The Alliance’s action plan 2026 is available here!
Activities
The Alliance’s action plan 2026 is available here!
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.
The first videos of the Conference here: Abidjan (May 2019); Santiago de Chile (October 2019)
The Conference is a process carried out over 3 years. It has commenced in 2019, with several workshops and meetings: Madrid (April 2019), Geneva (May 2019), Abidjan (May 2019), Santiago de Chile (October 2019).
The Conference will continue well into 2020… to end in 2021 in Pamplona, Basque Country.
In 2021, the Alliance will celebrate its 20 years of existence!
Follow the Conference on the Alliance website and social networks!
Through a partnership with the Editores de Chile collective and publishers member of the Alliance in Latin America and Spain, more than 15 publishers from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Equator, Spain, Mexico and Peru met in Chile, for a 2-day meeting, in the margins of the 8th Primavera del Libro.
These workshops and meetings are part of the activities of the International Conference of Independent Publishers 2019-2021: “Rethinking independent publishing, celebrating bibliodiversity!”
On this occasion, the Alliance launched, in Chile, the results of the previously unpublished analysis carried out on public book policies in Latin America.
The cross-cutting analysis of public book policies in Latin America is available in Spanish on the Alliance website, and in French in the special issue of Bibliodiversity Journal focusing on public book policies.
The activities carried out in Santiago de Chile were supported by the collective Editores de Chili, the 8th Primavera del Libro, the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage of Chile, the Providencia municipality and the Providencia Cultural Funds.
The ICIP will meet to discuss a major event in the life of the Alliance: the International Conference of Independent Publishers 2019-2021!
This meeting will focus on developing the content, subjects and objectives of the Conference: several actors, structures and partners are therefore invited to the ICIP meeting, to listen to a diversity of voices, to share concerns, learn from what is done elsewhere, be challenged, discover… to broaden our horizons and build this Conference together, pushing us to rethink!
Topics under discussion include: ecology and publishing, agriculture and publishing, (ongoing) unbalanced relationships between the South and the North…
Read the programme and the list of participants here!
The Alliance thanks the Centre national du livre, la Maison des Métallos and the Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer for providing venues for our meetings.
Here is the 9th edition of the B Day, let yourself be hooked by the books!
Share the video of the B Day 2019!
The first Conference workshops were held in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) in May 2019 during the International Book Fair of Abidjan, and brought together 40 French-speaking publishers, as well as representatives of the Portuguese and Arabic-speaking networks.
Here the video!
Youth literature and typography were the main focus of these workshops. A mapping of publishing public policies in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar (the Alliance’s flagship project since the last Conference of 2012-2014) was also presented on this occasion. The next workshops will most probably be held in Chile in September 2019, gathering mainly Latin American and Spanish publishers - a mapping of publishing public policies in Latin America will also be presented on this occasion.
The complete program of the International Conference 2019-2021 will be available in a few months!
For any questions, contact the Alliance’ team (equipe@alliance-editeurs.org).
During the Abidjan International Book Fair (15-19 May 2019), the Alliance will facilitate a workshop on youth literature (13 to 17 May), followed by a workshop on typography and open digital resources (18 to 20 May). These workshops will convene more than 30 publishers from more than 16 French-speaking African countries, but also from Haiti, Madagascar, France and Portugal. The programme and content of these workshops, designed with and for publishers, is available here.
On 17 May, in the context of the SILA, the Alliance will organise B2B discussions with all participating professionals: a time dedicated to buying and selling rights between publishers – to create, foster and strengthen professional relationships, rights sales and co-publications.
The Alliance will launch an unprecedented analysis of public book policies in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar written by academic Luc Pinhas. Findings from the data collection conducted in 12 countries between June 2017 and December 2018 by Serge Dontchueng Kouam (University Press of Africa), will be presented at a panel on public policy book on Thursday, 16 May.
These workshops and meetings mark the first step of the 2019-2021 International Conference of Independent Publishers: “Rethink independent publishing, celebrate bibliodiversity”!
Public book policies: a key chapter of the 2012-2014 International Assembly of independent publishers coming to an end in 2019!
The cross-sectional analysis of public book policies in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar will be printed specifically for the SILA in Abidjan. In June 2019, the Bibliodiversity Journal will publish a special issue on public book policies, including cross-sectional analysis of book policies in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, articles on public book policies in Europe and North America, testimonials from professionals from the Arab world... available online here from June 2019!
The activities organised at SILA are supported by AFD, the OIF and DDC, and are organized in partnership with Assedi (Association of Ivorian Publishers) and the Ivorian publishers members of the Alliance.
Video of workshops - International Conference of Independent Publishers (2019-2021)
For its 4th edition, the Tehran Book Fair Uncensored will move in the following countries: United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, United States, Canada...
For the fourth year, Farsi publishers outside of Iran, organize the Uncensored Tehran Book Fair, all around the world. The goal is to provide an opportunity for the authors, whose works are censored in Iran, to speak out freely and present their works. Each year many authors and publishers in Europe, Canada, and the United States meet their readers and discuss the status of persian literature all around the world. This is an unique opportunity to know, support, and promote the uncensored persian literature.
More information here: https://uncensoredbook.com/
Two days of discussions, reflections and workshops to which will participate, amongst others, LOM Ediciones (Chile), En toutes lettres (Morocco), Metis Publishers (Turkey), Critique and Humanism (Bulgaria), Masarykova Univerzita (Czech Republic), éditions d’en bas (Switzerland), Sophie Noël (University Paris 13)… these sessions are organised by La Oveja Roja (member of the Alliance), in partnership with Contrabandos bookshop. Topics include book ecosystem, other forms of production, community of readers…
Consult the programme here!
The meeting will be followed by the second edition of the Political and Critical Books Fair.
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
Author(s) : Yves PEDRAZZINI
Publishing countries : Angola, Brazil, Guinea-Bissau, Portugal
Language(s) :
Portuguese
Translated into portuguese by Giselle UNTI.
This book was co-published by the Brazilian publisher
Vozes, the Angolan publisher Chá de Caxinde and the Portuguese publisher Campo das Letras and received support from the Prince Claus Foundation for culture and development.
Following Les batailles de l’eau by Mohammed Larbi Bougerra, this is the second French-language title of the “Enjeux Planète” series, translated and published in the Portuguese series named “Questões Mundiais”.
In the North as in the South, we like big cities, but we don’t like their violence. A common tendency is to blame the poorest inhabitants for this violence, and then, in order to fight against its spread, to adopt strategies based on strong security measures: our societies are quickly becoming societies of fear. Town planning, already, divides space into fortresses and ghettos. One cannot continue to conceptualize urbanization in police stations: an alternative analysis of the phenomena of urban violence and insecurity is necessary. This can only be done by putting this question in perspective, in the context of the violence of urbanization and globalisation, while also taking into account, the point of view of the poor and particularly among these poor, the “malicious ones”, outsiders, illegal immigrants, criminals, members of gangs.
When everything seems blocked, the “vision of the poor” opens the way to a pacification of urban territories. Against the current obsession with security, a creative dialogue is essential with those that the ruling power blames or distrusts. This book is addressed to all those who seek to understand the logic of the city, those for whom the city inspires fear and love, who don’t want to give up it, but also to the inhabitants of the extreme districts, even if they are poor and “malicious”, even if the city destroys them more than it protects them. To rebuild cities we can live in, we must disobey the models.
Year of publication: 2006,
188 pages
12 francophone publishers deal with different issues on the challenges of globalization (natural resources, development aid, North-South relations, etc.). An international collection for another globalization: “Global Issues” also exists in English and in Portuguese. Short essays, conveying diagnoses and proposals, perspectives for action, accessible to a large public. Bearing the “Le Livre équitable” (Fair Book) label, this collection is subject to fair and solidarity-based trade agreements.
Author(s) : Mohamed LARBI BOUGUERRA (dir.)
Publishing countries : South Africa, Canada, India, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Thailand
Language(s) :
English
Translated by Patrick CAMILLER
Also available in Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish and French.
This English co-publication now accompanies the French-language (12 publishers), Portuguese-language (5
publishers), Arabic-language (5 publishers)and Spanish-language (1 publisher) versions.
Rapid population growth, climate change and pollution have combined to make it the resource over which wars may be fought in years to come. But does water have a price? Is it a right or a need?
Increasingly, water is viewed as a commodity whose function is to generate profits. In this book, Larbi Bouguerra argues that instead we should view it as a common good of humanity. Water has an exceptional cross-cultural symbolic value and its use raises enormous questions about our lifestyle, our ethics and our relationship with nature. Bouguerra makes a powerful case for a society that is more economical with water and manages it openly and democratically, as a global resource.
Year of publication: 2006,
208 pages
12 francophone publishers deal with different issues on the challenges of globalization (natural resources, development aid, North-South relations, etc.). An international collection for another globalization: “Global Issues” also exists in English and in Portuguese. Short essays, conveying diagnoses and proposals, perspectives for action, accessible to a large public. Bearing the “Le Livre équitable” (Fair Book) label, this collection is subject to fair and solidarity-based trade agreements.
Author(s) : Henri ROUILLÉ D’ORFEUIL
Publishing countries : Benin, Cameroon, Canada, France, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Switzerland
Language(s) :
French
Price : 14 €
How can we ensure the survival of the planet and provide for everybody on it? How can we achieve the Millennium objectives that aim to reduce poverty and malnutrition by half by 2015? Governmental diplomacy, as necessary as it is, needs citizen action to be more efficient, as NGO intervention in the world public sphere proves. For fifteen years, non governmental diplomacy has made significant advances: affecting opinion on the defense of human rights, of economic and social rights, of children’s rights, of actions in favor of small farmers and for food sovereignty, mobilizing opinion on environmental protection, the ban of land mines, the production of generic medicine, debt cancellation for poor countries and the establishment of international taxes.
This book, which is based on a long experience in international negotiations, examines the diplomatic process over the last fifteen years and proposes analytical arguments for those interested in establishing an international world order. It also gives ideas for paths of action to those at the head of organizations and to citizens involved in the construction of a type of globalization that is respectful of social and environmental rights. In describing the surprising influence of NGOs, given their modest means, Henri Rouillé d’Orfeuil provides bases for a more active participation of citizens in world governance.
Year of publication: 2006
12 francophone publishers deal with different issues on the challenges of globalization (natural resources, development aid, North-South relations, etc.). An international collection for another globalization: “Global Issues” also exists in English and in Portuguese. Short essays, conveying diagnoses and proposals, perspectives for action, accessible to a large public. Bearing the “Le Livre équitable” (Fair Book) label, this collection is subject to fair and solidarity-based trade agreements.
Author(s) : François-Xavier VERSCHAVE
Publishing countries : Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, France, Gabon, Morocco
Language(s) :
French
Price : 15 €
Fernand Braudel, who died in 1985, revolutionized the way we conceive and write history. Using data from such fields as geography, political economics and sociology, he gave the history of humankind a broader perspective. Can Braudel’s work challenge the doctrine of today’s economists and technocrats? By highlighting the relative autonomy of the various levels in the economy as well as the links between them, his analysis sheds light on the current processes of domination. This work updates F-X Verschave’s first book, well-known for its criticism of various digressions in international cooperation.
Year of publication: 2005,
246 pages,
14 X 22 cm
Author(s) : Mohamed Larbi BOUGUERRA
Publishing countries : Angola, Brazil, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal
Language(s) :
Portuguese
Price : 15 €
Water has become a major political and geostrategic issue that is discussed in global summits and alternative forums. In fact, this vital resource controls the development of human societies. For some people, it is an ordinary good that should generate profits. For others, it is a common good of humanity with an exceptional symbolic weight in all cultures and all religions. Does water have a price? Is water a right or a need? Is there enough water for everyone despite demographic growth? Is there a water crisis? Will there be water wars tomorrow? Will technical solutions be enough to keep water pollution in check? This work shows that the management and uses of water pose essential questions to people on their way of living, their ethics and their relationship with nature and with the biosphere. It pleads for a water-efficient society and for global, united water management.
Year of publication: 2003,
240 pages
12 francophone publishers deal with different issues on the challenges of globalization (natural resources, development aid, North-South relations, etc.). An international collection for another globalization: “Global Issues” also exists in English and in Portuguese. Short essays, conveying diagnoses and proposals, perspectives for action, accessible to a large public. Bearing the “Le Livre équitable” (Fair Book) label, this collection is subject to fair and solidarity-based trade agreements.
Author(s) : Yves PEDRAZZINI
Publishing countries : Benin, Cameroon, Canada, Ivory Coast, France, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Switzerland, Tunisia
Language(s) :
French
Price : 15 €
In the North as in the South, we like big cities, but we don’t like their violence. A common tendency is to blame the poorest inhabitants for this violence, and then, in order to fight against its spread, to adopt strategies based on strong security measures: our societies are quickly becoming societies of fear. Town planning, already, divides space into fortresses and ghettos. One cannot continue to conceptualize urbanization in police stations: an alternative analysis of the phenomena of urban violence and insecurity is necessary. This can only be done by putting this question in perspective, in the context of the violence of urbanization and globalisation, while also taking into account, the point of view of the poor and particularly among these poor, the “malicious ones”, outsiders, illegal immigrants, criminals, members of gangs.
When everything seems blocked, the “vision of the poor” opens the way to a pacification of urban territories. Against the current obsession with security, a creative dialogue is essential with those that the ruling power blames or distrusts.
This book is addressed to all those who seek to understand the logic of the city, those for whom the city inspires fear and love, who don’t want to give up it, but also to the inhabitants of the extreme districts, even if they are poor and “malicious”, even if the city destroys them more than it protects them. To rebuild cities we can live in, we must disobey the models.
Year of publication: 2004
12 francophone publishers deal with different issues on the challenges of globalization (natural resources, development aid, North-South relations, etc.). An international collection for another globalization: “Global Issues” also exists in English and in Portuguese. Short essays, conveying diagnoses and proposals, perspectives for action, accessible to a large public. Bearing the “Le Livre équitable” (Fair Book) label, this collection is subject to fair and solidarity-based trade agreements.
Author(s) : Raja BEN SLAMA ; Drucilla CORNELL ; Geneviève FRAISSE ;LI Xiao-Jian ; Seemanthini NIRANJANA ; Linda WALDHAM
Publishing countries : South Africa, China, United States, France, India, Lebanon, Morocco
Language(s) :
English
, Arabic
, French
, Portuguese
Price : 12,5 €
Year of publication: 2004,
154 pages,
12,5 X 19 cm
These philosophical or anthropological terms have acquired a symbolic weight crystallizing changes and distinctive features in a given society. Buried in the most run-of-the-mill usage, they also found and organize a shared language that reflects the debates crisscrossing contemporary societies.
These books attempt to revive an intellectual tradition of critical vigilance and openness, while benefiting from a “view from afar” that encourages dialogue between cultures. The reader can thus gauge the similarities, shifts and disparities that each of these “universal” notions covers, along with the tensions that exist between the diversity of cultural traditions and the homogenizing work of globalization.
Author(s) : Aziz AL-AZMEH ; WANG Bin ; David A. HOLLINGER ; N.JARAYAM ; Mahmood MAMDANI ; Emmanuel RENAULT
Publishing countries : South Africa, China, United States, France, India, Lebanon, Morocco
Language(s) :
English
, Arabic
, Chinese
, French
Price : 12,50 €
Year of publication: 2004,
140 pages,
12,5 X 19 cm
These philosophical or anthropological terms have acquired a symbolic weight crystallizing changes and distinctive features in a given society. Buried in the most run-of-the-mill usage, they also found and organize a shared language that reflects the debates crisscrossing contemporary societies.
These books attempt to revive an intellectual tradition of critical vigilance and openness, while benefiting from a “view from afar” that encourages dialogue between cultures. The reader can thus gauge the similarities, shifts and disparities that each of these “universal” notions covers, along with the tensions that exist between the diversity of cultural traditions and the homogenizing work of globalization.
Author(s) : Jean-Pierre CLÉRO, Nader EL-BIZRI, Martin JAY, G. K. KARANTH, Achille MBEMBE, YE Shu-Xian
Publishing countries : South Africa, China, United States, France, India, Lebanon, Morocco
Language(s) :
English
, Arabic
, Chinese
, French
Price : 12,5 €
Year of publication: 2004,
140 pages,
12,5 X 19 cm
These philosophical or anthropological terms have acquired a symbolic weight crystallizing changes and distinctive features in a given society. Buried in the most run-of-the-mill usage, they also found and organize a shared language that reflects the debates crisscrossing contemporary societies.
These books attempt to revive an intellectual tradition of critical vigilance and openness, while benefiting from a “view from afar” that encourages dialogue between cultures. The reader can thus gauge the similarities, shifts and disparities that each of these “universal” notions covers, along with the tensions that exist between the diversity of cultural traditions and the homogenizing work of globalization.
Author(s) : Joseph KI-ZERBO
Publishing countries : Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, France, Mali, Switzerland
Language(s) :
French
, Portuguese
Price : 19 € / 9 € (poche / paperback / libro de bolsillo)
When is Africa’s turn? Here is a question that we would prefer to avoid, given Africa’s apparent hopelessness. But Joseph Ki-Zerbo, historian and man of action from Burkina Faso, cannot and will not gloss over this question. For him, Africa must conquer its identity, proud of its contribution to the human adventure, in order to regain its role in the world.
A fascinating book, nourished by an Africa lived and studied for decades, rich in the profound reflections of a historian on the role of his profession for concrete action by people. This political book was published simultaneously in Europe and Africa.
Year of publication: 2004, 202 pages
Author(s) : YUE Dai Yun - Anne SAUVAGNARGUES
Publishing countries : China, France
Language(s) :
Chinese
, French
Price : 9,45 €
While Europeans are in a struggle or in forced coexistence with nature, the Chinese are, according to Confucian tradition, in symbiosis, in communion, mutually dependent. “We look at each other, the sky and I, without tiring”, sings the famous poet Li Po, cited by Yue Dai Yun. In the countless legends recounted by Yue Dai Yun, man is or becomes nature: how many young girls and (formerly human) gods or goddesses have been transformed into hills and their tears into streams? Mountains, river water and the immensity of seas are not things in China, but living realities that teach man time, death and the insurmountable. As a result, says Yue Dai Yun, we must “not force ourselves or, worse, oppose nature, but rather adapt to ourselves.” For many Chinese people, nature is the source, not the object, of intellectual thought. There is nothing like climbing, for example, to think: “The succession of mountains has no limits for the Chinese, for it represents the elevation of their mind and the expansion of their thought.” Let us not seek out the East-West opposition throughout these two texts. Doesn’t the aforementioned Chinese veneration for high reliefs correspond to our own tradition, that of the Sinai and the Thabor, not to mention the mount of the well-known Sermon? Would our mystics argue when the Chinese say, according to Yue Dai Yun: “There are mountains beyond the mountains; there is another world beyond ours”? And does China have a monopoly on wonder? The magic of nature’s products, which Miao women take to market in autumn, these wild, dazzling red fruits, these leaves of palm – Aristotle also knew this magic. His ideas, according to Anne Sauvagnargues, “were always limpid, full of rocks, animals, men and the starry sky that we observe at night when we lie on the ground.”
Reading these two very different, very literary texts, the reader learns about visions of the world and of nature that were often inherited from the distant past. Distant? Not really! The story of saving the moon", in which Yue Dai Yun heroically took part in her childhood, tells us how much traditional myths permeate men and women today and just may give them the strength to fight for a less despoiled nature
Year of publication: 1999
In this collection “Near and Far”, two authors, one Chinese, the other French, meet and exchange on topics chosen for their relevance in our daily life and in human relations. They tell us about their own experience and explore the roots of their respective civilizations to discuss how philosophers, writers and poets spoke of these topics.
Author(s) : TANG Yi Jie - Xavier LE PICHON
Publishing countries : China, France
Language(s) :
Chinese
, French
Price : 9,91 €
Two top-level researchers – a French geophysicist and a Chinese philosopher – talking about death: quite daunting for a reader unaccustomed to academic language. Not to fear. Professor Tang Yijie, president of the Academy of Chinese Culture, and Xavier Le Pichon, professor at the Collège de France, talk about their fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, about their beliefs and their faith. Above all, about life.
Tang Yijie and Xavier Le Pichon have met several times to discuss the essential issues of existence. These two texts thus do not present a simple comparison. They respond to each other, with a nearly pedagogical concern for addressing the other’s culture and for presenting – and questioning – the most representative features of their own civilizations.
Although he considers the place of Christian culture within European culture to be “no doubt excessive,” Xavier Le Pichon chooses to approach the mystery of death from his personal perspective as a Catholic. In the European context, he lucidly shows the extent to which death – formerly incorporated into life and a reminder that “the fate of man is eternal happiness” – has become, through the centuries and with the advance of medicine, an event that is increasingly tied to the pain of living. A passage toward the light, yes, but at so high a cost! Impressive, for example, are these words written by his father on the approach of death: “Death is the most important act of life; it is like the seal affixed to a letter written with so many tears, so much blood and suffering. It is the crowning achievement of life.”
Year of publication: 1999
In this collection “Near and Far”, two authors, one Chinese, the other French, meet and exchange on topics chosen for their relevance in our daily life and in human relations. They tell us about their own experience and explore the roots of their respective civilizations to discuss how philosophers, writers and poets spoke of these topics.
Author(s) : JIN Si Yan - Maurice BELLET
Publishing countries : China, France
Language(s) :
Chinese
, French
When we learn that a “Grand Diviner” existed long ago during the Middle Kingdom, a sort of oneiromantic secretary of state placed at the head of an “office of divination,” and when we read what Jin Siyan writes on the role of dreams in her own life, we understand that for the Chinese, dreams are a serious affair. Is it for the sake of counterpoint that Maurice Bellet rues the difficulty of Western man – “this dreamer who does not know himself” – to do the same? Not quite. Philosopher, psychoanalyst, priest and occasional novelist, Maurice Bellet knows and loves dreams after having worked with and on them for other people and for himself and after having long studied their creative value. Although he mentions himself only rarely in his contribution to this book, his analyses and parables reveal his true essence, as they contain much more experience than abstract speculation.
Jin Siyan attaches no more importance to the detached speculation of life. Formerly a teacher at the University of Beijing, lecturer at ENA and professor of Chinese civilization and comparative literature at the University of Artois, her interest is in recounting. She recounts the everyday dreams of her happy rural childhood, those of the legends and myths of ancient China; she describes ghosts and what the dream was in such troubled times as the Cultural Revolution.
For very different reasons, the two writers discuss the dream as mediator. For Maurice Bellet’s Western man, built on divisions – soul/body, subject/object – the dream is a sort of interface “at the junction of mind and body.”
For the Chinese, generally unfamiliar with this type of opposition, the dream is nevertheless an emissary. “It moves unhindered, Jin Siyan tells us, oscillating between the worlds of yin and yang.”
Year of publication: 1999
In this collection “Near and Far”, two authors, one Chinese, the other French, meet and exchange on topics chosen for their relevance in our daily life and in human relations. They tell us about their own experience and explore the roots of their respective civilizations to discuss how philosophers, writers and poets spoke of these topics.
Author(s) : YANG Huanming ; Pierre LÉNA
Publishing countries : China, France
Language(s) :
Chinese
, French
Symbol of progress and of the reasoning process that tirelessly seeks to explain the real and the fate of the universe, science is also an extraordinary locus of dialogue between cultures via its tendency toward the universal.
Pierre Léna, an astrophysicist, lays out a “promenade of science” mentioning questions that everyone asks themselves. Isn’t science, the search for the invisible through visible appearances, only the domain of specialists? A patient exercise in proof or an elaborate mathematical structure, maybe even a subtle relationship between truth and change?
A specialist in the human gene, Yang Huanming offers the Chinese perception of science, tied to cosmology, wisdom and the vision of the universe and the forces that drive it. He also addresses the ethical dimension in terms of the human genome.
In this collection “Near and Far”, two authors, one Chinese, the other French, meet and exchange on topics chosen for their relevance in our daily life and in human relations. They tell us about their own experience and explore the roots of their respective civilizations to discuss how philosophers, writers and poets spoke of these topics.
Author(s) : TANG Ke Yang - Martine LAFFON
Publishing countries : China, France
Language(s) :
Chinese
, French
Price : 9,45 €
The geography of time zones instructs us that when Paris goes to sleep, Shanghai wakes up. But if you ask a Chinese writer and a French writer to tell you what night is, they won’t talk (much) about sleep. Tang Ke Yang, a young specialist in comparative literature, and Martine Laffon, a philosopher, are too fascinated with the many facets of night to leave its riches to slumberers. The journey that they each propose to us, to the end of the night of their souls – and of their civilizations – is an invitation to see in the dark what we don’t see, to look into the night of the other to better understand him and to better understand ourselves.
They say that night illuminates. Gone is the fear of the child lost in the darkness; a mysterious alchemy emerges by which the night, as if by surprise, reveals something to us about the infinite. Tang Ke Yang and Martine Laffon have each had personal experience with it. One of them discovered in the night a “space of nonchalance in our life horsewhipped by reason”; for the other, nocturnal time reveals “what the eye and the other senses can no longer distinguish, for they have forgotten what they knew so well in the light of day.” Sleepless nights, those (so French) nights of mischief, once-forbidden nights in China when no one could stroll without special permission, nights of intoxication and nights of lucidity, nights of Pascal and Descartes when they did their best thinking, inner nights and trap-nights, nights of lamps, red lanterns and Chinese candles, nights celebrated according to Christian tradition, night of writers and poets. Based on this litany of evocations set forth by the two writers, we can categorically deny the doubt expressed in passing by Martine Laffon: “And what if night were only night?”
Year of publication: 1999
In this collection “Near and Far”, two authors, one Chinese, the other French, meet and exchange on topics chosen for their relevance in our daily life and in human relations. They tell us about their own experience and explore the roots of their respective civilizations to discuss how philosophers, writers and poets spoke of these topics.
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.
Author(s) : Nei LOPES (texte) ; Hélène MOREAU (illustrations)
Publishing countries : Benin
Language(s) :
French
Translated from Portuguese (Brazil) into French by Flavio Corrêa de Mello
Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Benin), 2012; 37 pages
Original edition: Pallas Editora (Brazil)
Author(s) : Catalogue collectif
Publishing countries : Republic of Guinea , South Africa, Benin, Brazil, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Rwanda, Tunisia
Language(s) :
English
, Arabic
, French
, malgache
, Portuguese
, amazighe
, bambara
, kinyarwanda
, kiswahili
Rooted in African daily life, in the streets of Bamako and Conakry, in the fishing port of Cotonou, on Tunisian soil, or redolent of Afro-Brazilian heritage, the 281 tales, documentaries, albums and novels that make up the catalogue are just waiting to be discovered. Books by nine independent publishing houses from Africa (South Africa, Benin, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, the Republic of Guinea, Rwanda, Tunisia) and from Brazil are now available in France, Belgium and Switzerland!
If you would like to diversify your stock, read in Bambara, in Arabic, in English, in Portuguese, in Kinyarwanda, in Malagasy, in French, if you are simply looking for some escapism… the solution is here… just turn the pages !
The Alliance distributes all the books contained in the catalogue.
The “African readings” catalogue was created with the support of the Ile-de-France Region.
Author(s) : Cinco autores de Angola, quatro de Guiné-Bissau e sete escritores do Brasil
Publishing countries : Angola, Brazil, Guinea-Bissau
Language(s) :
Portuguese
Price : R$ 32,00
This collection, which takes its title from an iconic verse by Fernando Pessoa, is a veritable invitation to a journey through sixteen tales by
authors from Brazil, Guinea-Bissau and Angola.
Year of publication: 2010; 224 pages; 14 X 21 cm; ISBN: 978-85-347-0294-2
To access the youth catalogues, click here and here.
These catalogues are available from the Alliance. Contact us telephonically or by email for all enquiries and orders.
Author(s) : Béatrice LALINON GBADO ; Mamadou Wolid NIANG, Ousseynou SAKHO, Abdoulaye SECK, Ibrahima DIA, Chérif DIOP
Publishing countries : Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Congo Brazzaville
Language(s) :
French
Price : 15 euros ; 5 000 FCFA
This poetical text, writing by Béatrice LALINON GBADO, is a real homage for Woman, a wonderfull poem illustrated by several senegalese artists working with the technic of “under-glass”.
Year of publication : 2006,
48 pages,
24 X 24 cm
Paris, December 2010
It is with great concern that the International Alliance of Independent Publishers has noted the recent censorship of a book in Spain, and the threats made against the independent publishing house Txalaparta, member of the Alliance’s Spanish-speaking network.
The book in question, “El manual del torturador español” (The Spanish Torturer’s Manual) – by Xabier MAKAZAGA denounces the torture carried out by the Spanish police. The book was withdrawn from a public library (in the Basauri town council), following a request by a political party and certain Madrid newspapers to remove it from all libraries where it was made available to readers. However the practices described in this book support the accusations already made in reports by Amnesy International and by the UN Recorder on Human Rights. The campaign against this book has already been publicly denounced by public librarians. Furthermore the Basque Country Human Rights Observer (Behatokia) sent a letter of protest to Frank de la Rue, Special Recorder on Human Rights and Freedom of Expression with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, whose headquarters are in Geneva.
The International Alliance of independent publishers, whose objectives include defending freedom of expression and denouncing all forms of censorship, also has a duty to respond publicly when attacks or infringements are directed – for ideological reasons – against independent publishers, whose very job it is to encourage the dissemination of ideas and to contribute to forging the identity of people and their culture.
One has only to examine Txalaparta’s publishing catalogue to appreciate the vast range of literary works and essays which constitute an undeniable contribution to bibliodiversity, while reflecting a clear editorial policy.
This is why we independent publishers are appealing to the Spanish authorities to respect the work of independent publishers and to encourage respect for fundamental rights and democracy.
We also appeal to independent publishers, booksellers, librarians and readers to follow the development of this matter closely and to express their support to Txalaparta Publishing in order to defend and respect the right to information that is true and diverse.
The Spanish-language network of the International Alliance of independent publishers
Massively used by small publishing firms to distribute their products to bookstores, libraries, and readers, the postal service is the most popular means of circulating books throughout the world. However, the absence, suppression or questioning of special postage for books is an impediment to bibliodiversity in many countries.
In Latin America, with a huge territory to cover and limited circulation, a large share of publishers ensures the delivery of their products themselves. For these publishers, preferential postage rates for shipping books are all the more vital.
The International Alliance of Independent Publishers calls on all international solidarity organisations to mobilise in Haiti. The Alliance will do do its outmost to support Haitian book professionals in the long-term, particularly librarians, publishers and booksellers, by joining forces with existing and future stakeholders in Haiti.
The importance of culture should be considered in the reconstruction process. In the Haïtian context, where symbolism has a special place, reinventing Haïti also involves supporting the arts and culture, particularly books and authors that promote the people’s complex and fascinating identity. A people cut off from its culture is a dead people.
Publishing countries : Iran
In view of the worrying situation in Iran and the attacks on freedom of expression, the publishers of the Alliance wish to express their solidarity with their Iranian colleagues. They demand the right to publish freely and call for increased cultural and editorial exchanges with Iran.
As the official campaign for the next European elections is being launched, the Alliance has decided to get involved in a positive fashion by formulating three proposals that would be very simple to implement.
These proposals have furthermore been published on the website http://challengeforeurope.blogactiv.eu, with dozens of others, on the initiative of the Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation in the framework of its “What kind of Europe do we want?” program. Let us hope this impressive corpus of proposals will be a profitable inspiration to the EU’s future elected representatives!
An incredible censorship attempt is endangering the very existence of the publisher Écosociété (Quebec – Canada); more than 60 publishers from 30 countries have declared their undivided support for the Quebec publisher and are calling on the pinstigators of the “Noir Canada” affair to respect the rights of freedom of expression and publication.
As the Casablanca International Book Fair (February 9 to 17, 2008) opens its foors in Morocco, the Alliance of Independent Publishers wishes to express its deepest concerns with regard to the situation of independent book retail and, more generally, of the entire local book industry.
Publishing countries : Ivory Coast
African literature in French is today better represented and better known in Europe than in Africa, where its distribution remains hampered by many obstacles. However, there are solutions, which require the mobilisation of various stakeholders in the book industry. One solution is co-publishing, based on a joint trade agreement. The publication of “L’Ombre d’Imana” by Véronique TADJO, a groundbreaking example of pan-African co-publishing, proves that it is possible, through joint action, to create the conditions necessary for a (re)appropriation by Africa of its literature. To make this possible, the Alliance is appealing to everyone, authors, publishers and institutions alike, to join forces and promote the bibliodiversity at the heart of the francophone spirit. This appeal is endorsed by many authors and book industry professionals.
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.
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).
Download B Day logos and visit the blog here.
Watch all B Day videos here->https://eldiab.org/videos-oficiales/.
In October 2024, the members of the Alliance decided to create a space of solidarity with book professionals in Palestine, to promote and encourage the circulation of Palestinian texts across continents, and to make the voice of book professionals in Palestine heard.
This space is flexible and will take different formats.
In 2026, the Alliance is offering a catalogue of titles on Palestine (titles published by Palestinian publishing houses and/or about Palestine). This catalogue is based on titles proposed and recommended by Alliance members. The primary objective of this catalogue is to promote projects involving the transfer of rights, co-publications and translations of titles published in Palestine or about Palestine. It will be regularly updated and expanded.
In June 2025, Arabic-speaking publishers (including Palestinian publishers) and French-speaking publishers gathered in Tunis for meetings organised by the Alliance to present titles from their catalogue on Palestine, with a view to exchanging rights (transfer of rights, co-publications, translations).
During Babelica, on 24 and 25 September 2025, several activities have been scheduled:
• Readings of Palestinian texts by Palestinian authors;
• A round-table discussion with Palestinian book professionals.
See also the numerous activities carried out by the Publishers for Palestine (P4P) collective.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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…
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.
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
After the 2013 preparatory workshops, an Assembly of Allies will be held from 18 to 22 September 2014, in Cape Town, under the patronage of UNESCO.
In order to achieve this, and in line with practical case studies and sharing of practical knowledge during the workshops, it is essential for publishers to discuss the evolution of bibliodiversity in their countries and publishing houses since 2007: How does bibliodiversity materialise itself on a daily basis for a Malian publisher, an Indian publisher, an Argentinian publisher? How does independent publishing empowers itself in the various countries? How does the publishing field in Madagascar, Peru or Afghanistan professionalise itself?
The Assembly of Allies, a unique intercultural and multilingual space in the field of publishing, is in itself a reflection of international independent publishing. For four days, publishers will discuss their background, for some their struggle, share their experiences and the risks they face. Communication digital tools offer the possibility for publishers to be in regular and quasi instant contact – but they cannot replace human exchanges, essential to trust and solidary relations characteristic of a network such as the Alliance’s.
The Assembly of Allies is moreover a decisive moment for the Alliance’s governance: directions for the coming years, and the ensuing programme of activities, will be decided upon there, collectively.
In the spirit of long term capacity building of its members, the Alliance therefore continues to work towards an international solidarity professional network – to promote the circulation and access to works and ideas.
As a unique meeting, the Assembly of Allies primarily serves publishers’ desire to federate around common wishes: to promote and strengthen bibliodiversity together.
We thank our valued partners: Jacana Media (South Africa), Modjaji Books (South Africa), Open Book Festival (South Africa), French Institute in South Africa, Alliance française du Cap (South Africa), National Library of South Africa, Goethe Institut (South Africa), Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer (Switzerland), Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, région Ile-de-France (France), Centre national du livre (France), Fondation de France (France), Direction du développement et de la Coopération (Switzerland), French Institute in Lebanon, French Institute in Tunisia, Cooperación Regional Francesa para los Países Andinos (Bolivia), Canarias Cultura “Canarias crea” (Spain), Copyright Agency Cultural Fund (Australia), Centro Estero per l’Internazionalizzazione (Italy), Centre Universitaire de Recherches sur l’Action Publique et le Politique (CURAPP) / Université de Picardie Jules Verne (France)… and the publishers themselves!
Contact: assises@alliance-editeurs.org
Solidarity with the Palestinian people; freedom to publish; public book policies. These were the three themes that brought book professionals together for the fourth edition of Babelica (23 and 24 September 2025). 10 round tables, 1 rights market and 5 readings can be listened to again here.
More than 160 independent publishing houses from 58 countries took part in Babelica: for those wondering what bibliodiversity is, here is a fine example of it through the diversity of titles, languages, countries, points of view and sensibilities represented by these publishing houses. A multitude of voices, often invisible, can be discovered here.
Some excerpts from the round tables at this edition of Babelica:
#Palestine
“Even though the books were destroyed and burnt, making them unsuitable for reading, we found another use for them. We distributed them to the inhabitants so that they could use them as fuel, so that they could cook in the absence of gas. In this way, the books became a means of subsistence”
Samir Mansour (Samir Mansour Bookshop & Printing, Gaza)
“It is crucial to document the situation of the authors: who has been killed, what are their publications? We must honour the authors in Gaza and archive their work, both on paper and digitally”
Fuad Akleek (Al Raqamia Publishing House, Jerusalem)
“As soon as the war ends, we will work together, hand in hand, to restore culture to its rightful place in the Gaza Strip. We will resume our role with even greater vigour, to produce new books and reconstitute what has been lost in private, public and collective libraries. In this way, we will pass on the torch to the new generation, so that they carry it armed with culture and conscience, and not in ignorance of their history”
Atef Al Durra (Al Kalima Publishing House, Gaza)
#Freedom to publish
“When the statehood is in danger, and when we see the aggressor is investing so much money in propaganda and in the destruction of our culture, our language, everything, we are forced to impulse censorship because that’s the way to survive and to protect what is ours. In peaceful time, the question of censorship will be a totally different point of discussion but right now, unfortunately, that’s the need”
Slava Svitova (Creative Women Publishing, Ukraine)
“When we chose to not publish in Urdu and to publish in English, that’s the big self-censorship that we have”
Saeed Husain (Folio Books, Pakistan)
“Writers who are critical of the government, of policies, writers who express their identity are facing censorship, imprisonment, judicial, arrests. Governments use security laws to shoot down critical voices. The main tendencies are digital shot down ; LGBTQIA+ writers are attacked, books are banned – in America last year, we had 10 000 instances of books banned”
Romana Cacchioli (PEN International)
#Public Book Policies
“We cannot escape the legacy of colonial policy. Publishing is developed around text books, importations, and not really around an independent creative publishing. Today, our industry really reflects the influence of this colonial culture. English is the dominant language in schools for reading for young people in Ghana and in many parts of Anglophone Africa. That is a lot of work for independent publishers to produce works in the creative space and in local languages but they struggle”
Ama Dadson (Akoo Books, Ghana)
“This study explores the publishing policies in the Arab world, involving publishing specialists from eleven Arab countries. It focuses on several key themes, including: freedom of expression, the publishing industry, book-related public policies, various forms of censorship, the book-related socioeconomic environment, intellectual property rights and other relevant issues”
Hani Altelfah (Al Marfaa, Turkey)
The next edition of the International online book fair of independent publishing, Babelica, will take place on 24 and 25 September 2025. To find out about all the activities at Babelica, click here!
The programme for the 2025 edition focuses on three themes:
The Babelica programme is available here and online here
The books featured in the 2025 edition of Babelica will be unveiled on 21 September (International Bibliodiversity Day)!
Replays of Babelica 2024 are online on the Babelica platform and on the Alliance’s YouTube channel!
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).
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.
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!
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).
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.
International Alliance
of Independent Publishers
38 rue Saint-Sabin
75011 Paris - France
