Istanbul Publishing Fellowship to focus on Azerbaijan

By Saadet Firdevs Apari

ISTANBUL (AA) - As part of the sixth round of an international publishers meeting, the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program will focus on Azerbaijani literature and publishing.

The Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program, organized by the Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright & Licensing Society with the support of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, is set to convene professionals worldwide in Istanbul between March 9-11.

In the scope of the "focus country" theme, which is a first for the meeting, Azerbaijani publishing will be chosen to promote the deep-rooted Turkish language and raise international attention.

The organization, which gathers publishers from all around the world in Istanbul each year, will introduce a series of innovations this year.

The meeting will announce prizes for copyrights for the first time this year. The Istanbul Copyright Awards will be given to institutions that are considered influential in the publishing world.

The awards will be presented under the auspices of the Istanbul Governorate to contribute to the development, cultural cooperation and promotion of the sector by encouraging the exchange of copyrights from Turkish to foreign languages, encouraging copyright works and honoring achievements.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting is planned to be held both online and physically with a limited number of participants in compliance with the coronavirus measures.

Also supported by the Publishers Association, Istanbul Governorate and the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, this year's program is to tackle the latest developments in the publishing world, the course of publishing during the pandemic, digital publishing, and online book sales models.

The publishers will also discuss the spread of Turkish literature around the world, new copyrights in world literature and their value in international markets, as well as online experiences of the canceled book fairs.

The program, of which Anadolu Agency is the global communication partner, will be attended by 300 publishers, including 170 foreign and 130 local professionals.