European collectives and International Committee of independent publishers meeting, Paris, 15-17 October 2016
Representatives from 6 European collectives (Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, Russia and Switzerland) will meet in Paris, at the invitation of the International Committee of independent publishers (ICIP). The main objectives of this meeting are to share knowledge, discuss business issues, plan partnerships, and build the foundations for future exchanges. This is only the first step towards strengthening an independent publishing open to the world, and guaranteeing bibliodiversity.
A part of this meeting will focus on the governance of the Alliance, as well as an assessment of the Bibliodiversity Observatory, some few months after its creation in July 2016.
International Bibliodiversity Day, 21 September 2016
Bibliodiversity… it is the daily life of independent publishers, what drives them. Why make it a special day, then ? To celebrate Spring Day in the Southern Hemisphere, for books to occupy public spaces, to share, connect, exchange, discuss, and have fun… Because diversity of ideas is essential to the construction of democratic societies, because independent publishers are its actors, together with authors, translators, illustrators, booksellers, librarians…
This year, some planned festivities and activities include :
• In Quebec, Mémoire d’encrier publishers, in partnership with the Maison de la Syrie (‘the House of Syria’), facilitate a Quebec-Syria literary meeting
• In Syria, Atlas Publishing convene booksellers and publishers in the heart of Damas
• In Chile, EDIN collective will distribute a list of independent publishers’ works in the country’s main libraries ; filmed activities will be held throughout the day
• In Colombia, public spaces (parks, public places) will be animated by publishers from the REIC collective…
• In Italy, the independent publishers members of the FIDARE get themself heard through a call
• In Spain, the ministry of Culture is launching a campaign in favor of bibliodiversity
• In Peru, the collective of independent publishers EIP is organizing an Independent Book Fair, from 23 to 25 September, to follow on facebook
• In Argentina, the collective of independent publisers EDINAR is planning bookcrossing, literary meetings...
Follow all the activities on the Alliance website and social media.
And have a look on the official B Day 2016 video !
The independent publishers at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2016 !
From October, 19th to 23rd, meet the independent publishers at the Frankfurt Book Fair : more than 25 publishing houses from all around the world will be there !
You can find the publishers’ contact on the attached document. Do not wait to make an appointment !
Digital workshop in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), 23-27 May 2016 – during the Abidjan Book Fair (26-28 May)
Through the support of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and the partnership established with the Ivorian publishers association (Assedi), the Alliance’s Digital Lab will convene 18 publishers from Sub-Saharan Africa from 23 to 27 May, to a workshop focusing on :
* the production and marketing of digital books (session facilitated by Gilles Colleu, Vents d’ailleurs, France) ;
* management of the Alliance Press web template developed by the Alliance for publishers who do not have websites (session facilitated by Mouhammed Diop, Senegalese developer and designer of Alliance Press).
The workshop follows on the series of meetings/training workshops designed and implemented by the Alliance since 2010, and is aimed at publishers in particular from French-speaking Africa. In order to share knowledge and encourage ownership, all workshops and meetings of the Alliance are complemented by factsheets published on the Digital Lab website, and personalised online tutorials.
The workshop will be held at the occasion of the Abidjan Book Fair (26-28 May, Palais de la Culture), and will provide the opportunity for publishers to share the collective stand of the Afrilivres association. The Afrilivres Prize will be awarded on that occasion, in the presence of the recipient of the 2015 prize : Valesse publishers from Ivory Coast.
Primaverinha dos livros, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), 21 and 22 May 2016
The Brazilian publishers collective LIBRE will host, on 21 and 22 May, the 3rd edition of the Book Fair for independent publishers focusing on children’s books. Gathering 40 independent publishers, this event takes place at Tom Jobin Theater, at the Botanical Garden’s area.
On this occasion, and through the support of the Alliance, Portuguese publisher Carla Oliveira (Orfeu Negro) will go to Brazil to share her experience with Brazilian publishers, and strengthen solidary partnerships between Portugal and Brazil. Read more information here.
African Languages Book Fair – SAELLA, Bamako, 20-23 January 2016
Organised by Afrilivres Association, through the support of its partners and the support of OMEL (Malian book publishers organisation), the first edition of the African Languages Book Fair will convene professionals, academics, institutions, NGOs, and the general public for 3 days of discussions, sharing, exhibition, and sale of books in African languages. An unprecedented and unique event, not to be missed !
Children’s books’ graphic design and illustrations – Africa-Europe perspectives, Paris, 29-30 November 2015
In the margins of the Salon du livre et de la presse jeunesse de Seine-Saint-Denis (2-7 December 2015), the Alliance convenes, through the support of the Centre national du livre (CNL), twelve independent children’s book publishers from Africa and Europe (Benin, France, Madagascar, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Togo). During this two-day workshop, publishers will share their experiences and knowledge of the strategies developed in terms of graphic design and illustration choices within their publishing house, which will be an occasion to address evolutions and innovations in the field of children’s books (new graphic design and digital techniques, etc.).
Meeting of the International Committee of independent publishers - ICIP- (Paris), 9-11 October 2015
ICIP, composed of 6 representatives from the Alliance’s language networks, will meet in Paris. To be discussed in this 3-day meeting : impact of the International Assembly of international publishers, and way forward ; freedom of speech and publishing ; copyrights in Europe and around the world ; meeting with partners of the Alliance (Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer, UNESCO, Relais Culture Europe, Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs, Ile-de-France region, Centre national du livre, AILF, SGDL…).
Again this year, independent publishers will be in Frankfurt. To contact and meet them during the Fair, consult the document below !
Not to be missed, Thursday, 15 October, from 13h to 14h, Hall 3.1 (Weltempfang)
“Independent feminist publishing across borders – a dialogue between 4 feminist publishers from 3 continents” – a round table organised by the Alliance, in partnership with Litprom and the Fair – with Renate Klein (Spinifex Press, Australia), Susan Hawthorne (Spinifex Press, Australia), Colleen Higgs (Modjaji Books, South Africa) and Müge Gürsoy Sökmen (Metis Publishers, Turkey). Facilitated by Juan Carlos Sáez (JC Sáez Editor, Chile).
