Istanbul to host int’l publishers meeting in March

ISTANBUL (AA) – The sixth round of an international publishers meeting will convene professionals from around the world in Istanbul between March 9-11.

The Istanbul Publishing Fellowship is organized by Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright & Licensing Society with the support of the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

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

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

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

Some 869 publishers from 121 countries and 153 publishers from Turkey applied to attend the program. Ninety foreign publishers will join face-to-face meetings, while 80 others will attend online meetings.

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.

- This year’s focus: Azerbaijan

The program will start a new chapter this year called "focus country", which will focus on the publishing and literature of a country and discuss it thematically.

Azerbaijan is the focus country of the 6th Istanbul Publishing Fellowship, a pick to promote deep-rooted Turkish language and arise international attention in it.

The ongoing work between the officials of Turkey and Azerbaijan on the subject will be shaped on the basis of strengthening publishing ties and the organizations to be held.

The events to be organized with the focus on Azerbaijan’s publishing and literature will be provided by authorized names.

- Copyright prizes for first time

The meeting will also 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, to encourage copyright works and to honor achievements.

Some 52 applications from 26 countries were received for the awards, to which the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce also contributed.

The Istanbul Copyright Awards selection committee will make an evaluation about the publishing houses that applied for the competition.

The winner will earn a check worth $10,000, the second $6,000, and the third $4,000. The competition will also give away a special award by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce.