anglais
Events
Welcome to the Alliance Lab!
Following the publication of the study on digital publishing in developing countries carried out by Octavio Kulesz, the Alliance is launching its digital Laboratory, in partnership with the Prins Claus Fund and the International organization of La Francophonie.
Integrated to the resources center of the Alliance, the Lab is a participative platform dedicated to discussions on digital issues for the publishers members of the Alliance. Apart from a blog and a twitter (@digisouth) about digital innovations in developing countries, the Lab is also offering to the members a private digital space for experimentation and training.
The Alliance at the Seine-Saint-Denis Youth Press and Book Fair (France), November 30 - December 5, 2011 – stand J-11
The Alliance will welcome you, from the 30th of November to the 5th of December 2011, to its collective stand, "Readings from Abroad: Africa, Americas, Oceania", J-11, in the Seine-Saint-Denis Youth Press and Book Fair International Space. We invite you to meet and discover works from 10 African, Brazilian and French publishers represented at the stand “Readings from Abroad”: Alif publishers (Tunisia), Bakamé (Rwanda), Donniya (Mali), Ganndal (Republic of Guinea), Jacana (South Africa), Jeunes malgaches (Madagascar), Pallas (Brasil), Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Benin), Vents d’ailleurs (France) and Yomad (Morocco).
In the margins of the Fair, the Alliance organises meetings between African publishers and French librarians and also with associations and structures involved in the book trade – see programme below for more details! Through the School of Youth Literature, the Alliance also proposes a training day on youth publishing in French-speaking Africa on Friday the 2nd of December. More information can be obtained on the website of the Fair.
The collective stand, "Readings from Abroad: Africa, Americas, Oceania"
The freedom to publish is always in danger in Canada
Following the call for solidarity with Ecosociété coordinated by the Alliance in 2008, we sent you the conclusions of the "case Noir Canada" with Barrick Gold (as you will see in the attached press release).
Indeed, in order to put an end to the proceedings that Barrick Gold (mining company) instituted against it in April 2008 for the sum of 6 million dollars, Ecosociété and the authors of Noir Canada decided to cease the publication of the book.
However this important title is still part of Ecosociété backlist - and we know it will go on being read, through the copies which have been bought since 2008, notably by libraries.
In front of this censorship act, and the pressure put by compagnies on a independent publishing house, we would like to praise the pugnacity of the publishers and the authors during these last three years.
The struggle against censorship is still topical, and the Alliance goes on supporting every action that Ecosociété will do in favor of freedom to publish.
The Alliance at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2011
The independent publishers will meet again in Frankfurt this year. Please feel free to meet them directly at their exhibition stands or contact the Alliance for any additional information.
On another note, a session not to be missed is the public presentation of the study on digital publishing in developing countries, a study coordinated by the Alliance in partnership with the Prince Claus Foundation, on Thursday 13 October 2011 between 12h00 and 13h00 at the Dialogue Forum (Hall 5.1 / A962). Octavio KULESZ (from Teseo Editorial, Argentina, author of the study), Gabriela ADAMO (Director of the Buenos Aires Book Fair), Bridget IMPEY (from Jacana Media, South Africa) and Mariana WARTH (from Pallas Editora, Brazil) will be participating in this session.
The independent publishers in Frankfurt 2011
The International Bibliodiversity Day, 21 September 2011
Since 2010, the International Bibliodiversity Day (B Day) is celebrated on 21 September (Spring Day in the Southern hemisphere) by independent publishers. On the programme this year:
- in Spain, in Tenerife, the African Book Fair 2011, taking place from 21 to 25 September 2011, will host the publisher members of the Alliance at round tables and meetings, and will provide a platform for the Alliance to officially launch B Day (see programme below);
- in France, a workshop on bibliodiversity will bring together some representatives of the book industry’s professional associations (booksellers, librarians, publishers);
- in Latin America, national publishers collectives are mobilising and will be facilitating numerous activities, read the blog at eldiab.org;
- consult the Wikipedia article on “bibliodiversity”, available in Portuguese, Spanish, French and English;
- in Australia, the artist Judy Horacek draws bibliodiversity;
- in Turkey, the painter Emine Bora illustrates biblodiversity;
- in India, the artist Alpana Khare represents bibliodiversity;
- in South Africa, bibliodiversity is interpreted by a designer - see the illustrations below!
And what’s happening in your part of the world? Tell us about your activities!
The Alliance at the African Book Fair 2011, at a glance
The bibliodiversity in drawing, by the Australian artist Judy Horacek
The programme of the meetings of Tenerife
The bibliodiversity in Turkey, by the artist Emine Bora
The bibliodiversity in South Africa!
The bibliodiversity in India, by the artist Alpana Khare
Eight Persian-language publishers meet in Paris, June 22 - 24, 2011
Through its partnership with the Prince Claus Foundation, the Alliance gathers Persian-language publishers of the diaspora (Germany, Denmark, United States, France, Netherlands and Sweden) for an unprecedented meeting in Paris, from 22 to 24 June 2011. We hope this meeting would allow publishers to create both humane and professional bonds, ease the way to develop projects collectively and finally to reunite.
The report of this meeting is available in English and Persian. Please, write us to receive a copy.
Discover the programme of the meeting_in English
The International Committee of Independent Publishers meets in Paris, June 19 - 22, 2011
The International Committee of Independent publishers (ICIP) will gather in Paris from 19 to 22 June 2011 for the annual meeting with the Board of Alliance. This year the ICIP will participate in the General Assembly of the Alliance on 20 June, and will meet with the Persian-language publishers of the diaspora, who gather in Paris from 22 to 24 June 2011 (see the program above).
The ICIP members present in Paris:
- Nouri ABID (éditions Med Ali, Tunisia), Coordinator of the Arabic-language network;
- Serge D. KOUAM (Presses universitaires d’Afrique, Cameroon), Coordinator of the French-language network;
- Araken GOMES RIBEIRO (Contra Capa, Brazil), Coordinator of the Portuguese-language network;
- Guido INDIJ (la marca editora, Argentina) - Coordinator of the Spanish-language network;
- Ritu MENON (Women Unlimited, India) - representative of English-language network.
Read the programme of the ICIP meeting
Communiqué from the Alliance on the Tunis meetings, 27 May 2011
15 publishers from 8 countries (Algeria, Argentina, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, France, Morocco, Tunisia, Syria) met in Tunis, from 12 to 15 May 2011, to discuss e-publishing. The meeting was organised by the International Alliance of Independent Publishers, with the support of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.
The publishers who met in Tunis wished it to be known that these meetings took place in a peaceful and secure environment. The warm welcome we were given, despite the curfew then in place, enabled us to organise meetings of a high standard, from both a professional and a human perspective.
We wished to show our solidarity with our Tunisian partners in this way, by inviting associations, NGOs, organisations and institutions, tourists and the simply curious to rediscover Tunisia – a Tunisia where freedom is in the air.
Read the communiqué of 27 May 2011 in full_in French
Meetings on e-publishing in the Arab world, Tunis, May 12 - 15, 2011
Some 17 publishers from Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Syria, Egypt but also from France, Côte d’Ivoire and Argentina will meet in Tunis from 12 to 14 May 2011 to discuss e-publishing in the Arab world. Further to the meetings organised in Ouagadougou in December 2010 in partnership with the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, the Alliance continues to debate on the opportunities of e-publishing for independent publishers and for bibliodiversity. Through the theoretical sessions and practical workshops, publishers will have a chance tackle and explore e-publishing issues in the Arab world, particularly given the topicality and the role – sometimes crucial – of the Internet and the new media in the Arab revolutions.
The study on e-publishing in developing countries, conducted by Octavio KULESZ and coordinated by the Alliance, enabled through the support of Prince Claus, will be presented on Thursday, 12 May 2011 at 4.00 pm at the Hotel Les Ambassadeurs (Tunis). This is an event not to be missed!
Read the programme of the meeting in Tunis_in French
Download the "Lectures d’Afrique(s)" catalogue: books for young people published in Africa and Brazil
Rooted in African daily life, in the streets of Bamako and Conakry, in the fishing port of Cotonou, on Tunisian soil, or redolent of Afro-Brazilian heritage, the 281 tales, documentaries, albums and novels that make up the catalogue are just waiting to be discovered. Books by nine independent publishing houses from Africa (South Africa, Benin, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, the Republic of Guinea, Rwanda, Tunisia) and from Brazil are now available in France, Belgium and Switzerland ! If you would like to diversify your stock, read in Bambara, in Arabic, in English, in Portuguese, in Kinyarwanda, in Malagasy, in French, if you are simply looking for some escapism … the solution is here … just turn the pages !
The Alliance distributes all the books contained in the catalogue in France, Belgium and Switzerland. To order, go to page 83 of the catalogue.
The "Lectures d’Afrique(s)" catalogue was developped with the support of the Ile-de-France Region.
Click here to download the catalogue!
African Book, Press and Culture Fair in Geneva, April 29 - May 3, 2011: independent publishers perspective
Ten independent publishers from ten countries will be present during the African Book Fair in Geneva from 29 April to 3 May 2011. They will participate in roundtables and workshops about digital publishing, children’s book publishing in Africa, publishing in national and local languages, etc.
This event has been initiated by the Alliance, in partnership with the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (Institut de la Francophonie Numérique) and the SDC - Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
Independent publishers coming at Geneva African Book Fair: discover the program!
Communiqué to all members: Announcement of the setup of the International Committee of Independent Publishers (ICIP)
In line with decisions taken at the 2007 International Assembly on Independent Publishers in Paris, the language network Coordinators and the Board of the Alliance have been meeting on an annual basis since 2009 (please see our November 2009 Communiqué).
On 11 October 2010, the Coordinators and the Board of the Alliance met in Paris and decided jointly to create “The International Committee of Independent Publishers” (ICIP) [...]. Because the publisher members – Allies – are the primary players in the Alliance, the members of the ICIP and the Board of the Alliance are submitting the creation of the International Committee of Independent Publishers (ICIP) to your approval.
Read the full Communiqué_in English
Read the report of the meeting of coordinators_in French
The two prizewinners 2010 of the "Terres solidaires" collection!
On Monday, 6 December 2010, following hours of online discussions among the 9 members of the Reading Committee of the “Terres solidaires” collection (“United Lands”), the 2010 prizewinners of the collection were announced: "Trop de soleil tue l’amour", by Mongo BETI and "Mandela et moi", by Lewis NKOSI! These two new joint co-publications will be launched in Africa in February 2011.
The Alliance expresses its warmest thanks to the members of the Reading Committee (see the list below) for their involvement and their enthusiastic discussions!
• Agnès ADJAHO (former manager of the Notre Dame bookshop, Bénin);
• Élisabeth DALDOUL (Elyzad Publishing, Tunisia);
• Boubacar Boris DIOP (writer, Senegal - Tunisia);
• Emmanuel DONGALA (writer, Congo- United States);
• Mariame GBA (librarian, Côte d’Ivoire);
• Sofiane HADJADJ (Barzakh Publishing, Algeria);
• Jean-Claude NABA (Sankoka & Gurli Publishing, Burkina Faso);
• François NKEME (Ifrikiya Publishing, Cameroon);
• The book club of Oujda High School (Morocco).
Meeting on the digital publishing in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), December 18 - 21, 2010
The International Alliance of Independent Publishers organizes from 18 to 21 December 2010 a meeting on the digital publishing in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), in partnership with the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.
Read the programme of the meetings of Ouagadougou_in French
Meeting of the English-language network in Paris, October 13 - 15, 2010
The English-language network next meeting will take place in Paris from 13th to 15th October 2010. Discussions about the network current and future projects (translation, co-publishing, book fairs, etc.) are planned. Being in Paris will be an opportunity for the seven publishers (Spinifex in Australia, Jacana Media in South Africa, The New Press in the United States, Tulika and Women Unlimited in India and Zed Books in the United Kingdom) to meet French publishers (Actes Sud, La Fabrique...).
Read the programme of the English-language meeting
Meeting of language network coordinators, Paris, October 11 - 12, 2010
The Alliance language network coordinators will meet in Paris on Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th of October 2010. This meeting represents one of the annual appointment of the governance of the association. Two days of exchanges and debates between the coordinators and the members of the Board of the Alliance... discover the attached programme.
Language network coordinators:
* Nouri Abid, Tunisia (Med Ali), coordinator of the Arabic-language network;
* Serge D. Kouam, Cameroon (Presses universitaires d’Afrique), coordinator of the French-language network;
* Marc Favreau, United States (The New Press), coordinator of the English-language network;
* Araken Gomes Ribeiro, Brazil (Contra Capa), coordinator of the Portuguese-language network;
* Guido Indij, Argentina (la marca editora), coordinator of the Spanish-language network.
Programme of the meeting of language network coordinators - 2010
Promoting Bibliodiversity: The independent publishers at the 2010 Frankfurt Book Fair
To meet the independent publishers of the Alliance in Frankfurt, download the document below.
To contact these publishers, before or after the Fair, do not hesitate to address directly the International Alliance of Independent Publishers.
List of publishers in Frankfurt
Barzakh Publishing wins the Prince Claus Award
In 2010, the Prince Claus Foundation awards a prize to a publisher member of the Alliance. Indeed, the prestigious Prince Claus Award will next December pay tribute to Algeria’s Barzakh Publishing “for the way it gives concrete expression to Algerian voices, for having opened up a very necessary space for critical debates on Algerian realities, for having built a bridge between the different languages and cultures, and for having creatively dispelled the threat of the country’s cultural isolation”.
The Alliance expresses its warmest and most sincere congratulations to Selma Hellal, Sofiane Hadjadj and the whole team at Barzakh Publishing.
International Bibliodiversity Day, 21 September 2010
From 2010 International Bibliodiversity Day will be celebrated in several Latin American countries on 21 September each year. This day is deeply symbolic, representing Spring Day in the Southern hemisphere, in particular; spring with its connotations of pleasant weather, diversity, contrasting colours, vigour, flowers in bloom, transitions, love, perfume, and new beginnings.
Even though this is an international day, it was important to note that this initiative originated in the South - in Latin America – and that it bears a concrete signicance. Indeed, in defending and promoting bibliodiversity, Latin American publishers reaffirm the necessity of rebalancing the direction in which books and ideas circulate and of achieving movement in other directions, from South to North, but also from South to South.
More information on Bibliodiversity Day Blog: http://eldiab.org/
Photo of the Day activities in the parks
Third meeting of the Latin-American independent publishers’ collectives, La Paz, August, 2010
The 3rd meeting of Latin-American independent publishers’ collectives of the Alliance will occur with the support of the Departmental Book Chamber of La Paz and the French cultural services for the Andean cooperation during the 15th La Paz International Book Fair (Bolivia) – which will take place from August 18 to 29, 2010, under the slogan “Celebrate Bibliodiversity”.
Read the report of the third meeting of the Latin-American collectives, La Paz_in Spanish
Conclusions of the Arabic-language network (Tunis, April 2010)
Back from Tunis, where the Arabic-language network meeting was held, the Alliance publishes the first outcomes of this meeting. Here you will find the network’s translation and joint co-publishing projects, the next steps towards the development of the Arabic-language network, the creation of specialised training, etc.
Tunis meeting: first conclusions_Arabic version
Tunis meeting: first conclusions_French version
Meeting of the Arabic-language network, Tunis, April 25 - 28, 2010
Four years after the International Assembly on Independent Publishing in Paris in July 2007, we are delighted to be bringing together the Arabic-language network of the Alliance in Tunisia, during the Tunis International Book Fair.
The Alliance organizes a round table open to professionals, focussing on publishing and cultural diversity, at the heart of the Tunis International Book Fair on Monday 26 April at 4.00 pm.
Program of the meeting of the Arabic-language network_in Arabic
Program of the meeting of the Arabic-language network_in English
Afrilivres: restructuration
The Afrilivres Association elected – during its Extraordinary Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, 16 March 2010 via an online forum – a new Committee. For the Alliance, the results of this AGM constitute the beginning of a restructuration of the Pan-African Association. The communiqué issued jointly by the two associations calls on institutions and all friends of Afrilivres to express their renewed confidence.
For more information: www.afrilivres.net
Afrilivres and Alliance communiqué
Haiti, let’s mobilise for the long haul
The International Alliance of Independent Publishers calls on all international solidarity organisations to mobilise in Haiti. The Alliance will do do its outmost to support Haitian book professionals in the long-term, particularly librarians, publishers and booksellers, by joining forces with existing and future stakeholders in Haiti.
The importance of culture should be considered in the reconstruction process. In the Haïtian context, where symbolism has a special place, reinventing Haïti also involves supporting the arts and culture, particularly books and authors that promote the people’s complex and fascinating identity. A people cut off from its culture is a dead people.
Report of the Portuguese-language network and Spanish-language networks meetings - Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), November 25 -27, 2009
The Spanish-language network and the Portuguse-language network of the Alliance met in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) from 25 till 27 November 2009, during "la Primavera dos livros". These meetings allowed both networks to build their respective initiative programme for 2010-2011 but also to strengthen the "regionalisation" of the Alliance, through an inter-network meeting.
Report of the Spanish-language network_in Spanish
An Alliance communiqué to all members
On Monday 12 October 2009, the Alliance brought together the five language network coordinators and six members of the Board. This meeting, prepared in advance by the permanent staff, was an opportunity to address several core issues for our movement. A French version of the minutes in full – including the verbatim of this long and exciting day of work – was sent to the participants. They wished however to have a communiqué, summing up the main points discussed and decisions taken together, drawn up in three languages for circulation among all members of the Alliance.
Meeting of language network coordinators in Paris, October 12 - 13, 2009
The Alliance language network coordinators will meet in Paris on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13d of October 2009. This meeting comes further to a request formulated by the publishers at the International Assembly of Independent Publishing (July 2007), who wished that the coordinators could meet the members of the Alliance’s Board.
Language network coordinators:
- Nouri Abid, Tunisia (Med Ali), coordinator of the Arabic-language network;
- Marc Favreau, United States (The New Press), coordinator of the English-language network;
- Guido Indij, Argentina (la marca editora), coordinator of the Spanish-language network;
- Serge D. Kouam, Cameroon (Presses universitaires d’Afrique), coordinator of the French-language network;
- Cristina Warth, Brazil (Pallas), coordinator of the Portuguese-language network.
Discover an exclusive collection of youth books published in Africa and available from the Alliance
Do you want your collection to diversify? Are you fond of youth literature? Set out to discover African youth literature thanks to an exclusive selection of books published in Africa: colofur, sometimes bilingual quality books, with engaging characters and extraordinary adventures.
These books are available from the Alliance, get in touch with us for any request or any order.
Check out our online catalogue_in French
A "smart" book donation operation at the Geneva African Book Fair, April, 2009
The Alliance is present at the Geneva African Book Fair (April 22 to 26, 2009) and gives you the opportunity to participate in a smart book donation operation. By buying one or several youth books produced in Africa from the African bookshop on the Fair, as well as a pre-paid envelope from the Alliance, you can mail the books yourself to a library in Africa.
"Give little, but give well !" – see the attached document for more information
Meeting of the Spanish-language network in Buenos Aires, April, 2009
The members of the Spanish-language network met at the Buenos Aires Book Fair in Argentina, from April 18 to 22, 2009. On this occasion, the representatives from 6 Latin-American collectives of independent publishers held a specific meeting to exchange their experiences.
Check out the program of the meeting_in Spanish
The Alliance at the Paris Book Fair, March, 2009
Stand P60
The publishers of the Alliance in the Paris Book Fair, 2009
Books About Books: a new free resource center on books and publishing
From January 5, 2009 on, you are invited to discover Books About Books, a resource center specialized in "Books & Publishing" in the middle of Paris.
Books About Books is open from Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 6 pm. For any additional information, don’t hesitate to call us at +33(0)1 43 14 73 66.
Download the books available at BaB
At the crossroads of Africas, Algeria, October 27 - November 5, 2008
"At the crossroads of Africas": 13 publishers share their Africa at the Algiers International Book Fair, October 27 - November 5, 2008
Program "Au croisement des Afriques"_in French
International Publishers’ Meeting in Bogotá, Colombia, April 25 - 27, 2008
This meeting, organized by Cerlalc, the Colombian Department of Education, the Book Chamber of Colombia and the Cultural affairs of the city of Bogotá, was special in that it enabled the exchange of experiences between independent publishers from Colombia, from the Alliance (Germán Coronado (Ediciones Peisa, Peru), Pablo Harari (Trilce, Uruguay), Ivana Jinkings (Boitempo, Brazil), Anne Marie Métailié (Editions Métailié, France), Paulo Slachevsky (Lom Ediciones, Chile), Marcelo Uribe (Ediciones Era, Mexico), Thierry Quinqueton, Chairman of the Alliance, and other professionals of the book sector.
An emphasis was put on the theme of new technologies (on-demand printing, Google books search, ebooks) and on their impact on the very know-how of publishers.
Two major aspects of this meeting were the formal creation of REIC (Red de Editoriales Independientes de Colombia) through the signature of its by-laws and the drafting of the Bogota Declaration (see below).
Declaration of Bogotá_in Spanish
Bibliodiversity 9, February, 2008
Read: The ninth issue of Bibliodiversity, the newsletter of the Alliance of independent publishers, has just come out!
Read in PDF the ninth issue of Bibliodiversity
Publishers of the Alliance present at the "Plural Africa" stand at the Youth Book and Press Fair in Montreuil (France), November 28 - December 3, 2007
10 publishing houses from 10 different countries were indeed represented in an especially fit out 60 m² space. Five publishers were present and stayed for 6 days in tune with the fair: Russel Clarke (Jacana Media, South Africa), Béatrice Lalinon Gbado (éditions Ruisseaux d’Afrique, Benin), Marianna Warth (Pallas Editora, Brazil), Marie-Michèle Razafinstalama (éditions Prediff, Madagascar) and Paulin Assem (éditions Graines de pensées, Togo) thus participated both in setting up the stand as well as in managing it.
Introducing the "Plural Africa" stand_in French
Download the report (in French) on the operation “Salon du livre jeunesse de Montreuil“!
Bibliodiversity 8, November, 2007
Read: The eighth issue of Bibliodiversity, the newsletter of the Alliance of independent publishers, has just come out!
Read in PDF the eighth issue of Bibliodiversity
Foundation of the Alianza Peruana de Editores
The Peruvian publishers that were present at the International Assembly in Paris last July (Germán Coronado, Ediciones PEISA and Álvaro Lasso, Estruendomudo), have participated in founding the Alianza Peruana de Editores in Lima in September. The creation of this Alliance, which gathers about twenty independent, academic and autonomous publishers, is perfectly in line with the appeal launched by signatory publishers in International Declaration of Independent Publishers for the protection and promotion of bibliodiversity (Paris, July 2007): "we call upon independent publishers everywhere in the world to join forces –whether at the national, regional, or international level– creating associations and other collective bodies which will permit us to better defend our rights, and to make our voices heard." According to Germán Coronado : “Esta nueva entidad gremial nace como un reflejo de lo que aconteció en París en julio pasado.” (“This new collective entity is born as a reflection of what happened in Paris last July"). The statutes of this Peruvian Alliance are available on the following link: http://alpe.wordpress.com
We wish this national association of independent publishers success in protecting and fostering bibliodiversity as well as its Latin American counterparts (AEMI in Mexico, EDINAR in Argentina, LIBRE in Brazil).
International Declaration of Independent Publishers, 2007
75 independent publishers from more than 45 countries – including members of associations representing over 380 publishing houses – gathered in Paris in the French National Library from July 1-4, 2007 for an International Assembly on Independent Publishing. In the International Declaration of Independent Publishers, they reaffirm their intention to resist and to act with a common purpose.
A unique meeting in favor of bibliodiversity
International Assembly on Independent Publishing - Paris, 1-4 July, 2007
Independent creation publisher: a tentative definition
As the independence of publishing is increasingly discussed, we have decided to bring into debate a possible definition of the "independent creation publisher". This tool, in the shape of a series of questions, would allow to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a publisher in terms of independence.
The independent creation publisher_in French
Bibliodiversity 7, December, 2006
Read: The seventh issue of Bibliodiversity, the newsletter of the Alliance of independent publishers, has just come out!
Read in PDF the seven issue of Bibliodiversity
A wise man passed away, tribute to Joseph Ki Zerbo
We got some very bad news from Burkina Faso in the month of December: Joseph Ki-Zerbo (photo below), an eminent African historian, political activist, promoter of independence movements, and reputable author, passed away. Upon hearing the news, Marie-Agathe Amoikon Fauquembergue of Eburnie publications (Ivory Coast) responded: “À baobab has left us!”.
We would like to salute the man, author, and thinker Ki-Zerbo was. We remember the international co-publication of his last work, which he entrusted to Alliance members: “À quand l’Afrique?” (“When’s the time for Africa?”) has become a reference, the winner of the “World Citizen award” (prix RFI Citoyen du Monde), a commercial success, and is now translated into Portuguese by 4 members of our network. We would like to send our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
New Release: Independent publishers on the attack?
What is an independent publisher? What is a “creative publisher”? Can a large group be an independent publisher? How can a publisher, in the context of concentration and financial constraints, stay independent in daily life, while maintaining its activist role? Such are the questions that Gilles Colleu confronts in his work Independent Publishers: moving from the age of reason on to the attack? (“Éditeurs indépendants: de l’âge de raison vers l’offensive?”). Far from any caricature, Gilles uses sound and engaging reasoning based on a “certain idea” of publishing to show us some characteristics that make the creative independent publisher a major actor, and a natural defender, of book diversity.
"Independent Publishers: moving from the age of reason on to the attack?"
Alliance of Independent Publishers
Collection "État des lieux de l’édition" (“Reports on the publishing world”)
160 pages, 10 € in France
ISBN 13: 978-2-9519747-2-2
Recycled paper
Find all the information on the collection "État des lieux de l’édition") here.
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Bibliodiversity 6, September, 2006
Read: The sixth issue of Bibliodiversity, the newsletter of the Alliance of independent publishers, has just come out!
Read in PDF the sixth issue of Bibliodiversity
Primavera dos livros ("Springtime of books") in Rio de Janeiro, 2006
In Brazil, the “Springtime of books”, an event organized by the LIBRE organization (a Brazilian federation of publishers), was the occasion to discuss a law regulating the price of books. Approximately a hundred independent Brazilian publishers participated in this great celebration of books, from September 15-17, 2006.
Upon the publication of the Portuguese version of Protéger le livre ("Protecting books") - a study published in 2003 by the Alliance of Independent Publishers, Markus Gerlach, author of the study, accompanied by an economist and president of LIBRE, Araken Ribeiro, participated in an in-depth debate on setting fixed prices for books. Proteger o livro is the first co-publishing project between LIBRE and the Alliance of Independent Publishers. We are particularly pleased that Markus Gerlach’s work exists, in addition to the French and Spanish versions, in Portuguese.
Remaining active, the LIBRE organization organized a round table discussion focused on “Proposals and commitments made by Presidential candidates”, with the participation of several representatives of candidates from the principal parties involved in the Brazilian Presidential campaign. As we can see, the establishment or the rejection of a law on books and readership makes for some serious debate, particularly in Latin America.
(More info on: http://www.primaveradolivro.com.br/).
Bibliodiversity 5, July-August, 2006
Read: The fifth issue of Bibliodiversity, the newsletter of the Alliance of independent publishers, has just come out!
Read in PDF the fifth issue of Bibliodiversity
Bibliodiversity 4, June, 2006
Read: The fourth issue of Bibliodiversity, the newsletter of the Alliance of independent publishers, has just come out!
Read in PDF the fourth issue of Bibliodiversity
Bibliodiversity 3, May, 2006
Read: The third issue of Bibliodiversity, the newsletter of the Alliance of independent publishers, has just come out!
Read in PDF the third issue of Bibliodiversity
Paris Book Fair, 2006
Les « francoffonies »
The Alliance of the Independent Publishers cordially thanks all the people who contributed to the success of our collective stand at the Paris Book Fair.
Collective stand in Paris, 2006 (in French)
Bibliodiversity 2, February, 2006
Read: The second issue of Bibliodiversity, the newsletter of the Alliance of independent publishers, has just come out!
Read in PDF the second issue of Bibliodiversity
Bibliodiversity 1, January, 2006
Read: The first number of Bibliodiversity the newsletter of the Alliance of independent publishers has just come out!
Read in PDF the first issue of Bibliodiversity
Independent publishers from the Latin world and bibliodiversity, Mexico, 2005
November 2005, 27-30
International Book Fair of Guadalajara, Mexico
More information in French
FILDAK 2005 - Dakar International Book Fair, Senegal
The Alliance of Independent Publishers, in partnership with the International French-speaking Booksellers Association (AILF), was glad to welcome you on their shared stand in the International Book Fair of Dakar – December 6 to 11, 2005. The Alliance started there a study on “Publishing in African languages”, under the authority of Jean-Claude Naba (Sankofa & Gurli publishing), with the help of Karine Lewkowicz.
Children’s Book and Press Fair, Montreuil, 2005
The Alliance of Independent Publishers was invited to the Salon du livre et de la presse jeunesse de Seine-Saint-Denis(Children’s Book Fair of Seine-Saint-Denis), between the 30th of november and the 5th of december, on the stand of Afrilivres. Béatrice Lalinon-Gbado were glad to meet you there. Béatrice Lalinon-Gbado is the president of the pan-African association "Afrilivres" and also publisher for children in Benin and author of “Maman“, selected for the Baobab Prize. LIBRE, Brazilian network of Publishers, partner of the Alliance of Independent Publishers, were also attend the Book Fair through the MACO publishing house.
Official website of the Book Fair
The meeting of the Arab-language publishers, Beirut, 2005
The meeting of the Arabic-language network was held in Beirut, December the 11, and 12, 2005, and brought together the editors of Lebanon (Dar Al Farabi and Intishar), of Morocco (Toubkal), of Algeria (Thala), of Tunisia (Med Ali), Libya (Tala) and Jordan (Dar Al Shoruk).
The Alliance at the Centre Georges Pompidou
On October 10th, 2005, at 19pm, the Alliance will be present at the Georges Pompidou Center (Paris,), to participate in a debate on bibliodiversity. This event, organized by Littératures Pirates Korporation (LPK, see www.litteraturespirates.org), is included in the Lire en Fête agenda.
Hélène Clémente from Inextenso (www.inextensodiffusion.com), Claire Mathon (LPK), Philippe Magnani (Paris Musées Diffusion), Jérôme Saliou (Alphagraph bookshop, Rennes) and Étienne Galliand (Alliance of Independent Publishers) will debate on concrete practices aimed at empowering the diversity of independent publishers.
Meeting of the Portuguese-language network, September, 2005
The meeting of the Portuguese-language network of the Alliance of independent publishers was held in Rio de Janeiro, September 14th and 15th 2005, and brought together the publishers of Angola (Cha de Caxinde), of Guinea Bissao (Ku Si Mon), of Portugal (Campo das Letras), of Mozambique (Moçambique editora) and Brazil (Vozes and Pallas). These publishers of Brazil, Portugal and Portuguese-speaking Africa also took part in the "Primavera dos Livros" of Rio de Janeiro, a book fair organized by the Brazilian publishers of the LIBRE network.
The following documents are available, do not hesitate to contact us:
1) The report from the meeting of the portuguese-language network of the Alliance of independent publishers (Rio de Janeiro, September 14th and 15th);
2) The participation in "Primavera dos Livros" (Rio de Janeiro, September 16-19);
3) Projects 2004-2005 (Year of Brazil in France, "Biennial" of Rio, French National Library);
4) List of participants and other contacts.
New! The French-speaking Publishers’ 2005 Catalogue
At the Geneva Book Fair (from April 27 to May 1, 2005), the Alliance of Independent Publishers presented and diffused for the first time the French-speaking publishers’ 2005 Catalogue. (Check it out online).
Included in this catalogue are the following:
• a presentation of each of the 28 publishing houses, from all over the French-speaking world (from Mali to Quebec while passing by France);
• a selection of representative titles from each publisher, more than one hundred titles;
• an access by kind, title, author, publisher;
• information and contacts regarding the purchase of books, no matter who you are and where you come from!
In order to facilitate the exchange of information between book professionals (rights transfers, translations), this new tool is available in two languages: French and English.
Afrilivres catalogue
Launching of the catalogue of Afrilivres
With more than 1 300 titles published by 54 African editors, an essential tool for professionals.
Order the Afrilivres catalogue.
Meeting of the English-language network in London, March, 2005
The English-speaking network of the Alliance the Alliance of Independent Publishers is meeting in London prior to the Book Fair (http://www.lbf-virtual.com), March 10-13. Participants will come from Australia, Canada, England, India, Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, the United States, and Zimbabwe to discuss co-publishing projects and develop strategies for future development of this network.
This meeting has been organised in collaboration with African Books Collective, INASP, and SABDET.
A joint cocktail reception will be held at the Fair on Sunday, March 13, 2005, at British Council’s International Centre, 5 p.m. We hope to see you there.
The Alliance in the Paris Book Fair, 2005
The Alliance of Independent Publishers invite you in its stand at the Paris Book Fair, number L 180, March 18 to 23, 2005.
Independent publishers members of the Alliance 2005
Noureddine Ben Khader
Cérès Publishing House (Tunisia) and the Alliance of Independent Publishers are very sad to inform you that Nourredine Ben Khader has passed away.
A great influence in the African and Tunisian book industry, "NBK" managed Cérès Publishing House for 20 years. His remarquable enthusiasm as well as his strong involvement in publishing and books made him a reference for all his friends, both in Africa and throughout the world.
We will not forget him.
Proposals of the World Social Forum, 2005
The Alliance of Independent Publishers, in partnership with the Ford Foundation (USA - www.fordfound.org) and the Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation (Swizerland - www.fph.ch), set up a copublishing project to gather the proposals that will come out of the World Social Forum context, in Porto Alegre (Brazil). To achieve this goal, the Alliance sent 11 writers to Porto Alegre, to cover the 11 themes of the 2005 WSF (see the 11 themes of the WSF on the website www.forumsocialmundial.org.br). Each writer will contribute a chapter to a book that will be copublished by the Alliance members first in French, English, and Portuguese - followed by versions in other languages.
Enjeux Planète meeting in Brussels, December, 2004
The members of the Enjeux Planète Group will meet in Bruxelles (Belgium), 16th to 18th, Décember, 2004. The program of this meeting -organised by the Alliance of Independent Publishers and the Luc Pire Publishing House- is: checking of the past copublishing processes, planning for the 2005 and 2006 publications, signature of the collective agreement.
Participants: Bernard Stéphan (Atelier Publishing House - France), Michel Sauquet (Charles Léopold Mayer Publishing House - France), Dominique Caouette (Ecosociété Publishing House - Canada), Luc Pire (Luc Pire Publishing House - Belgium), Jean Richard (en bas Publishing House - Switzerland), Bichr Bennani (Tarik Publishing House - Moroco), Karim Ben Smail (Cérès Publishing House - Tunisia), Béatrice Lalinon Gbado (Ruisseaux d’Afrique Publishing House - Benin), Serge Dontchueng Kouam (Presses Universitaires d’Afrique - Cameroon), Marie-Agathe Amoikon-Fauquembergue (Eburnie Publishing House - Ivory Coast).
"Littératures métisses" Festival, Angoulême, 29 - 31 May, 2004
The Alliance of Independent Publishers accepted the invitation from the Office du Livre in Poitou-Charentes, which organized the Littératures métisses festival [multiethnic literatures festival]. A number of discussions with writers (including Alberto Ruy-Sanchez, Alberto Manguel, Theo Hahola) and publishers (Jean Richard from Editions d’en bas, Thierry Discépolo from Editions Agone, among others), along with readings by the actresses Marie-Christine Barrault and Sonia Emmanuel, were open to the public.
The Alliance of Independent Publishers took part in two discussions "Éditer autrement" [Alternative publishing] and "Éditer, produire, créer, diffuser avec l’Afrique" [Publish, produce, create and distribute with Africa]. These discussions and the booth gave good visibility to the association and its members’ co-publishing projects and provided information to the public about topics such as book distribution, the circulation of ideas, independent and united publishing and the equitable book.
The International Book and Press Fair in Geneva, from April 28 to May 2, 2004
The Alliance of Independent Publishers was well represented at the International Book and Press Show in Geneva, where the African Book, Press and Culture Show was held for the first time. At the event, Paris team members Etienne and Alexandre ran into publishers Jean-Claude Naba from Editions Sankofa & Gurli (Burkina Faso), Béatrice Lalinon Gbado from Editions Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Benin), Marie-Agathe Amoikon Fauquembergue from Editions Eburnie (Ivory Coast), Bichr Benanni from Editions Tarik (Morocco) and Jean Richard from Editions d’en bas (Switzerland), along with Behrouz Safdari (who runs the Persophone network) and Isabelle Bourgueil (who ran the Afrilivres program in 2002 and 2003). They were all doing well and working hard! The Alliance members had several opportunities to talk about the Alliance and the co-publishing process during round-table discussions. Numerous copies of Declarations, along with posters and other items to familiarize people with our association, were available in the African bookstore, which also offered a wide selection of titles from our member publishers. We offer special thanks to Jean and Isabelle, who worked long and hard to make the event a success. Mission accomplished: Long live the African Book Show in Geneva!
The Alliance at the World Social Forum in Mumbai, 2004
The workshop on independent publishing, run by Indu Chandrasekhar and held to support the formation of a network of independent Indian publishers, lived up to its billing...
Around forty people took part in the workshop.