logoActivities

Alliance’s programme for 2024

1. The Alliance, a space for experimentation and reflection through the Bibliodiversity Observatory
Continue the analyses, reflections and advocacy via the 4 thematic working groups

  • Book ecology
  • Digital publishing: workshops on artificial intelligence
  • Public book policies: mapping public book policies in the Arab world (launch as part of a book fair in the Arab world at the end of 2024) + Guide to Good Practice for public book purchasing (translation and adaptation of this Guide for other geographical and linguistic areas)
  • Freedom to publish: publication of transversal analyses and a series of interviews and podcasts

Equipping and documenting international independent publishing

  • Guide to Good Practice (see here)
  • Bibliodiversité journal (see here): special issue on precariousness in 2024

2. The Alliance, a space for collaboration and sharing
Sharing practices and expertise between publishers; meeting up and strengthening the flow of exchanges

  • Workshops and exchanges of know-how, within the thematic groups and as part of Babelica
  • Virtual meetings, workshops and training sessions on themes defined with the Alliance’s thematic groups (with a particular focus on artificial intelligence and other themes).
  • On-site training (venue to be confirmed) for publishing houses in French-speaking Africa
  • Professional meetings at the Brussels Book Fair (4-7 April 2024) 

3. The Alliance, a tool for the promotion and the visibility of independent publishing
To encourage the visibility and promotion of independent publishing; to promote the circulation of books and other publications by independent publishing houses

  • Babelica (see here), September 2024 (book fair, meetings and discussions dedicated to international independent publishing)
  • Tehran Book Fair, Uncensored (see here)
  • Presence of members at book fairs and exhibitions in 2024

4. The Alliance, a laboratory of alternative publishing practices
Pursue and strengthen solidarity-based publishing partnerships (transfer of rights, translations, co-publications, etc.)

  • Publishing groups by catalogue affinity (literature, humanities and social sciences and children’s literature): online project fairs (transfer of rights, exchanges on publishing projects) + support for transfer of rights and co-publications (see here)
  • Publishing projects in progress and/or under consideration

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5 main activities

The Alliance’s activities are based on guidelines collectively developed by publishers and are focused on 5 main actions:
1. Facilitation of an international and intercultural independent publishers network
2. Creation of a Bibliodiversity Observatory: studies, analysis, measurement tools, and a resource centre on bibliodiversity
3. Hosting and facilitation of international meetings, thematic and increasing capacity workshops (see below) to enable sharing, including through the Digital Lab of the Alliance
4. Support of international editorial partnerships (fair co-publishings, translations, copyright transfers)
5. Implementation of advocacy activities in support of freedom of publishing, independent publishing and bibliodiversity.

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Meetings, workshops & book fairs

Indie Book Day, 30 March, 2019!

On Saturday 30 March, 2019, it is the Indie Book Day!

Independent publishers and booksellers propose readers to celebrate Indie Book Day. The principle is simple: you just need to go in your favourite independent bookshop, to buy a book published by an independent publisher. Then, you are invited to share a picture of the book on the social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram…), with the hashtag #indiebookday.

Indie Book Day aims to highlight the creativity, diversity and dynamism of independent publishing and make readers aware of the essential aim played by independent bookshops in favour of bibliodiversity.

Indie Book Day website: www.indiebookday.de/english

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The programme 2019 & an overview 2018 !

To read here, the 2019 programme and an overview of the activities carried out in 2018.

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International Committee of independent publishers (ICIP), Paris, 6-8 October, 2018

The ICIP meeting is a special occasion where the activities of the Alliance’s respective networks, upcoming projects, strategic issues and governance of the association are discussed.
It is a crucial annual meeting in the life of the Alliance, often decisive in terms of objectives and choices.
This year, new coordinators and vice-coordinators are joining the ICIP: we propose an “ICIP induction day”, enabling newcomers to understand its functioning and role.
This meeting will further provide an opportunity to examine decisions taken at the previous ICIP and analyse their impacts on the current governance of the Alliance and ahead of the future Assembly of the Alliance (2019-2021).
Finally, a meeting session will be focusing on cultural rights.

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Frankfurt Book Fair (Germany), 10-14 October 2018

Have a look!
HotList and WomenList

In partnership with the Kurt Wolff Stiftung (collective of German independent publishers) and the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Alliance presents two thematic selections on the “Reading Island for Independent Publishers” stand (Hall 4.1 / D36)!

  • HotList: the energy of Latin American independent publishing through more than 30 books published in Argentina, Brazil, Equator, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela! The HotList is available online here!
  • WomenList: more than 30 novels, short stories, essays and comics on feminism, women’s struggles, their emancipation across the world – these titles are from independent publishers’ lists from all continents. The WomenList’s books can be seen online.

Roundtables to attend!

  • “African Children’s book publishing”: Christine Warugaba, Furaha Publishers (Rwanda), Sophie Batiskaf, Dodo Vole (Madagascar) and Corinne Fleury, Atelier des Nomades (Mauritius) / Wednesday 10 October, 10.00-11.00 / Reading Island for Independent Publishers (Hall 4.1 / D36)

For the 2018 Frankfurt Book Fair, the Alliance is partnering with Lettres d’Afrique, BIEF, the Kurt Wolff Stiftung and the Frankfurt Book Fair; and would like to thank the organisations and people who have collaborated to the drafting of our programme (African Books Collective, Afrilivres, PEN International...).

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The B Day is coming!

On 21 September, it is the first day of Spring in the Southern hemisphere… and the Bibliodiversity Day!

Don’t miss this 9th B Day – an initiative launched by Latin American independent publishers, and then disseminated all around the world. Picnics, readings, bookcrossing, discussions… the activities are gathered on the B Day blog and in the social networks.

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Producting and commercialising e-books in West Africa, Cotonou (Benin), 9-13 July 2018

15 publishers from 10 countries meet in Cotonou for a workshop dedicated to creating ePub files from Indesign. The workshop will also be an opportunity for discussions on the commercialization of digital books between the publishers: Cassava Republic publishers (Nigeria) will share their experience - a cross between French and English speaking Africas!

This workshop, supported by the International Organization of La Francophonie, was organised with the support of Ruisseaux d’Afrique publishers in Benin, a member of the Alliance. Ruisseaux d’Afrique publishers celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2018, offering activities throughout the year. The Alliance will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Ruisseaux during the workshop!

Since 2010, the Alliance Lab offers capacity-building workshops to independent publishers in French-speaking Africa. Several publishing houses in French-speaking Africa have developed a digital strategy.

The Alliance Lab regularly publishes surveys and analysis on digital publishing:

The Alliance Lab provides tools:

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Tehran Book Fair, Uncensored – Europe and North America, May 4-27, 2018

The touring “Tehran Book Fair, Uncensored”, organized in May in the same time as Tehran Book Fair in Iran, will occur for the third year, thanks to Farsi-speaking publishing houses based in Europe and North America.

Publishers, authors, and translators from and into Farsi are thus gathering in several cities in Europe and North America to circulate Farsi books (especially some censored in Iran) and books about Iran (in French, English, German…).

A special occasion to know a literature that has escaped from the censors. A free literature. Some muzzled voices that express themselves.

From May 4 to 27, 2018, the Tehran Book Fair Uncensored will occur in:

Other places and dates planned in the end of May will be updated on the website Uncensored book. More details: +33 (0)1 72 40 84 40 / www.uncensoredbook.com.

Read here the article published by Publishing Perspectives, on May 16, 2018.

Some resources to know more on the subject:

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Indie Book Day, 24 March 2018

On Saturday 24 March, independent publishers and booksellers propose readers to celebrate Indie Book Day. The principle is simple: you just need to go in your favourite independent bookshop, to buy a book published by an independent publisher. Then, you are invited to share a picture of the book on the social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram…), with the hashtag #indiebookday.

Indie Book Day aims to highlight the creativity, diversity and dynamism of independent publishing and make readers aware of the essential aim played by independent bookshops in favour of bibliodiversity.

Created in 2013 in Germany by the Hamburg-based publishing house Mairisch Verlag –member of the German association of independent publishers Kurt Wolff Stiftung, the Indie Book Day has first met a great success in Germany, and then has been celebrated also in other countries – like the UK, Italy, Portugal, and Brazil. For this special occasion, independent bookshops promote the event (posters in their bookshops, specific campaign on the social networks). To help readers to make their choice, specific spaces can be proposed in the bookshop to focus on the diversity of independent publishing.

In 2018, the Kurt Wolff Stiftung (Germany), the ODEI (Italy) and the International Alliance of independent publishers (550 publishers from more than 52 countries around the world) keep fostering the Indie Book Day.

Indie Book Day website: www.indiebookday.de/english

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Workshop on digital publishing and African languages in Conakry (Guinea Conakry), 20-23 November 2017

After Ouagadougou, Tunis, Dakar, Abidjan ... it is in Conakry – UNESCO World Book Capital in 2017 – that will be held the next digital workshop of the Alliance, bringing together more than 15 publishers from West Africa, Central Africa and Madagascar. This workshop, facilitated by publishers and typographers, will explore digital tools to solve the typographical problems encountered in the production of books in local languages.

This workshop is supported by the International Organization of the Francophonie and is held thanks to the partnership with Ganndal publishers, a member of the Alliance in Guinea Conakry.

Ganndal publishing, who are celebrating their 25th year in 2017, are also organizing several activities during this period, to be held at the Centre culturel franco-guinéen. Publishers participating in the workshop will participate to some of these events, and will speak at the symposium on children’s literature in Africa:
• Colloquium on children’s literature in Africa: 22 to 23 November
• Children Book Fair: from 23 to 26 November
• Colloquium on the challenges related to the promotion and distributing of books in African languages: 27 and 28 November

Overview of the activities and programme here.

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HotList 2017 from the Latin American independent publishers!

WHY A HOTLIST?

In 2009, together with the members of EDINAR (Argentinean Alliance of independent publishers), we decided to launch a promotion strategy, following the “Young independent Germans”: a HotList.

Against the tendentious ranking of the most sold out books published in the newspapers, every member of the collective had to choose one book among her/his new books -the one that she or he saw as the most outstanding, for whatever reason. With all EDINAR publishers, we thus formed a list, promoted at the same time by a group of booksellers from Buenos Aires who arranged a special table dedicated to this list in their bookshops during one month.

In 2010, Argentina was Guest country of Frankfurt Book Fair and the Argentinean National Book Chamber had a spacious booth with a strong presence of local publishing, which did not include many independent publishers. However, the Hotlist had an outstanding exhibition space in this Fair: thanks to a German colleague, curious publisher, philoanarchist, employed by the Fair, we got a well-situated booth and the possibility to exhibit our HotList.

Because a lot of Latin-American publishers cannot travel every year to Frankfurt, we have reminded this adventure and decided to implement it again this year, extended to Spanish-speaking publishers from Latin America, in order to give a better visibility to the vibrant Latin-American independent publishing, in the biggest commercial Book Fair of the World.

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This HotList presents a selection of about 40 books published in Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile… exhibited in the “Reading Island for Independent Publishers” (Pavilion 4.1) of the Frankfurt Book Fair, thanks to the cooperation of the Kurt Wolff Stiftung, group of German independent publishers.

We hope you will appreciate!

Guido Indij
Argentinean publisher, coordinator of the Spanish-speaking network of the International Alliance of independent publishers

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Co-publishings and translations

Non-fiction

Mes étoiles noires

Author(s) : Lilian THURAM
Publishing countries : Republic of Guinea, Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Haiti, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Senegal, Togo
Language(s) : French
Price : 3 000 FCFA ; 50 000 GNF ; 600 DA ; 60 MAD ; 15.000 MGA ; 450 HTG (équivalent de 4,5 à 5 € ; 7 € en Haïti)

This co-publication is supported by the Fondation Lilian Thuram - Éducation contre le racisme and its partners: CASDEN and MGEN; this co-publishing bears the label Fair Trade Book.

Publication: April 2014 - 404 pages - 14,5 X 22 cm - printed on recycled paper -
First publication: éditions Philippe Rey, Paris, 2010.
ISBN Algeria: 978-9931-325-67-3
ISBN Benin: 978-99919-1-707-8
ISBN Burkina Faso: 978-2-913991-65-1
ISBN Cameroon: 978-9956-444-77-4
ISBN Côte d’Ivoire: 978-2-8091-0062-4
ISBN Guinea Conakry: 978-2-35045-046-9
ISBN Haïti: 978-2-89712-232-4
ISBN Madagascar: 978-2-916362-39-7
ISBN Mali: 978-99952-1-063-2
ISBN Marocco: 978-9954-419-76-2
ISBN Senegal: 978-2-914135-20-7
ISBN Togo: 978-2-916101-58-3

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The Early Islam, from Ugarit to Samarra

Author(s) : Volker POPP; B. BINIAZ (translation into Persian)
Publishing countries : Germany, Canada, France
Language(s) : Farsi
Price : 15 €

In “The Early Islam, from Ugarit to Samarra”, the history of a religious movement later to be known as Islam will be retold –not as it can be found in all encyclopedias, history books and TV documentaries– but as it can be inferred from the material evidence if investigated in an unbiased fashion. “Unbiased” here means that all we know –or rather only seemingly know– from the Islamic historiographic literature (the “Traditional Account/ Report”) will be ignored: first as it stems from an era several centuries after the alleged events it describes; secondly as it is mostly legendary and follows a “theological program” and thirdly as in many cases it flatly contradicts the material evidence we have on coins, inscriptions etc. The re-interpreted history will be presented in the form of the account of a journey. In some cases, words everyone would expect in a history of “early Islam” will not appear and for good reason. The term “muslim”, for example, appears only very late on in non-Islamic sources, in fact only several generations after the alleged founding of the new religion. Other words appear with different meanings, e.g. “Islām” originally does not designate a new religion, “Arabī” does not designate an ethnic group and other examples.

Publication: 2014 - 304 pages - 22 x 15 cm - ISBN: 978-3-943147-99-5
First publication: Schiler Verlag (Germany), 2006
This translation has received the support of the Prince Claus Fund.

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Diez lecciones sobre estudios culturales

Author(s) : Maria Elisa CEVASCO ; trad. René PALACIOS MORE
Publishing countries : Argentina, Chile, Uruguay
Language(s) : Spanish
Price : 290 pesos Uruguay

The translation and the co-publishing of “Estudios culturales” have been supported by the Prince Claus Fund.

Publication: 2013, 136 pages, 16 X 23 cm
ISBN (Uruguay): 978-9974-32-613-2
ISBN (Argentina): 978-950-889-226-3
First publication: 2012

Diez lecciones sobre estudios culturales
Version Argentine (la marca editora)

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El comercio justo

Author(s) : Corinne GENDRON ; Arturo PALMA TORRES ; Véronique BISAILLON ; Olga NAVARRO-FLORES
Price : 80 pesos argentin ; .000 CLP

Chilean version of “El comercio justo”

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À quand l’Afrique ? Joseph KI-ZERBO and René HOLENSTEIN

Author(s) : Joseph KI-ZERBO ; René HOLENSTEIN
Publishing countries : Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Ivory Coast, France, Haiti, Mali, Switzerland
Language(s) : French
Price : 10 € (France) ; 15 CHF (Suisse) ; 16,95 CAD (Canada) ; 3 000 FCFA (Afrique subsaharienne) ; 350 G (Haïti)

The new edition of “À quand l’Afrique”, launched some years after Professor Joseph Ki-Zerbo untimely death in 2006, addresses the relevance and insightfulness of his thoughts. It is simultaneously published in Africa, Europe, Canada and Haiti.

This new edition includes notes compiled by Pallas Publishers from Brazil, for the Portuguese translation of this book. These notes were translated into French by Caroline Sordia.

Date of first edition: 2004; new edition: 2013; 240 pages; paperback; ISBN France: 9782708241626; ISBN Switzerland: 9782829004568; ISBN Quebec: 9782897120337

This co-publishing bears the label “Fair Trade Book”.

Copublishers and the Alliance wish to thank Mr Claude Calame, Director of studies at Paris EHESS and the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency for their valuable support.

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OGM- La verità riguarda anche te!

Author(s) : Corinne LEPAGE ; Beatrice CERRAI (traductrice)
Publishing countries : Italy
Language(s) : italien
Price : 9 €

The tobacco manufacturers’ gimmicks, some lies perpetrated about the Mediator, the chemical industry’s hidden truths on Biphenyl A, etc. In short, public health related scandals abound. Although there has never been scientific confirmation of these products’ harmfulness, the precaution principle should prevail. And today, we face a similar situation relatively to MSGs.

Noting the public authorities’ refusal in playing a leading a role, and the gaps, conflict of interests and other gimmicks aimed at impeding independent research and transparency regarding the adverse effects of MSG’s, the Committee of Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (CRII-GEN) decided to carry out an experimentation that is a first in the field.

In her book, Corinne LEPAGE relates the saga surrounding this experience, and how it forms part of the history of MSGs in Europe and the perspectives for civil society participation. It proposes a new expertise model, that is pluralist, multidisciplinary and opposing, based on experts responsibilities and policies, and in which citizens find their rightful place.

Summary extract of Charles Léopold Mayer Publishers website.

Publisher: Il leone verde
Publication date: 2013; 140 pages; ISBN: 9788865800669

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Words and money (in Arabic), André Schiffrin

Author(s) : André SCHIFFRIN
Publishing countries : Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia
Language(s) : Arabic

Words and Money, initially published in 2010 by Verso publishers (United Kingdom) was translated and published in France by La Fabrique (L’argent et les mots). The book is now available in Arabic, co-published by three publishing houses: Al Intishar (Lebanon), Med Ali (Tunisia) and Atlas Publishing (Syria). This co publishing project bears the “Fair Trade book” logo.

Read the presentation of the book on the Verso books website.

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My Farewell from heaven

Author(s) : Hamed Abdel SAMAD ; Traduit par B. BINIAZ
Publishing countries : Germany, France
Language(s) : Farsi

A co-publishing of the English-speaking network: Forough publications in Germany and Khavaran publishing in France.
Book translated from German into Persian.

Year of publication: 2012 ; Date de publication : 2012 ; ISBN: 978-3-943147-15-5

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Making Peace with the Earth: Beyond Resource, Land and Food Wars

Author(s) : Vandana SHIVA
Publishing countries : South Africa, Australia, India
Language(s) : English
Price : Rs. 375 (India) / $AUD: 32.95

Wars in the 21st century are wars against the earth; against natural resources like water, soil, forests, minerals, seeds. The global corporate economy based on the idea of limitless growth has become a war economy and the means it uses are instruments of war. Trade wars. Waters wars. Food wars.

In a compelling and rigorously documented exposition, Vandana Shiva demolishes the myths propagated by corporate globalisation in its pursuit of profit and power, by demonstrating its flawed assumptions and devastating fallouts.
Consumerism lubricates the war against the earth, corporate control violates all ethical and ecological limits. It promotes technologies of production based on genetic engineering, geo-engineering and toxins; industrial development that entails the enforced appropriation of land, rivers, mountains; agribusinesses that deplete nature’s diversity; land-grab in Africa, Asia, South America. Exploitation of this order incurs the kind of ecological and economic debt that is unsustainable, unbailable and unbearable.
Making Peace with the Earth outlines how a paradigm shift to earth-centred politics and economics is our only chance of survival; and how collective resistance to corporate exploitation can open the way to a new environmentalism of interdependence and earth democracy.

Vandana SHIVA is a world-renowned environmental thinker and activist, a leader in the International Forum on Globalisation (IFG) along with Ralph NADER and Jeremy RIFKIN, and of the Slow Food Movement. Director of Navdanya and of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resource Policy, and a tireless crusader for farmers’, peasants’ and women’s rights, she is the author and editor of a score of influential books.
Vandana Shiva is the recipient of over 20 international awards, among them the Right Livelihood Award (1993); Medal of the Presidency of the Italian Republic (1998); the Horizon 3000 Award (Austria, 2001); Save the World Award (2009); Sydney Peace Prize (2010); Calgary Peace Prize (Canada, 2011); the Thomas Merton Award (2011); and the John Lennon-Yoko Ono Grant for Peace.
Vandana Shiva is currently working on a three-year project with the Government of Bhutan on how to achieve their objective of becoming an organic sovereign country, the first in the world.

Vandana SHIVA received the Fukuoka Grand Prize Laureate, 2012.

Year of publication: 2012; 267 pages; ISBN: 81-88965-75-8 (India) / ISBN: 9781875559275 (Australia)

Couverture version Australie

Australian cover of the co-publishing.

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Dictionnaire de la narratologie

Author(s) : Mohamed EL KHADI ; Mohamed EL KHABOU ; Ahmed SMAOUI ; Mohamed Najib AMANI ; Ali ABID ; Noureddine BEN KHOUD ; Fathi NASRI ; Mohamed Ayet MIHOUB
Publishing countries : Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia
Language(s) : Arabic
Price : 30 000 TND

The “Dictionnaire de la narratologie” (“Dictionary of Narratology”) is a reference work whose objective is to facilitate the dissemination and transmission of ideas by standardising concepts among Arabic-speaking readers. It enables the refinement of the definitions offered in various essays by Arab critics, whose conceptual framework is drawn directly from the works of theoreticians of Western narratology. The Dictionary is presented in the form of a glossary of terms in use in the analysis of the narration. It also contains terms relevant to the study of narrative and enunciative narratology, terms and notions borrowed from pragmatics and discourse analysis.

Arab terms have their French and English equivalents to fulfil the needs of a readership both French-speaking (Maghreb) and English-speaking (Middle East).

The Dictionary of Narratology is intended for students and researchers, literary critics and authors.

Year of publication: September 2010, 600 pages, 16,5 X 23,5 cm, 540 concepts presented in French, English and Arabic,
ISBN: 978-9973-33-294-3

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Literature

La civilisation, ma mère !...

Author(s) : Driss CHRAÏBI ; préface Abdelkader DJEMAÏ
Publishing countries : Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Togo
Language(s) : French
Price : 2 500 FCFA ; 400 DA

Collection Terres solidaires

Created in 2007, the “Terres solidaires” collection is a collective experience. It proposes literary texts from African authors, published by a collective of publishers in Francophone Africa, Through the principle of solidarity co-publishing, texts circulate, are available and accessible for African readers: the local book ecosystem is protected and strengthened.
The “Terres solidaires” collection is supported by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).

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Seeking Palestine (À la recherche de la Palestine)

Author(s) : Penny JOHNSON; Raja SHEHADEH (Eds.)
Publishing countries : Australia, India
Language(s) : English
Price : Rs. 395 (Women Unlimited, India)

A co-publication of the Alliance’s English-langage network. Two co-publishers : Spinifex (Australia), Women Unlimited (India).

Abstract:

“Palestine-in-exile,” says Rana Barakat, “is an idea, a love, a goal, a movement, a massacre, a march, a parade, a poem, a thesis, a novel and, yes, a commodity, as well as a people scattered, displaced, dispossessed and determined.”
How do Palestinians live, imagine and reflect on home and exile in this period of a stateless and transitory Palestine, a deeply contested and crisis-ridden national project, and a sharp escalation in Israeli state violence and accompanying Palestinian oppression? How can exile and home be written?
In this volume of new writing fifteen innovative and outstanding Palestinian writers—essayists, poets, novelists, critics, artists and memoirists—respond with their reflections, experiences, memories and polemics. What is it like, in the words of Lila Abu-Lughod, to be “drafted into being Palestinian?” What happens when you take your American children, as Sharif Elmusa does, to the refugee camp where you were raised? And how can you convince, as Suad Amiry attempts to do, a weary airport official to continue searching for a code for a country that isn’t recognised?
Contributors probe the past through unconventional memories, reflecting on 1948 when it all began. But they are also deeply interested in beginnings, imagining, in the words of Mischa Hiller, “a Palestine that reflects who we are now and who we hope to become”. Their contributions—poignant, humorous, intimate, reflective, intensely political—make for an offering that is remarkable for the candour and grace with which it explores the many individual and collective experiences of waiting, living for, and seeking Palestine.

Editors:
Penny Johnson is an independent researcher who works closely with the Institute of Women’s Studies at Birzeit University, where she edits the Review of Women’s Studies. Recent writing and research on Palestine has focused on weddings and wars, wives of political prisoners, and young Palestinians’ talk about proper and improper marriages. She is an Associate Editor of the Jerusalem Quarterly.
Raja Shehadeh is a Palestinian lawyer and writer who lives in Ramallah. He is the founder of the pioneering non-partisan human rights organisation, Al Haq, an affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists, and the author of several books about international law, human rights and the Middle East. He is also the author of the award-winning Palestinian Walks and A Rift in Time: Travels with My Ottoman Uncle. His new book, Occupation Diaries, is published in August 2012.

Endorsements:
“How can an essentially sad story give such pleasure? The answer is in these narratives: these stories, memoirs, poems are a pleasure and an education; personal, vivid, original, sometimes witty, always accomplished and always honest. They are a testimonial to the human spirit, and to the growing contribution of Palestine to literature.” —Ahdaf Soueif

ISBN: 81-88965-73-1 (Women Unlimited, India), 978-1-74219-823-1 (Spinifex, Australia).

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Mandela et moi (Mandela’s ego)

Author(s) : Lewis NKOSI ; préface de Véronique TADJO
Publishing countries : Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Mali, Morocco, Rwanda, Togo, Tunisia
Language(s) : French
Price : 2 500 FCFA ; 400 DA ; 45 DM ; 8 DT ; 3 300 RWF

The young Zulu Dumisani Gumede grows up in the pastoral setting of the mountains of South Africa. This irresistible seducer has two obsessions: sex and an utter adoration of Nelson Mandela, the mythical ANC leader then the talk of the country and to this young man the essence of courage and virility. Originally published in 2006, “Mandela’s ego” looks back at South Africa under the apartheid regime. A brave and unusual coming-of-age novel, combining delightful anecdotes about the everyday life of the Zulu community with scenes of violence, family, social and political, in a country in torment. Wisdom and humour rub shoulders in this fable, a homage to the great Mandela.

Lewis NKOSI was born in Durban (South Africa) in 1926. A journalist, he taught literature at various universities. The author of many essays on culture and South African literature, plays and novels, he was awarded numerous literary prizes. He died in Johannesburg in September 2010.

Year of publication of the Pan-African version: 2011, 360 pages, 11,5 X 19 cm

A Fair Trade Book co-publishing.

Collection Terres solidaires

Created in 2007, the “Terres solidaires” collection is a collective experience. It proposes literary texts from African authors, published by a collective of publishers in Francophone Africa, Through the principle of solidarity co-publishing, texts circulate, are available and accessible for African readers: the local book ecosystem is protected and strengthened.
The “Terres solidaires” collection is supported by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).

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Trop de soleil tue l’amour

Author(s) : Mongo BETI ; préface d'Odile TOBNER
Publishing countries : Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Mali, Morocco, Rwanda, Togo, Tunisia
Language(s) : French
Price : 2 500 FCFA ; 400 DA ; 45 DM ; 8 DT ; 3 300 RWF

Zam, a committed political journalist, has been the victim of a theft: his entire valuable collection of jazz records has been stolen. The following day he discovers a dead body in his cupboard. There follows a succession of events during which Zam – more in tune with the simple pleasures of life – slowly realises that a plot is being hatched against him. So he decides to conduct an investigation which rapidly turns into a nightmare, where shady policemen get mixed up with corrupt politicians, where foreign diplomats lurk while the secret services let loose. “Trop de soleil tue l’amour” – the first volume of an incomplete trilogy – belongs to the tradition of literary farce that, through humour, denounces the tragedy of an Africa caught in the snares of its many contradictions and endless meddling.

Writer, essayist, bookseller, editor, militant citizen, Mongo BETI – born in 1932 in Cameroon – has for half a century been at the heart of the struggle for an Africa free from the tragedies of colonisation and independence confiscated. Author of an important body of work and considered one of Africa’s major writers, Mongo BETI died in October 2001.

Year of publication of the Pan-African version: 2011, 372 pages, 11,5 X 19 cm

A Fair Trade Book co-publishing.

Collection Terres solidaires

Created in 2007, the “Terres solidaires” collection is a collective experience. It proposes literary texts from African authors, published by a collective of publishers in Francophone Africa, Through the principle of solidarity co-publishing, texts circulate, are available and accessible for African readers: the local book ecosystem is protected and strengthened.
The “Terres solidaires” collection is supported by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).

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Jazz et vin de palme

Author(s) : Emmanuel DONGALA
Publishing countries : Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Mali, Morocco, Rwanda, Togo
Language(s) : French
Price : 1 500 FCFA ; 300 DA ; 40 DM ; 2 000 RWF

A man – despite being a staunch opponent of animism – confides to a former party comrade: “I was bewitched by my paternal uncle”. Another, Likibi, is tried for having prevented the rain from falling on his village: accused of being a fetishist, he is executed. A factory watchman praises the communist Revolution without understanding a single word; his zeal will have fatal consequences for him. With bitter irony and a tone of detachment, this collection of eight short stories describes the collapse of new African states and the disillusionment that followed independence. So many portraits of men and women that Emmanuel Dongala succeeds in depicting convincingly and with humanity. The style is faux naïf, the situations sometimes bizarre... and even if the author indulges in flights of fancy – related to his passion for jazz – the overall impression remains pessimistic behind the bittersweet humour of the writing.

Born in 1941, Emmanuel Dongala grew up in Congo-Brazzaville and now lives in the United States. He is the author of many novels, including “Les petits garçons naissent aussi des étoiles” (“Boys Also Come From Stars”) and “Johnny Chien Méchant” (“Mean Dog Johnny”), publishing by Serpent à plumes.

Year of publication of the pan-African version: 2009, 204 pages, 11,5 X 19 cm

Collection Terres solidaires

Created in 2007, the “Terres solidaires” collection is a collective experience. It proposes literary texts from African authors, published by a collective of publishers in Francophone Africa, Through the principle of solidarity co-publishing, texts circulate, are available and accessible for African readers: the local book ecosystem is protected and strengthened.
The “Terres solidaires” collection is supported by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).

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Kaveena

Author(s) : Boubacar Boris DIOP
Publishing countries : Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Mali, Morocco, Rwanda, Togo
Language(s) : French
Price : 2 000 FCFA ; 350 DA ; 40 DM ; 2 500 RWF

A corpse in a bunker: that of the Head of state, N’Zo Nikiema. A mystery: the murder of little Kaveena, only daughter of the late president’s mistress. Colonel Asante Kroma, chief of police, will have to disentangle the dark mysteries of a system he was part of. “Kaveena”, a long monologue, clear-sighted and desperate, speaks relentlessly of Africa bruised at the hands of local and foreign politicians, brutal, greedy, merciless. A brave novel that pulls no punches.

Born in 1946, the Senegalese author Boubacar Boris Diop has achieved renown as a major contemporary African writer. He has written several novels, including “Murambi, Le livre des ossements” published by Stock in 1997 and “Doomi Golo”, written in Wolof (Papyrus, 2003) and published in France by Philippe Rey publishing en 2009.

Year of publication of the pan-African version: 2009, 382 pages, 11,5 X 19 cm

Collection Terres solidaires

Created in 2007, the “Terres solidaires” collection is a collective experience. It proposes literary texts from African authors, published by a collective of publishers in Francophone Africa, Through the principle of solidarity co-publishing, texts circulate, are available and accessible for African readers: the local book ecosystem is protected and strengthened.
The “Terres solidaires” collection is supported by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).

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Sozaboy

Author(s) : Ken SARO-WIWA
Publishing countries : Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast
Language(s) : French
Price : 3 000 FCFA ; 350 DA

In the eyes of an African teenager who joins the army without really knowing why, Ken Saro-Wiwa takes us into the chaos of a meaningless chaos, that of Nigerian civil war (1967-1970). Written in an extraordinary language – “rotten English” –, Sozaboy is a masterpiece of African literature; its astonishing violence and audacity have been celebrated throughout the world as a fierce plea against the madness of war.

Ken Saro-Wiwa was born in Nigeria in 1941. After studying English, he worked as a teacher in Laos. Besides writing novels and popular soap operas for television, he later created his own publishing house and was the President of the Association of Nigerian Authors for three years. As a journalist, he has been praised for his caustic pen and courageous positions. In 1995, he was sentenced to death and executed by hanging because of his militancy in favor of the Ogoni community to which he belonged.

Year of publication of the pan-African version: 2008,
294 pages,
11,5 X 19 cm

Collection Terres solidaires

Created in 2007, the “Terres solidaires” collection is a collective experience. It proposes literary texts from African authors, published by a collective of publishers in Francophone Africa, Through the principle of solidarity co-publishing, texts circulate, are available and accessible for African readers: the local book ecosystem is protected and strengthened.
The “Terres solidaires” collection is supported by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).

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De l’autre côté du regard (As Seen From the Other Side)

Author(s) : Ken BUGUL
Publishing countries : Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Senegal
Language(s) : French
Price : 2 000 FCFA ; 350 DA

Ken Bugul’s novel is a dialogue between a daughter and her dead mother, whom she accuses of not having loved her and having preferred her sister ; it describes a relationship and a world from which love and truth seem absent. In a poetic fashion, alternating short sentences with poetry – as though pulsed by the murmur of despair – in a litany of remembrances, the author attempts to tell the ineffable pain of lost things.

Ken Bugul – whose name in Wolof means “one who is unwanted” – was born in Senegal in 1947, to a father who was a marabout (type of African shaman) and a mother who had to leave her when she was only 5 years old. She has worked as an international civil servant and now she lives in Benin. Her work, in which she combines her sense of humour with an innate talent for story-telling, is flooded with themes such as the status of women, Islam or North-South relationships. With her lucid, free and uncompromising look, she is one of the major voices in contemporary African literature.
Among her books are: La folie et la mort [Madness and Death], (Présence africaine, 2000), Rue Félix-Faure (Serpent à Plumes, 2004).

Year of publication of the pan-African version: 2008, 282 pages,
11,5 X 19 cm

Collection Terres solidaires

Created in 2007, the “Terres solidaires” collection is a collective experience. It proposes literary texts from African authors, published by a collective of publishers in Francophone Africa, Through the principle of solidarity co-publishing, texts circulate, are available and accessible for African readers: the local book ecosystem is protected and strengthened.
The “Terres solidaires” collection is supported by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).

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Une aiguille nue

Author(s) : Nuruddin FARAH
Publishing countries : Benin, Cameroon, Canada, Ivory Coast, France, Senegal, Switzerland
Language(s) : French
Price : 20 €

In A Naked Needle, with a finesse that is not lacking in nerve – the explicit reference is to none other than James Joyce’s Ulysses– Nuruddin Farah adds to the love story a stroll through the city, as well as a detailed analysis of the psychology of his characters, each of whom sees the relationships from a different viewpoint. This increases the readers’ feelings of empathy, and they will inevitably be surprised as they identifies with one or other member of this community.
This is where one of the keys to the great success of Farah’s novels lies: the power of the novelist to take us gently and firmly by the hand and make us identify with individuals who remain timeless. “Outside of time, because they are them although they could be us” – writes Abdourahman A.Waberi in the prologue.

Born in Baidoa, in what was then Italian Somalia, Nuruddin Farah grew up in Ogaden, a Somali province in eastern Ethiopia, before going off to study in India in the mid 1970s. Back in his home country, he made a name for himself in 1968 in Mogadishu as a teacher, but above all as the first novelist to use both English and Somali. A double success – unusual, certainly – which was to precipitate his exile, sealed by the military junta of Mohamed Siad Barre, who came to power in 1969.

In an excellent translation into French by Catherine Pierre-Bon and a remarkable cover design, A Naked Needle signals the editorial orientation of the “Terres d’écritures” collection, which is being published jointly by seven French-language publishers. A demanding collection of books that are destined to last, and which strongly reassert the universality of literature.

Year of publication : 2007,
260 pages,
14,5 X 22 cm

Collection Terres d’écritures

The collection “Terres d’écritures” welcomes popular, literary and poetry creations co-published by publishers from the North and the South. Co-publications in this collection are labeled “Le Livre équitable” (Fair Book label).

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Dauchez l’Africain, maître et comédien

Author(s) : Pierre CHAMBERT
Publishing countries : France, Mali
Language(s) : French
Price : 17 €

Algiers, Tlemcen, Angers, Saint-Etienne, Firminy, Yaounde, Bamako, Philippe Dauchez, in all these cities, played of his art, theatre, as an actor, director or professor.

Once working with Albert Camus as an assistant, he was always impassioned for the integration of theatre in the City in all its forms, classical, popular, traditional... From large French scenes to Malians villages, he has always worked with the same simplicity and the same commitment. This book recalls his history, his passion for life, theatre and people, in a text which makes cross the intimacy and the universal, history and everyday life, erudite theatre and popular art. Pierre Chambert draws up us a poetic portrait of a man who put his very whole life at the service of a useful theatre.

Pierre Chambert, a poet and a writer, is an inspector-advisor for theatre and performing arts at the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. He is currently posted in Guyana, near Amazonia, its legends and its storytellers.

Year of publication: 2006, 256 pages

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Children’s Books

Moussa et la poule reine

Author(s) : Julien ALIHONOU (MAKEJOS)
Publishing countries : Benin, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Guinea, Mali
Language(s) : French

A pan-African solidarity co-publication: Éburnie (Côte d’Ivoire), Ganndal (Guinea), Sawa (Mali), Nstame (Gabon), Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Benin)

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Kouvito dans les rues de Kokoli

Author(s) : Kenneth VIHOTOGBE
Publishing countries : Benin, Ivory Coast, Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo
Language(s) : French

A pan-African solidarity co-publication: Éburnie (Côte d’Ivoire), Elondja (Democratic Republic of Congo), Sawa (Mali), Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Benin)

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Rudia et les cybercriminels

Author(s) : Claude ADJAKA (Lenfan Claudio)
Publishing countries : Benin, Ivory Coast, Mali
Language(s) : French

A pan-African solidarity co-publication: Éburnie (Côte d’Ivoire), Sawa (Mali), Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Benin)

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Vignon et les voleurs du quartier

Author(s) : Alexandre KOSSOVO
Publishing countries : Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Guinea, Mali
Language(s) : French

A pan-African solidarity co-publication: Éburnie (Côte d’Ivoire), Ganndal (Guinea), Sawa (Mali), Nstame (Gabon), Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Benin), Sankofa & Gurli (Burkina Faso)

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Le dodo aux plumes d’or

Author(s) : Corinne FLEURY (texte) ; Sébastien PELON (illustrations)
Publishing countries : Ivory Coast, Mauritius

A pan-African co-publishing gathering Atelier des nomades (Mauritius) and Eburnie (Ivory Coast).

Date of publication: September 2020

This solidarity co-publishing is the result of a workshop on children’s literature organised by the Alliance in Abidjan in May 2019, as part of the International Conference of Independent Publishers 2019-2021. It received the support of the French Development Agency.

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Contes de l’Île Maurice

Author(s) : Shenaz PATEL (texte) ; Sébastien PELON (illustrations)
Publishing countries : Ivory Coast, Mauritius

A pan-African co-publishing gathering Atelier des nomades (Mauritius) and Eburnie (Ivory Coast).

Date of publication: September 2020

This solidarity co-publishing is the result of a workshop on children’s literature organised by the Alliance in Abidjan in May 2019, as part of the International Conference of Independent Publishers 2019-2021. It received the support of the French Development Agency.

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Les quatre frères

Author(s) : Bienvenue GNIMPO N'KOUÉ (texte) ; Ayoutoufèï GUÉDÉGUÉ (illustrations)
Publishing countries : Benin, Ivory Coast

A pan-African co-publishing gathering Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Benin) and Vallesse (Ivory Coast).

Date of publication: September 2020

This solidarity co-publishing is the result of a workshop on children’s literature organised by the Alliance in Abidjan in May 2019, as part of the International Conference of Independent Publishers 2019-2021. It received the support of the French Development Agency.

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Le soir autour du feu

Author(s) : Sylvie NTSAMÉ
Publishing countries : Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo

A pan-African co-publishing gathering Ntsame (Gabon) and Elondja (DRC).

Date of publication: September 2020

This solidarity co-publishing is the result of a workshop on children’s literature organised by the Alliance in Abidjan in May 2019, as part of the International Conference of Independent Publishers 2019-2021. It received the support of the French Development Agency.

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La Forêt sacrée

Author(s) : Nicolas CONDÉ (texte) ; Irina CONDÉ (illustrations)
Publishing countries : Benin, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Togo
Language(s) : French

A pan-African co-publishing gathering Ganndal (Guinea Conakry), Eburnie (Ivory Coast), Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Benin), Graines de Pensées (Togo), Ntsame (Gabon) and Elondja (DRC).
Date of publication: September 2020

This solidarity co-publishing is the result of a workshop on children’s literature organised by the Alliance in Abidjan in May 2019, as part of the International Conference of Independent Publishers 2019-2021. It received the support of the French Development Agency.

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Les cheveux de Cora / Ny volon’i Cora

Author(s) : Ana Zarco CÂMARA (texte) ; Taline SCHUBACH (illustrations)
Publishing countries : Madagascar
Language(s) : French , malgache
Price : 16 0000 Ar (4 €)

Children’s illustrated book – bilingual French-Malagasy edition
Translated from Portuguese (Brazil) into French by Joana Cabral, translated into Malagasy by Veloniaina Rabakoly

Éditions Jeunes Malgaches, 2014, 32 pages.
Original edition: Pallas Editora (Brazil)

ISBN: 978-2 916362-42-7

Selling price: 16 0000 Ar (4 €)

This book is the result of several meetings between publishers who are members of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers (“Children’s literature” group of the Alliance), at book fairs (collective stand for young readers) and through workshops on children’s books. These opportunities of sharing mutual knowledge, know-how, and discussions foster unprecedented editorial partnerships. By supporting and promoting these partnerships, the members of the Alliance participate in the circulation of texts and ideas from one continent to another, but also from one language to another. Through these solidarity-based editorial partnerships, translation flows that are still “rare” are being developed, for example here from Brazilian Portuguese to Malagasy.

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Advocacy actions

Statement Protesting the Cancellation of Adania Shibli’s Award Ceremony by the Frankfurt Book Fair, October 2023

Decades of Israeli occupation and settler colonialism on Palestinian land reached new heights with the recent IDF attacks on Gaza. As per this writing, more than 2,200 Palestinians have died (including 724 children) and more than 1 million Gazans have been ordered to evacuate the north.

In the midst of this grave humanitarian crisis, it is very important to give voice to the opressed through all mediums of expressions, including books and literature. Ironically, the Frankfurt Book Fair —as the biggest annual book fair in the world— has done the opposite. The awarding ceremony for Palestinian author Adania Shibli, whose novel “Minor Details” was to receive 2023 Literaturpreis, was cancelled unilaterally by the Fair, in their decision to “make Jewish and Israeli voices especially visible at the book fair” and to “stand with complete solidarity on the side of Israel”.

This one-sideness is unacceptable, as the Frankfurt Book Fair should be a free and impartial forum to open dialogues and debates without violence. We, publishers from International Alliance of Independent Publishers, condemn the Frankfurt Book Fair’s decision to cancel the award ceremony for Adania Shibli, and demand that Palestinian voices be given the same visibility and respect as other voices at the Fair.

Signatories
This list is not exhaustive (and is updated as and when necessary)

Nouri Abid, Med Ali (Tunisia)
Sandra Abrano, Bandeirola (Brazil)
Tomaz Adour, Vermelho Marinho (Brazil)
Marwan Adwan, Mamdouh Adwan Publishing (Syria-UAE)
Ronny Agustinus, Marjin Kiri (Indonesia)
Cauê Ameni, Autonomia Literária and Jacobin Brazil (Brazil)
Ibrahima Aya, Éditions Tombouctou (Mali)
Clô Barcellos, Libretos (Brazil)
Flávia Bonfim, Movimento Contínuo (Brazil)
Jorge Breogan, Sundermann (Brazil)
Sebastian Budgen, Verso Books (United Kingdom)
Barbara Caretta-Debays, Écosociété (Quebec / Canada)
João Carneiro, Tomo (Brazil)
Chiara Cazzato, Tempesta editore (Italia)
Haroldo Ceravolo, Alameda (Brazil)
Indira Chandrasekhar, Tulika Books (India)
Layla Chaouni, Le Fennec (Morocco)
Reza Chavoshi, Dena books (Netherlands)
Sergio Covelli, EPUBBoo (Italia)
Amanda Crocker, Between the lines (Canada)
Élisabeth Daldoul, elyzad (Tunisia)
Róisín Davis, Haymarket Books (United States)
Héctor Dinsmann, Libros de la Araucaria (Argentina)
Serge Dontchueng Kouam, Presses universitaires d’Afrique (Cameroon)
Éric Dusabimana, Bakame (Rwanda)
Mohamed El-Baaly, Sefsafa Publishing (Egypt)
Fatma El Boudy, Elain Publishing (Egypt)
Yara El-Ghadban, Mémoire d’encrier (Quebec / Canada)
Luiz Fernando Emediato, Geração (Brazil)
Whaner Endo, W4 Editora (Brazil)
Letícia Esteban, Gato Sueco (Spain)
Zygmunt Antoni Filipecki Jr., Mauad (Brazil)
Corinne Fleury, Atelier des nomades (Mauritius / France)
Pedro Fonseca, Âyiné (Brazil)
Fernando Diego Garcia, Libros del Zorro Rojo (Spain)
Germán Gacio Baquiola, Editores independientes de Ecuador (Ecuador)
Pauline Gagnon, Écosociété (Quebec / Canada)
Müge Gursoy Sökmen, Metis Publishers (Turkey)
Daniela Gutfreund, Lugar de ler (Brazil)
Samar Haddad, Atlas Publishing (Syria)
Susan Hawthorne, Spinifex Press (Australia)
Selma Hellal / Sofiane Hadjajd, Editions Barzakh (Algeria)
Colleen Higgs, Modjaji Books (South Africa)
Ivana Jinkings, Boitempo (Brazil)
Hassan Khalil, Al Farabi (Lebanon)
Renate Klein, Spinifex Press (Australia)
Elisa Labanca, Buckfast Edizioni (Italia)
Alessandro Labonia, CSA (Italia)
Daniel Louzada, Da Vinci (Brazil)
Adriana Maciel, Numa (Brazil)
Stella Magliani-Belkacem, La Fabrique (France)
Lizandra Magon, Jandaíra (Brazil)
Alexandre Martins Fontes, WMF Martins Fontes (Brazil)
Maria Beatriz Medina, Banco del livro (Venezuela)
Daniela Mena, GAM (Italia)
Ione Meloni Nassar, Mercuryo Jovem (Brazil)
Raquel Menezes, Oficina Raquel (Brazil)
Ritu Menon, Women Unlimited (India)
Lilah Mercader, Éditions Dent-de-lion (Canada)
Anita Molino, Il leone verde (Italia)
Rosana MontÁlverne, Aletria (Brazil)
Nabil Mroueh, Al Intishar Al Arabi (Lebanon)
Francisca Muñoz Méndez, Editoriales de Chile (Chile)
David Murray, Écosociété (Quebec / Canada)
Renata Nakano, Quindim (Brazil)
Maira Nassif, Relicário (Brazil)
Denise Natale, Papagaio (Brazil)
Carla Oliveira, Orfeu Negro (Portugal)
Maria Osório, Babel (Colombia)
Safaa Ouali, Le Fennec (Morocco)
Marco Paganini, AltreVoci (Italia)
Mary Lou Paris, Terceiro Nome (Brazil)
Simone Paulino, Nós and Nossa (Brazil, France)
Dieulermesson PetitFrère, LEGS Édition (Haiti)
Mirline Pierre, LEGS Édition (Haiti)
Dolores Prades, Instituto Emília (Brazil)
Naiara Raggiotti, Carochinha (Brazil)
Marie Michèle Razafinstlama, Jeunes malgaches (Madagascar)
Anahita Redisiu, Forough Verlag (Germany)
Rodney Saint-Éloi, Mémoire d’encrier (Quebec / Canada)
Kenza Sefrioui, En toutes lettres (Morocco)
Alfonso Serrano, La Oveja Roja (Spain)
Abdulai Sila, Ku Si Mon Editora (Guinea Bissau)
Paulo Slachevsky, LOM ediciones (Chile)
Aliou Sow, Éditions Ganndal (Guinea)
Simón Vásquez, Verso Libros (Spain)
Catia Ventura, Ventura Edizioni (Italia)
Marisol Vera, Editorial Cuarto Propio (Chile)
Miguel Villafuerte, Editorial Blanca (Ecuador)
Cristina Warth, Pallas Editora (Brazil)
Mariana Warth, Pallas Editora (Brazil)
Riccardo Zanello, Tempesta editore (Italia)
Habib Zoghbi, La Maison du livre (Tunisia)
Rosa Maria Zuccherato, Nova Alexandria (Brazil)

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In solidarity with the Ukrainian people and all other people facing wars, March 2022

In the aftermath of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the invasion of its territory, the International Alliance of Independent Publishers expresses its support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people and cultural professionals and reiterates its commitment to the right of self-determination of each population.

We, independent publishers from over 55 countries around the world, members of an international solidarity network, condemn in the strongest terms the violence committed against the Ukrainian people and call together for a return to peace. We also reaffirm our support for all people on all continents, facing wars and conflicts, fighting for their freedom and emancipation.

We strongly oppose stigmatizing and dehumanizing discourses, and we recall here the essential role of culture, in particular of books, as a tool for dialogue, analysis, understanding and discovery of plurality and diversity.

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The Arabic Language Network expresses its strong condemnation of the forced deportation campaign of Palestinians from the “Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood” in East Jerusalem, May 11, 2021

The Arabic Language Network of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers expresses its strong condemnation of the forced deportation campaign of Palestinians from the “Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood” in East Jerusalem, and the systematic violence and persecution led by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu against Jerusalemites in particular and the Palestinians in general in restoring the “apartheid” policies that the world seeks to overcome.

Read here the entire open letter from the Arabic Language Network of the Alliance.

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The International Alliance of independent publishers calls for the release of Anges Félix N’Dakpri, president of the Association of publishers of Côte d’Ivoire (Assedi), November 9, 2020

The International Alliance of independent publishers – representing 750 publishers in 55 countries around the world – calls for the release of Anges Félix N’Dakpri, president of the Association of publishers of Côte d’Ivoire (Assedi)

President of the Association of publishers of Côte d’Ivoire (Assedi) and General commissioner of the Abidjan International Book Fair (SILA), Anges Félix N’Dakpri was kidnapped on October 25 in Abidjan (see press release from several professional associations issued on October 27, 2020).

For some weeks, Côte d’Ivoire has been prey to strong political tensions in the context of the presidential elections.
Several local sources and international medias report arrests and pressure on opposition figures as well as journalists covering the events.

The kidnapping of Anges Félix N’Dakpri by armed men from his home in Abidjan on Sunday, October 25 occurs against a backdrop of violence, threats and restrictions on freedom of expression. According to his relatives, he would be now held at the MACA (Abidjan House of Arrest and Correction).

The International Alliance of independent publishers calls for an end to the arbitrary detention of Anges Félix N’Dakpri and invites professionals from the book industry, medias and human rights associations to relay this call.

Signatories

Members of the International Commitee of Independent Publishers

  • Élisabeth DALDOUL, elyzad, Tunisia, coordinator of the French-speaking network
  • ASSEM Mawuto Paulin, AGO Média, Togo, vice-coordinator of the French-speaking network
  • Jean-Claude NABA, Sankofa & Gurli, Burkina Faso, vice-coordinator of the French-speaking network
  • Samar HADDAD, Atlas for Publishing & Distribution, Syria, coordinator of the Arabic-speaking network
  • Colleen HIGGS, Modjaji Books, South Africa, coordinator of the English-speaking network
  • Ronny AGUSTINUS, Marjin Kiri Publisher, Indonesia, vice-coordinator of the English-speaking network
  • Paulo SLACHEVSKY, Lom Ediciones, Chile, coordinator of the Spanish-speaking network
  • Carla OLIVEIRA, Orfeu Negro, Portugal, coordinator of the Portuguese-speaking network
  • Mariana WARTH, Pallas Editora, Brazil, coordinator of the Portuguese-speaking network

Publishers members of the French-speaking network of the Alliance

  • Sulaiman ADEBOWALE, Amalion, Senegal
  • Marie-Agathe AMOIKON FAUQUEMBERGUE, Éburnie, Côte d’Ivoire
  • Ibrahima AYA, éditions Tombouctou, Mali
  • Dominique BAZIN, éditions Dodo vole, Madagascar
  • Bichr BENNANI, Tarik éditions, Morocco
  • Karim BEN SMAIL, Fédération tunisienne des éditeurs, Tunisia
  • Pierre BERTRAND, Couleur Livres, Belgium
  • Nadine BESNARD, Cauris Livres, Mali
  • Layla CHAOUNI, éditions Le Fennec, Morocco
  • Karim CHIKH, éditions Apic, Algeria
  • Gilles COLLEU, Vents d’ailleurs, France
  • Élodie COMTOIS, Écosociété, Québec, Canada
  • Camille DELTOMBE, Les éditions de l’Atelier, France
  • Serge D. KOUAM, Presses universitaires d’Afrique, Cameroon
  • Mical DREHI LOROUGNON, Édilis, Côte d’Ivoire
  • Aline DURIEZ-JABLONKA, éditions Charles Léopold Mayer, France
  • Tchotcho Christiane ÉKUÉ, Graines de Pensées, Togo
  • Nadia ESSALMI, Yomad, Morocco
  • Corinne FLEURY, L’Atelier des Nomades, Mauritius et France
  • Sékou FOFANA, éditions Donniya, Mali
  • Charlotte GOURE, Les éditions de l’Atelier, France
  • Sofiane HADJADJ, barzakh éditions, Algeria
  • Selma HELLAL, barzakh éditions, Algeria
  • Jutta HEPKE, Vents d’ailleurs, France
  • Marie Paule HUET, éditions Ganndal, Guinea
  • Yasmîn ISSAKA-COUBAGEAT, Graines de Pensées, Togo
  • Karine JOSEPH, Éditions du Sirocco, Morocco
  • Hamidou KONATÉ, Éditions Jamana, Mali
  • Thérèse KOUDOU, Édilis, Côte d’Ivoire
  • Julien LUCCHINI, Les éditions de l’Atelier, France
  • Seydou Nourou NDIAYE, éditions Papyrus Afrique, Senegal
  • François NKEME, Éditions Proximité, Cameroon
  • Sylvie NTSAME, éditions Ntsame, Gabon
  • Safaa OUALI, éditions Le Fennec, Morocco
  • Dieulermesson PETIT-FRÈRE, LEGS éditions, Haiti
  • Mirline PIERRE, LEGS éditions, Haiti
  • Isabelle PIVERT, éditions du Sextant, France
  • Marie Michèle RAZAFINTSALAMA, Jeunes Malgaches, Madagascar
  • Jean RICHARD, éditions d’en bas, Switzerland
  • Rodney SAINT-ÉLOI, Mémoire d’encrier, Quebec, Canada
  • Kenza SEFRIOUI, En toutes lettres, Morocco
  • Aliou SOW, éditions Ganndal, Guinea
  • Roger TAVERNIER, éditions Zellige, France
  • Samia ZENNADI, éditions Apic, Algeria

Representatives of the Board and the permanent team of the International Alliance of independent publishers

  • Laura AUFRÈRE
  • Camille CLOAREC
  • David ELOY
  • Laurence HUGUES
  • Georges LORY
  • Mariam PELLICER
  • Luc PINHAS
  • Thierry QUINQUETON
  • Mariette ROBBES

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Call for the release of Iranian Authors, October 2020

In just this past month, three prominent Iranian writers, translators, and members of the Association of Iranian Writers, Bektash Abtin, Kayvan Bazhan, and Reza Khandan Mahabadi, and journalist and sociology researcher, Khosrow Sadeghi Boroujeni, have been sentenced to prison on charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and gathering and collusion with the intent of acting against national security.”

These accusations, which have led to long prison sentences and the charges levied are false. Their objectives are to further oppress writers and the people of Iran.
At a time when the world is under crisis by the pandemic, Iran, and especially within its prisons has a very unstable environment, with the increasing spread of Coronavirus among inmates.

We as authors and scholars would like to ask you to let the voices of our fellow authors in prison be heard by the people of the world and to demand their immediate release.

  • Daryoush Ashouri, Author, Translator and the Co-founder of the Association of Iranian Writers
  • Ervand Abrahamian, Author and Professor Emeritus, City University of New York
  • Azar Nafisi, Author
  • Faraj Sarkohi, Writer, Journalist, Literature Critic; A Member of German Pen; The Recipient of Kurt-Tucholsky-prize; World Association of Newspapers’ Golden Pen of Freedom Award and World Press Freedom
  • Hero by International Press Institute
  • Akram Pedramnia, Author, Translator; A Member of Pen Canada; the Recipient of James Joyce Foundation Scholar
  • Moniro Ravanipour, Author
  • Mohsen Yalfani, Author and Translator
  • Nasim Khaksar, Author and Critic
  • Reza Allamehzadeh, Moviemaker and Writer
  • Morad Farhadpour, Author, Translator and Critical Theorist
  • Akbar Masoumbaigi, Author, Translator and a Member of the Association of Iranian Writers
  • Babak Ahmadi, Author, Translator and Philosophy Researcher
  • Peyman Vahabzadeh, Author and Professor, University of Victoria
  • Sohrab Behdad, Denison University, USA
  • Farshin Kazeminia, Pierre and Marie Curie University (Paris 6)
  • Amir Kianpour, PhD Candidate, University of Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis
  • Mehran Mostafavi, Sacly University (Paris), Professor
  • Iman Ganji, PhD in Art Philosophy and Philosophy Researcher, Free University of Berlin
  • Mehrdad Darvishpour, Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor, Sociologist, Mälardalen University
  • Farhad Nomani, Professor Emeritus of Economics, The American University of Paris
  • Soheil Asefi, Journalist and PhD student in History, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York (CUNY)
  • Saeed Hariri, Moderator, Toronto Book Club
  • Azadeh Parsapour, Translator, Editor and Publisher
  • Arash Kia, Faculty of Institute for Healthcare Delivery Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York

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VAT Changes for Books in Brazil, August 2020

Read here the IPA (International Publishers Association) support, and here the manifesto published by the Brazilian actors, to defend the book in Brazil.

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What to say, and where to say it? Open Letter from Independent Publishers to authors and intellectuals committed to a fairer world

Now that we have entered the 21st century, it is difficult to dissociate the end from the means: what to say, and where to say it? Thus, we find that many authors seeking to promote debate, creativity and critical thinking, justice and equality are published by large conglomerates with multiple editorial labels. Isn’t the transformative power of these works reduced to nothing when they plunge into the workings of the entertainment industry? It is a fact that transnational corporations, whatever their field of action, are the very expression of the system that dominates us. By choosing them as publishers, do we not somehow leave the world of transformative ideas in the hands of those who lay the foundations of the model we criticise? Doesn’t that strengthen the control of big capital over the word and our daily lives? Moreover, how can we not question the cross-industry investment of the business groups that own publishing houses? And, are these investments neutral?”

In this open letter, independent publishers invite all the actors of the book industry to reflect with them on their practices and the impacts that result from them. In particular, they call on authors, academics and intellectuals to work on projects whose vocation is to transform the order of things and not to consolidate the status quo, to publish their works in independent publishing houses in their own countries, and to give preference to independent publishing houses when it comes to transferring foreign and translation rights.

As the world suffers the health, social and economic consequences of the pandemic, book ecosystems and independent publishing houses are further weakened and, for some, are trying to survive. If solidarity between creators and book professionals is one of the foundations of bibliodiversity, this solidarity is vital in the current context.

Read the letter here.
This letter is also available in Spanish, French, Arabic and Portuguese.

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International independent publishers facing the pandemic (May 2020)

To be an independent publisher is to question the world, to help make sense of it, today and tomorrow

At a time when every country in the world is affected by the pandemic, we, as independent publishers around the world, are experiencing diverse health, social and economic situations. We are facing different realities, in different timeframes: immediate risks for some sections of the population (India, Madagascar, Indonesia...); a pandemic that strikes in contexts of already established political crisis (Haiti, Egypt, Syria...); the near absence or delayed implementation of public book policies (Cameroon, Gabon...); the resilience of independent publishing houses in the face of big corporations (Australia...).... While our contexts are diverse, our concerns remain collective: fragility of independent structures, uncertainty about the future, concern about possible abuses (surveillance society, pressure on employees, online teaching and learning, etc.).

We are in perpetual questioning, trying to understand our world: what to do, how, with whom, at what pace?
We need time to understand, to comprehend – which we had planned to do by 2021, as well as our “Rethink and Celebrate” Conference. REthink: to remain a conscious and creative actor, to act, in terms of ecology, social and solidarity economy, new approaches to readers, cooperative practices between professionals, freedom of publishing, fair speech...

Read more below...

See also:
Public book policies website

Digital Lab

Read the text in Arabic:

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Luis Sepúlveda, a generous, compassionate writer committed to building a more just and humane world, 16 April 2020

The International Alliance of Independent Publishers and publishers from the Spanish-language network pay tribute to the memory of the Chilean writer Luis Sepúlveda, who died on 16 April 2020 in Oviedo (Spain) as a result of the Coronavirus, after several weeks in hospital.

The Ibero-American Book Fair in Gijón, organised and directed by Luis Sepúlveda for more than a decade, was the setting for the creation of the first network of Spanish-language independent publishers, and the first meeting of Latin American independent publishers was held in 2000.

As a result, the International Alliance of Independent Publishers and the Association of Independent Publishers of Chile, now Editores de Chile, were formed.

Today we pay tribute to a man of generosity, solidarity and commitment to building a more just and humane world.

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Declaration of Santiago de Chile on independent publishing serving communities and diversity, 3 October 2019

  • Driven by the growth of independent publishing in Latin American countries.
  • Revived by the increase in the number of fairs and meetings where creative and local editorial production are showcased.
  • Encouraged by the ways in which some public reading and book policies are supporting local intellectual production and bibliodiversity.

Convened in Santiago de Chile on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of October 2019, during the Spring of the Book (Primavera del Libro) and the International Conference of Independent Publishers (2019-2021), the Spanish-language network of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers (IAIP) declares:

  • Its privileged link with reading, a liberating practice that raises consciousness, stimulates critical thinking, nourishes the mind; and with the book, a fundamental support of creation, knowledge and thought, pillar of culture and cultural diversity.
  • Its concern about the increasing merger of the book chain, which translates into the marginalisation of local production in bookstores, particularly that of independent publishers; dominates the media, obscuring blocking creation and critical editorial production; and excludes small and medium-sized publishers from public procurements of books.
  • Its willingness to promote practices, in the world of publishing, that enable a rich and diverse book ecosystem, that stimulates local intellectual production, translation, and balanced exchanges of books amongst Spanish-speaking countries; strengthens independent bookstores and their presence in cities and communities; grows public, academic and school libraries with diverse and inclusive book collections; reflects bibliodiversity, the cultural diversity in the world of books.
  • Its support for public reading and book policies as key drivers of the democratisation of the book in our societies; as systemic strategies strengthening the potential impact of any decision or action; and as mechanisms preventing market concentration, for the benefit of national book industries and local production.

And commits towards:

  • Strengthening the collective action of independent publishers in favour of bibliodiversity and the participatory development of sound public reading and book policies.
  • Amplifying the voice of independent publishing and increasing exchanges with readers, actors of the world of books and culture and public institutions, through studies, manifestos, documents, regional, national, and international meetings, and through a clear commitment towards the communities concerned.
  • Promoting the sharing and diversity of reading, education and training in our communities, from a critical perspective, mindful of being part of a world rich in bibliodiversity, which we must protect today more than ever.
  • Constantly interrogating our own production processes and dynamics inherent in the publishing world, in order to improve its impacts on our social and natural environment.
  • Identifying and analysing the strategies and good practices in our respective countries, to better implement them where they are lacking.

The aim is to strengthen book ecosystems locally by involving all relevant actors, and to promote a book culture in our societies, a necessary condition to escape manipulation and to build democratic societies for critical and committed citizens.

We call on all independent publishers who share these statements to sign this declaration:

  • Silvia Aguilera, Lom ediciones, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • German Baquiola, Editorial La Caída and collective of independent publishers of Equator, Equator.
  • Nicolas Biebel, Econautas Editorial, Argentina.
  • Constanza Brunet, Marea editorial, Argentina.
  • Mikel Buldain, Txalaparta, Basque Country.
  • Mariela Calcagno, Hacerse de Palabras, Mexico.
  • Fabiola Calvo Ocampo, Acracia Proyecto de Investigación Editorial, Colombia.
  • Patricia Cocq Muñoz, Cocorocoq Editoras, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • Daniela Cortés del Castillo, Loba Ediciones, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • Mónica Cumar, Ediciones Columba, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • Héctor Dinsmann, Libros de la Araucaria, Argentina.
  • Rodrigo Fuentes-Díaz, Edición Digital s.a., Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • José Gabriel Feres, Virtual Ediciones, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • Gustavo Mauricio García, Ícono editorial and president of the Colombian Network of Independent Publishers.
  • Catalina González, Luna libros and the collective La Diligencia, Colombia.
  • Teresa Gottlieb, Editorial Maitri, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • Victor Hugo de la Fuente, Editorial Aún Creemos en los Sueños, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • Guido Indij, la marca editora, Argentina.
  • Eduardo Lira, Escrito con Tiza, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • María Eugenia Lorenzini, Editorial Forja, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • Marcelo Mendoza, Mandrágora, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • Lucía Moscoso Rivera, Mecánica Giratoria, Ecuador.
  • Pablo Moya, Ediciones el Milagro and Mexican Alliance of Independent Publishers Alliance, Mexico.
  • Francisca Muñoz, general manager at Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • Daniela Navarro, Ediciones Ekaré Sur, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • Mabel Andrea Rivera Pavez, Ediciones Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • Eduardo Ruiz-Tagle Eyzaguirre, Editorial Rapanui Press, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • Luis Daniel Rocca, Taller de edición Rocca and Colombian Network of Independent Publishers.
  • Juan Carlos Sáez, JC Sáez editor, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • Leonel Sagahón and Jerónimo Repoll, Editorial Tintable, Mexico.
  • Alfonso Serrano, La Oveja Roja, Spain.
  • Javier Sepúlveda, e-books Patagonia and president of Association Editores de Chile.
  • Paulo Slachevsky, Lom ediciones, Editores de Chile, Coordinator RedH AIEI, Chile.
  • Mónica Tejos, Simplemente editores, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • María José Thomas, Ocho Libros editores, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • Max Valdés Avilés, Vicio Impune Editorial, Editores de Chile, Chile.
  • Carlos Vela, Editorial Pesopluma and collective of independent publishers of Peru, Peru.
  • Marisol Vera, Editorial Cuarto Proprio, Editores de Chile, Chile.

To sign the “Declaration of Santiago de Chile on independent publishing serving communities and diversity”, please contact the Alliance’ team.

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Bibliodiversity Day & Indie Book Day

Indie Book Day, March

Indie Book Day was created in 2013, by German independent publishers; since last year, it has been celebrated in other countries, thanks to independent publishers collectives and the Alliance.

How it works: On the third Sunday of March, readers are invited to visit an independent bookshop, buy a book published by an independent publisher, and post a picture of the book on social media with the hashtag #indiebookday. Booksellers and publishers can then organize a common campaign ahead of the event, to inform their communities (posters in the bookshops, information on social media and websites, etc.).

Find here Indie Book Day logos and more information on the official Indie Book Day website.

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2. Logo_French

3. Logo_Portuguese

4. Logo_Italian

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Bibliodiversity Day (B Day), 21 September

Bibliodiversity Day was created in 2010 by Latin American publisher members of the Alliance.

Since then, it has happened every year in numerous countries, especially in Latin America. On September 21, the first day of spring for the southern hemisphere, publishers, booksellers, book professionals and readers are invited to celebrate independent publishing and bibliodiversity.

How it works: All ideas and activities are welcome, coming from publishing houses, collectives of independent publishers, book professionals, and readers: bookcrossing, literary picnics, professional meetings, public readings, radio broadcasts, newspaper articles…

See here the literary and multilingual sound card for B-Day 2021 (and the Alliance’s 20th anniversary).

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Download B Day logos and visit the blog here.

Watch all B Day videos here->https://eldiab.org/videos-oficiales/.

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HotLists & thematic selections

HotList Arab world

While the Arab world shares a language, the Arabic language, which has cemented its culture over centuries, it is far from being the only one. From the Maghreb to the Mashreq, from the Horn of Africa to Cham, this immense space covers a diversity of realities. Linguistic diversity is therefore inherent to it.

More than 30 independent publishing houses from 7 countries (Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Syria and Tunisia) and 9 languages offer you an immersion in the literature, humanities and children’s literature of the Arab world!

Through this HotList, available in Arabic and English, the independent publishers of the Arab world invite you to discover the 1001 facets of literary and intellectual creativity of their country.

Discover the HotList Arab world here!

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Children’s Books Hotlist

The Children’s Book HotList highlights children’s books from independent publishers in Africa, Latin America and Europe. It is launched during the 2021 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, on June 14.

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Comprising books from 16 countries, 36 publishing houses and 14 categories, this HotList represents the richness and diversity of independent publishing for youth and children’s literature.

You can find a book by searching its country, publisher or literary genre. If you are interested in a book, please do get in touch with its publisher.

We wish you a great discovery!

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Latin America and Arab World HotList, 2020!

This year, on the occasion of the Frankfurt Book Fair (14-18 October), two HotLists will be presented... virtually!

The Latin American HotList - 4th edition: a selection of titles from more than 35 independent Latin American publishing houses from 8 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay) and from all genres: literature, humanities, youth/ children’s literature, comics... Find the Latin American HotList 2020 online here! Previous HotLists are also online, here.

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The Arab World HotList - a very first: while the Arab world shares a language, the Arabic language, which has cemented its culture over centuries, it is far from being the only one. From the Maghreb to the Mashreq, from the Horn of Africa to Cham, this immense space covers a diversity of realities. Linguistic diversity is therefore inherent to it. More than 30 independent publishing houses from 7 countries (Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Syria and Tunisia) offer you an immersion in the literature, humanities and children’s literature of the Arab world! Through this HotList, the independent publishers of the Arab world invite you to discover the 1001 facets of literary and intellectual creativity of their country, online here!

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The HotLists, while offering an opportunity to discover the creativity of independent publishers, are also tools facilitating the exchange of rights: books and authors are presented in the original language of the book and in English, the contacts of publishing houses are easily accessible and up to date – these lists are thus to be consulted and used throughout the year!

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HotList 2019 (Frankfurt Book Fair, 16-20 October, 2019)!

Discover here the HotList 2019!

Thanks to a partnership with Kurt Wolff Stiftung (the German collective of independent publishers, member of the Alliance) and the Frankfurt Book Fair, independent Latin American publishers in Frankfurt will be exhibiting at the “Reading Island for Independent Publishers” stand (Hall 4.1), twenty books of various genres: novels, short stories, art books, essays, children’s literature... from Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Mexico!

Context:
- 2009: The members of EDINAR (a group of Argentinian independent publishers) present a selection of the best books from their list at the Buenos Aires Book Fair. This selection is then promoted in independent bookstores across Buenos Aires.
- 2010: Argentina is the guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair. To make sure Argentinian independent publishing is well represented, the Argentinian independent publishers, in partnership with the Frankfurt Book Fair, present a HotList at the stand of independent German publishers, showcasing the diversity and quality of their books.
- 2017: The HotList 2017 opens to independent publishers from Latin America! Thanks to the collaboration with the collective Kurt Wolff Stiftung, a selection of about 40 titles from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Uruguay is exhibited in Frankfurt on the “Reading Island” (Hall 4.1 / D36).
- 2018: Following the success of the 2017 edition, the HotList 2018 is back and opens to Brazilian publishers. In addition, a thematic and international selection is launched: this year, the theme of “women’s struggle” is selected in the “WomenList”, showcasing more than 30 titles edited by independent publishing houses from all continents.
- 2019: The International Alliance of independent publishers and the Kurt Wolff Stiftung collective offer a new edition of the HotList. Some twenty books (novels, essays, children’s books, comics, art books) will be exposed at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2019. A colourful and powerful HotList this year!

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WomenList: A thematic and international selection - Frankfurt Book Fair 2018

More than 30 novels, short stories, essays and comics on feminism, women’s struggles, their emancipation across the world – these titles are from independent publishers’ lists from all continents.

There is a resurgence of the Women’s Movement following #MeToo and other events and a greater awareness of structural violence against women. Now is the time to know about books being published all around the world by independent publishers, in different languages and across a wide range of issues from the political to the imaginative.

To read through all the books of the WomenList is a reminder of just how much violence women have suffered – from rape, torture, and mass violence against women to indifference and neglect in the case of child abuse, to survival in war, sexual slavery and marriage forced by custom. But there is also resistance and optimism whether it be Pussy Riot or women rebelling against patriarchy as well as the inspiration of women in the vanguard of environmental projects or gathering together the works of women poets.

There are voices from so many places around the world – from Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, England, France, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Guinea, Morocco, Mexico, Senegal, South Africa, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey... Languages include Arabic, English, Indonesian, Farsi, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Turkish. Women write poetry, short stories, political tracts, novels, biography, graphic novels and again more. These are words that matter: women’s voices are loud. It is time to listen!

The WomenList is an initiative of the International Alliance of independent publishers, through a partnership with the Kurt Wolff Stiftung (collective of German Independent Publishers) and the Frankfurt Book Fair. The WomenList is presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair on the “Reading Island for Independent Publishers” stand (Hall 4.1 / D36) and is also available online, on the Alliance’ website. The catalog of the WomenList was made by Julie Agor (Oréka graphisme).

The WomenList was born in the wake of the HotList (selection of books published by independent Latin American publishing houses and presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2017 and 2018 – Hall 4.1 / D36).

Read here the article published by Publishing Perspectives, October, 5, 2018

In 2019, a new international selection will be showcased in Frankfurt, on another theme... succeeding the WomenList 2018!

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HotList 2018: The Independent Publishing from Latin America in Frankfurt!

The International Alliance of independent publishers celebrates the remarkable vitality of independent publishing in Latin America at the Frankfurt International Book Fair through a selection of books from Latin America: the HotList 2018!

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Through a partnership with Kurt Wolff Stiftung (a collective of independent German publishers) and the Frankfurt Book Fair, independent Latin American publishers in Frankfurt will be exhibiting, at the “Reading Island for Independent Publishers” stand (Hall 4.1 / D36), more than thirty books of various genres: novels, short stories, art books, essays, children’s literature, and poetry... from Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela!

The HotList is also available online, an opportunity to discover the wealth and creativity of independent publishers all year round.

Discover also the WomenList: a thematic and international selection created in 2018, celebrating women’s struggle!

Context…

  • 2009: The members of EDINAR (collective of Argentinian independent publishers) present a selection of the best books from their list at the Buenos Aires Book Fair. This selection is then promoted in independent bookstores across Buenos Aires.
  • 2010: Argentina is the guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair. However, Argentinian independent publishing is poorly represented. The Argentinian independent publishers, in partnership with the Frankfurt Book Fair, decided to present a HotList on the stand of independent German publishers: a showcase of the diversity and quality of their offering.
  • 2017: The HotList 2017 opens to independent publishers from Latin America! Thanks to the collaboration with the collective Kurt Wolff Stiftung (independent German publishers), a selection of about 40 titles from publishers from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Uruguay is exhibited in Frankfurt on the “Reading Island” (Hall 4.1).
  • 2018: Following the success of the 2017 edition, the HotList is repeated and opens to Brazilian publishers. In addition, a thematic and international selection is launched: this year, the theme of “women’s struggle” is selected in the WomenList 2018, showcasing more than 30 titles edited by independent publishing houses from all continents.

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HotList 2017 from the Latin American independent publishers!

WHY A HOTLIST?

In 2009, together with the members of EDINAR (Argentinean Alliance of independent publishers), we decided to launch a promotion strategy, following the “Young independent Germans”: a HotList.

Against the tendentious ranking of the most sold out books published in the newspapers, every member of the collective had to choose one book among her/his new books -the one that she or he saw as the most outstanding, for whatever reason. With all EDINAR publishers, we thus formed a list, promoted at the same time by a group of booksellers from Buenos Aires who arranged a special table dedicated to this list in their bookshops during one month.

In 2010, Argentina was Guest country of Frankfurt Book Fair and the Argentinean National Book Chamber had a spacious booth with a strong presence of local publishing, which did not include many independent publishers. However, the Hotlist had an outstanding exhibition space in this Fair: thanks to a German colleague, curious publisher, philoanarchist, employed by the Fair, we got a well-situated booth and the possibility to exhibit our HotList.

Because a lot of Latin-American publishers cannot travel every year to Frankfurt, we have reminded this adventure and decided to implement it again this year, extended to Spanish-speaking publishers from Latin America, in order to give a better visibility to the vibrant Latin-American independent publishing, in the biggest commercial Book Fair of the World.

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This HotList presents a selection of about 40 books published in Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile… exhibited in the “Reading Island for Independent Publishers” (Pavilion 4.1) of the Frankfurt Book Fair, thanks to the cooperation of the Kurt Wolff Stiftung, group of German independent publishers.

We hope you will appreciate!

Guido Indij
Argentinean publisher, coordinator of the Spanish-speaking network of the International Alliance of independent publishers

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International Conference of Independent Publishers

80 recommendations & tools in support of bibliodiversity

These 80 recommendations are built on the principles upheld in the 2014 International Declaration of independent publishers, an important document promoting bibliodiversity, signed on September 20th 2014, by more than 400 independent publishers from 45 countries.

They raise the necessary prerequisites, divided by themes, for the development, maintenance and strengthening of bibliodiversity in concerned countries. Some recommendations are accompanied by tools and projects (existing or to be developed in the context of the 2015-2016 Alliance programme of activities), enabling a practical implementation of independent publishers’ proposals.

Contents of the 80 recommendations & tools in support of bibliodiversity:

* Public policies safeguarding bibliodiversity
* Proposals and actions supporting digital bibliodiversity
* The Amazon system, a threat to bibliodiversity?
* Essential measures for publishing in local and national languages
* Methods for rethinking book donations
* Proposals and actions to develop solidarity publishing partnerships
* Activities to strengthen diversity in youth publishing

For all book actors to take ownership of these recommendations and tools, we invite you to contact us with your comments, suggestions, ideas, and proposals that could enhance and strengthen this document.

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Babelica

Babelica 2024 - REPLAY

Replays of Babelica 2024 are online on the Babelica platform and on the Alliance’s YouTube channel!

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The Babelica book fair opens on 19 September 2024!

From 19 September, the books of the 2024 Babelica fair will be unveiled: over 90 publishing houses represented in 53 countries around the world.

A wealth of fiction, non-fiction and children’s books to discover here (and filters to help you refine your searches, by language, literary genre or country).

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Babelica 2024, 20-21 September: the program is available!

The 2024 edition of Babelica will take place on 20 and 21 September, 21 September being International Bibliodiversity Day.

The Babelica program is online here!

The Babelica book fair is available online throughout the year. Here you can find the books presented during the 2023 edition of Babelica. The books of the 2024 edition of Babelica will be unveiled on 19 September.

To watch the discussions and debates at Babelica 2023, click here.

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Babelica 2023 available on replay!

The International online Book Fair of Independent Publishing was held from 20 to 22 September. The Babelica programme (readings in Arabic, Creole, Mapuche, etc.; round tables on artificial intelligence, decolonial ecology, inclusive publishing, cartoneras in Latin America, translation in the Arab world, solidarity co-publishing, etc.; meetings with Lilian Thuram and Vandana Shiva, etc.) can be (re)viewed and (re)listened to in replay on the Alliance’s YouTube channel.

The Babelica Book Fair (bringing together over 90 publishers from around the world) is available online throughout the year, until the next edition of Babelica in 2024!

The International Alliance of Independent Publishers would once again like to thank Babelica’s partners (Campus AFD and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie); Maxime Guedj (PCFH Studio) and Thibault Daumain, who designed and developed the Babelica platform; all the speakers; the team of interpreters and everyone else who contributed to the success of this second edition!

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Babelica, 20-22 September 2023, online: discover the Babelica program!

Babelica, the international online book fair of independent publishing, will take place from 20 to 22 September - 21 September is the Bibliodiversity Day!

Babelica is a unique and original project to promote bibliodiversity, conceived and hosted by the International Alliance of Independent Publishers.

Discover the Babelica program here!

Babelica is a book fair dedicated to books published by independent publishing houses. It is designed to raise awareness of the variety of voices in international publishing and ensure they are heard, so as to promote diversity and creativity. At Babelica, a selection of titles from the many books published by independent publishers are being presented.
The Babelica book fair is available online throughout the year, from 20 September 2023 until the next edition in 2024.

Babelica is also a space for debate, exchange and discussion between book professionals, academics, readers, those who are simply curious, and more. The program of round tables, talks and readings offered in 2023 has been developed by publishers who are members and/or close of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers (see program).
To listen again to the round tables from Babelica in 2022, click here.

Babelica is an opportunity for exchanges of rights: join us on 21 September for the event dedicated to literature and human sciences, opportunities for publishers to present the titles from their catalogues to the book professionals present.
Away from this event, if you are interested in buying or selling rights, you can contact publishing houses directly via the Babelica platform.

Finally, Babelica is a place for exchanging know-how and practices, a place for experimentation: therefore, from October 2023 workshops will take place to complement Babelica’s talks and round tables, to delve deeper and develop themes such as digital, discoverability, artificial intelligence and book ecology in small working groups.

For this second edition, the Babelica platform, which will be revealed in September, has been entirely redesigned and updated to reduce its environmental footprint.

Babelica is supported by the Agence française de développement (AFD Campus) and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).

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Babelica, from 21 to 22 September 2022!

From 21 to 22 September 2022, in support of International Bibliodiversity Day, join the 1st edition of Babelica online – the international book fair for independent publishers!

The Babelica Fair, via its online platform, will be showcasing the diversity of international independent publishing over three days. More than 65 publishing houses from 37 countries present a selection of 200 titles (literature, children’s books, humanities, comics, etc.) in Indonesian, Arabic, Portuguese, Basque, Spanish, Kinyarwanda, German, Creole, French, Italian, English, Malagasy, etc., to be discovered at Babelica and purchased online.

Babelica also offers a host of meetings, webinars and round tables, to be followed live and in several languages: see here the programme of the 5 round tables scheduled between 21 and 22 September.

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