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The fourth edition of SIBF's Professional Programme for publishers was launched at the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry premises in Sharjah, with 97 publishers on the participants list. The programme, which will run until Tuesday, 4th of November, is organised by Sharjah International Book Fair, as a part of the Fair's 33rd edition set to be held at Expo Centre Sharjah between November 5 and 15.
The first day of the programme, held in association with New York University Center for Professional Studies, focused on a number of key aspects in the publishing industry, such as negotiation strategies with regards to acquiring local rights, best practices in book pricing and promotion, leveraging the Internet in marketing, expanding to new markets, and other relevant topics in the fields of digital publishing, intellectual property, and contracting.
SIBF Director Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri opened the programme with a welcome note. He said:"This programme comes as an interpretation of the vision and directives graciously extended by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, aimed at enhancing the publishing industry in the region in line with international best practices, and creating opportunities for Arabic publishers to acquire new skills and experience, allowing them to compete on the international stage."
Andrea Chambers, Director of the Center for Publishing at the New York University- School of Professional Studies, highlighted that the programme seeks to share ideas and experiences between publishers based on precise professional rules, and offer publishers potent solutions and orientation in terms of expansion in sales and readership size. Chambers indicated the importance of continued cooperation with Sharjah International Book Fair in the future, with a mutual goal to support this industry and achieve future ambitions.
Lisa Gallagher, Senior Literary Agent at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, conducted an important lecture on "Negotiations for the Best Deal Possible", which included a rich discussion on buying translation and digital publishing rights, and what is needed for the best display of publishers' catalogues, in order to increase sales and achieve revenue, and what this necessitates in terms of expansion to new markets, and widening the readership base.
Gallagher also pointed out the advantages of acquiring suitable rights, and the role it plays in reaching new audience through digital communication. She highlighted that publishers need to answer certain questions in this regard, including: Who to sell to? Where to sell? What to sell? And How to sell? Moreover, publishers need to research reading trends, and reasons why a certain title achieves international bestselling standards. She also highlighted that publishers need to invest time and effort in building relationships and participation in book fairs and relevant events.
Gallagher then discussed types of contracts and how they are written, giving examples from the US, the UK, Germany, and Spain. The discussion covered the rights imposed by the contracts in those countries, and referenced international licensing agreements that include translation rights, as well as the conversion of a literary work to a drama production. She also highlighted the importance of negotiating for best possible deals, and the importance of acquiring the required negotiations skills to guarantee this. She concluded by pointing out that success achieved by a book should encourage the publisher to seek new markets and find new partnerships that would guarantee excellent deals for distributors and retailers.
The workshop included a role-play titled ‘Demonstration of mock rights negotiation', played by Lisa herself, with Executive Director of Bloomsbury Publishing Richard Charkin. The role-play highlighted successful negotiations strategies with people from different cultures. The role-play also modelled presenting key points and a quick summary of the book in question, and observing the reaction to these points. It also showed how to inquire about important points, such as quality of the translation, and whether or not the book has been turned into a drama production, as well as number of editions issued so far and other details and concluded with a presentation of how to inquire about future collaboration.
Participating publishers included Madarik, Houdhoud, Sadikat, and Alkalam from the UAE, Alrasheed, Kina'an, Safeer, Fikr, and Ghar Harraa from Syria, Dawwin, Sama, Nahdat Misr from Egypt, ALkhatib from Jordan, Platinium from Kuwait, Sweet Cherry from the UK, Baletra from Georgia, and many others.
During the second day of the Professional Programme, publishers will be introduced to a number of key aspects, including the International Center for Translation Rights at SIBF, with an address by Richard Charkin, along with a workshop on translated books and international sales, and another workshop titled ‘Show me the money!’ The latter includes a presentation of modern models of digital publishing and e-commerce, presented by the International Centre for Translation Rights at SIBF.
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