Istanbul to host 9th International Publishing Professional Meetings on March 5-7

By Aise Humeyra Akgun

ISTANBUL (AA) - The 9th International Istanbul Publishing Professional Meetings will be held at the Rami Library on March 5-7, aiming to transform Istanbul into a copyright market.

Organized by Türkiye's Press Publishing Profession Association (TBYM) with the Global Communication Partner of the Anadolu Agency, the program allows the gathering of numerous national and international publishers with the contributions of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the support of the Press Publication Union Association.
It has been offering participants the opportunity to conduct both physical and online B2B meetings in a hybrid model since 2021.

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu, Mehmet Burhan Genc, the President of TBYM, stated that this year's focus country is "Mexico," and discussions on Mexican literature will be held as part of the program.

Abu Dhabi will be the focus country in 2025, Genc added.

"We choose the focus country from different corners of the world. Our first focus country was Azerbaijan. Then Hungary and Uzbekistan. So, we choose a little from the east and a little from the west. Latin America has been an area where we haven't had much communication until now. Especially by selecting Mexico, we aimed to strengthen our connections with Latin countries."

- Target 3,000 books agreement

Genc said that they received a thousand applications from 93 countries for this year's program and noted that 383 participants, including 197 foreigners and 125 Turks, will attend the program along with online meetings as a result of the evaluation of the selection committee.
Stressing the increasing interest in the program from African countries as well as the Far East, Mehmet Burhan Genc said:

"This year, the countries that showed the most interest in terms of the number of participants are the United Kingdom, Italy, Iran, Egypt, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. There is intense demand for the program both from the west and the east."

Genc highlighted that most of the copyright agreements are made in history books, stating:

"The widespread airing of Turkish series worldwide has somewhat increased this situation. Demand for both history books and Ottoman books has been high in the last few years. There is also a high demand for our literary figures, both our classic literary masters and our young writers; their books have become well-known."

Genc said that Istanbul Publishing Professional Meetings is a significant step in introducing Turkish culture to the world, expressing their hope that the program will be lively with the participation of new publishers this year, and they aim to surpass the 3 thousand bar in book copyright agreements.

- Over 10,000 copyright pre-agreements made in 8 years

The event, which brings together global publishers in Istanbul, is organized to support copyright exchange and cultural exchange efforts, encourage publishers from different countries to do business in Türkiye and open up to new markets.

Within the scope of the program, over 10,000 copyright pre-agreements and over 15,000 bilateral business meetings have been held in 8 years.
This year, the highest participation comes from the United Kingdom with 29 applications, while Indonesia and Egypt have 26, Iran 25, and Mexico will participate with 24 applications.

Various publishers, authors, translators, and association officials from Mexico, the focus country, will hold bilateral meetings.

Cultural events, such as sessions on Mexican literature, as well as events featuring Mexican cuisine and music, will also be held.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi