China and the UAE, which constantly seeks to establish amiable foundations with all countries. The UAE was guest of honour at the Beijing Book Fair in August 2015 and Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) was a key partner in this program. The SBA’s stand at the exhibition received many high profile figures, including Yang Zhijin, Chinese Vice Minister of Culture, who was presented with a Chinese language version of “My Early Life” by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. Also among the visitors were Afra Al Sabri, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development in the UAE, Hakam Al Hashemi, Assistant Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development for Culture and Arts, and Saeed Za’al, Charge d’Affaires at the UAE Embassy in the Chinese capital. Ahmed Bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, said, “We know that Guest of Honour programs at book fairs can have a huge impact in terms of networking. We were delighted to receive The London Book Fair’s Market Focus Achievement Award in April this year in recognition of the positive links built after the Arab World Market Focus at LBF in 2008.” Jacks Thomas, Director of The London Book Fair, said: “Both Sharjah (as part of the Arab World) in 2008 and China in 2012 have been Market Focus at The London Book Fair. These programs are invaluable in creating links between publishing communities. Indeed, LBF had a huge presences at BIBF this year and we look forward to attending Sharjah again this year.” Al Ameri stressed that the participation of the SBA in Beijing has opened more doors with Chinese and Asian publishers. As part of this growing cooperation and networking, in November 2015, the largest delegation of Chinese publishers to date will attend the professional matchmaking program which precedes the Sharjah International Book Fair (November 4-14, 2015). This year ten Chinese publishers will be part of the translation rights center, including Xin Zhang, Editor of Shanghai Translation Publishing House, Kuichao Yu, Vice Chief Editor of Jiangsu Phoenix literature and Art Publishing Ltd, and Yiting Shao, Rights Manager of Sinolingua. These publishers will take part in two days of scheduled translation rights appointments and attend the Arab Publishers Association Conference.
As early as 1925 Sharjah established the Al Qasimiya Library in Al Hisn Fort as a reminder of Sharjah’s rich cultural history. The interest of the first generation of Sharjah’s rulers in culture and literature has been carried on by His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah, who has established many libraries, educational institutions, research centers, cultural monuments and museums which embrace the heritage of his ancestors. Now, the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), under its chairman Ahmed Al Ameri, seeks to encourage investment in creative industries and provide a platform for knowledge and intellectual exchange among people from different countries and cultures. The Sharjah Book Authority will also include the first international distribution company in the Middle East offering services that cover both the Arab and African markets. Besides possessing its own printing presses, the SBA will additionally set up a special department for research and academic studies. All public libraries in Sharjah will be categorized within the Department of Libraries that fall under the umbrella of the SBA. Sharjah Book City will also be the first publishing free zone in the world that offers all professionals and stakeholders in the book and publishing industries the opportunity to benefit from a package of privileges that will help boost the publishing sector and its development. Sharjah Book Authority is presently the umbrella for all publishing related activities in Sharjah, most notably the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) which most recently won the Market Focus Achievement Award as part of the 2015 International Excellence Awards at this year’s London Book Fair. It will also preside over the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival and the SIBF Translation Grant. It will furthermore organize the annual Matchmaking Program for publishers (the first free training program for Arab publishers), as well as a joint conference with the American Library Association (ALA).
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REAWAYAT, A NEW YOUNG ADULT IMPRINT
TAMER SAID is Managing Director, the Kalimat Group
Young adults don’t read! This statement is often heard in our part of the world. It is a belief that people have unfortunately accepted but we at Reawayat believe that, yes they do read! However, in order to get the young adult community interested in reading, the content needs to fit their modern lifestyle and mindset. For those reasons, Kalimat Publishing has initiated publishing young adult literature in a studied and modern style with the goal of appealing to this age group and their interests. We’ve established a new imprint, Reawayat, which will focus on YA fiction. Rewayat’s first publication list will be released here during the November 2015 edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair. Throughout our journey in publishing for young adults, many challenges have come our way. Certainly, our biggest challenge was the content itself, not only in terms of the stories, but also in terms of style and production. Faten (The Servant) by Fatima Sharafeddine was our first young adult book. After four years, we can confidently proclaim Faten a success. It appealed to our key demographic and won an award at the Beirut International Book Fair. We became more certain of its success after Groundwood Books (House of Anansi Press) translated it into English in March, 2013. Not often does YA Arabic literature get translated to other languages, and especially not to English, which is the most competitive market. Therefore, Faten marked an excellent start for us in the YA market. It also put a burden of responsibility
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on us to keep providing the field with good stories, and to keep presenting new YA literature. Engaging the young adult community wasn’t the hardest part for us; our challenge is to maintain this engagement and strategically establish a reading community of YA readers through our books. To this end we began looking at foreign content and putting together a selective list of titles which we believe will appeal to the YA age group in our part of the world, titles such as The White Giraffe series by Lauren St. John and The Shepherd’s Granddaughter by Anne Laurel Carter. In the past couple of years, there’s been an increase in the level of awareness concerning the importance of YA literature, and the need for filling the gap between children’s books and adult books. Several organizations such as the UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) were founded and have taken part in developing this market. As a result, promising new writers have emerged who focus on the YA community and local content has been increasing. Looking closely at our region, it is clearly obvious that the Arabic language reading population is large and the majority of this population is under 18 years of age. These factors present a promising ground for YA literature, both books written locally or translated from other languages. There is a spotlight on the YA community at the moment, especially in the UAE. Therefore, we expect a promising future for this generation of readers and a significant increase in the number of YA readers.
ONLINE BOOKSELLING IN THE MIDDLE EAST ROGER TAGHOLM PROFILES TWO GROWING INTERNET RETAILERS
JAMALON He may not have had a holiday since he began the company on his kitchen table back in 2010, but Ala’ Alsallal, the young founder of Jordan-based online bookseller Jamalon, still bubbles with an inspirational energy and enthusiasm. For him, selling books is part of a wider interest in learning, knowledge and the preservation of heritage. He is hugely concerned about the situation in neighbouring Syria and Iraq and he sees Jamalon as having a wider role to play, both in the education of Arab citizens and in the distribution of titles currently ‘trapped’ in war zones. He is also concerned at the lack of a copyright library in the Arab world. Jamalon carries around 10m titles, 500,000 of which are in Arabic. It is the latter that account for 80% of its sales, with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states being the leading markets. Now boasting a staff of 50 based in the Jordanian capital Amman, Jamalon keeps moving forward, and is preparing two tech launches – its own ebook platform and a social reading site similar to Goodreads. Alsallal has a vision for the company beyond simply making money. “I feel happy when reading affects people’s lives, when I feel that in a small way we are improving the quality of life for people in the Middle East.” Earlier this year, the company had an unusual, loose arrangement with Amazon under which the US giant advised Jamalon on structuring its distribution channel, and in return, Jamalon provided Amazon with Arabic titles for the US and Europe. “But that has now come to an end,” says Alsallal. He smiles and adds: “It was for the best of reasons. They say that we are a competitor now…” Clearly Jamalon is doing something right.
NWF Like the two mighty rivers after which it takes its name, the online retailer Neelwafurat.com, or simply nwf.com, which offers around 400,000 print titles and some 6,000 ebooks, has a commanding presence across the Arab world. As always, Neelwafurat.com (the name is the phonetic spelling of Nile and Euphrates in Arabic), is exhibiting at this year’s Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF). With offices and distribution centers in Beirut and Cairo, it serves around 350,000 customers, the bulk of whom are in the Gulf region, with Saudi Arabia being its biggest market. The retailer is entering a particularly exciting period, partly from the success of the iKitab ereading platform that it has been developing for the last three years; and partly because of the inexorable spread of the Internet and the rise of ecommerce. iKitab is a customisable application that can either work as a straight ebookshop, with customers buying titles and
downloading them on to their device via the app, or one that can be customised for libraries to allow the borrowing of titles. In Sharjah, Neelwafurat.com has been involved with the emirate’s celebrated Knowledge without Borders program, which is aimed at spreading the love of books and reading; nwf has already provided 150,000 ebooks to 3,000 families. Chebaro himself is a familiar figure at the SIBF and he is particularly excited about the Sharjah Book Authority’s plans for the free zone and printing and publishing facilities, due to open next year. “I really do believe that a new free zone for publishers will promote this industry and give it a great push forward. Also, the lack of a distributor for Arab books will be key in filling all the gaps currently happening in the supply chain from a logistics point.” It was perhaps inevitable that Chebaro would go into the publishing business, since his father Bassam runs Arab Scientific Publishers, publisher of Dan Brown, who was a record-breaking guest of honour at Sharjah last year. But Chebaro first worked as a programmer for two years and then as a journalist for an IT magazine before starting nwf in 1998 with a small office in Beirut. It goes without saying that one of the biggest challenges any company faces in this part of the world is coping with the region’s fractured political history. “This is not a stable part of the world. Sometimes we have a war, sometimes we have a revolution – for the last four or five years the Middle East has been a roller-coaster ride. It is very bad for the market. You have plans and then nothing materializes – you never know what will happen next.” But there are sparks of good news. Chebaro is pleased that publishers have taken a step forward in the battle against piracy. Through their deal with Digimarc in Sweden, publishers pay $10 a year per title for software that will automatically delete pirate PDF files on search engines. Looking back on nwf’s journey, Chebaro says that ecommerce in the Arab world didn’t take off until 2008 and that originally, the UK was nwf’s most important market “as educated Arabs wanted to reconnect with their homeland”. But from 2005 Saudi Arabia took over, due to the size of the population, the expansion of the Net and the rise in credit cards. The company avoids the oft-quoted problem of deliveries in countries with no westernstyle postal service or address system by using DHL and calling customers on their mobiles. He estimates the Arab book market as being worth between $200m and $300m, with another $50m for ebooks, and he thinks the latter is set to boom in the next five years. “I think all academia will convert to ebooks because it is more cost-effective. We already have solutions for issues like the rendering of Arabic font – the technology develops so fast.” Outside work, Chebaro likes to read historical books: “I am really interested in to know how and why things developed in the way they are today”, he says, “especially in the Middle East where the future seems so much connected to history.”
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