English

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

Following the digital publishing meeting organised by the Alliance in Tunis in 2011, several Arabic publishers members of the Alliance started producing and commercialising ePub files. These recent experiments have revealed several obstacles faced in the Arab world: Arabic font particularities, challenges to commercialise publications in online sales platform, etc. Arab-speaking publishers have therefore wished to hold a workshop to discuss these issues and mutualise, as far as possible, tools and techniques.

This workshop will allow Arab-speaking publishers to receive practical training for ePub development, while trying to bring solutions to the problems linked to the digital conversion of Arabic texts. While Arabic digital content is currently sparse, it seems essential to promote the digitalisation of traditional publishers, guardians of bibliodiversity in the Arabic-speaking space.
In this context, publishers will formulate recommendations to facilitate the digitalisation of files and promote a better distribution and dissemination of digital publications in the Arab world. These proposals will be diffused at the level of public authorities but also at international standard entities such as the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF).

The Alliance’s Digital Lab will share Arabic-speaking publishers’ experiences and support their project in the medium term.

Following the workshop, 3 May, from 11:00 to 12:00, do not miss the public speech on “Words and money”, a book by André Schiffrin translated and co-published by the Arabic-language network of the Alliance. More information here!

This workshop is organized in partnership with the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair and supported by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (Direction de la Francophonie numérique) and the Prince Claus Fund.

For independent publishers, the diffusion and distribution of “difficult” books such as human sciences books often present a challenge. These books have problems finding their readership in a book market characterized by editorial overproduction, a strong concentration of publishing businesses, points of sales and distribution structures.

To valorize a production less mainstream, some publishers adopt original distribution and promotion strategies by bringing on board associative actors, new digital actors, or by setting up partnerships with universities. These isolated initiatives are however not well known from most publishers.

This is why, in the spirit of solidarity driving the Alliance, publishers want to share experiences and knowledge by addressing these issues during a workshop. In order to promote a better circulation of human and social sciences texts, books presentations will also be organized to enable the creation of translation and copublishing projects between publishers of the Alliance. Some of these projects could then be financially supported by the Alliance.

This workshop is organized in partnership with the Frankfurt Book Fair, and with the support of the Fondation de France, the Centre national du Livre and the Goethe-Institut in South Africa.

Co-publishing projects, which are at the centre of the Alliance’s activities and reflexions since its beginnings, promote a better diffusion of works and ideas, while providing an opportunity for cost sharing between publishers. These professional partnerships, based on trust and collective work methods, also represent a mutual exchange of knowledge that promotes an increased professionalization of publishers.

After 10 years of practices and experiences, a report is in order: how many solidarity co-publishing projects were launched in a decade, and in how many countries? What are the financial implications of these projects?

To punctuate this workshop with concrete examples, the “Terres solidaires” collection (pan-African solidarity co-publishing) serves as a pilot case study, but other projects developed in or outside of the Alliance will feed into the discussion. Participants will reflect on ways of developing new partnerships while strengthening these projects’ collective dimension. It will also propose some strategies to facilitate cooperation with regards to copyrights transfers (North-South, and mainly South-North and South-South) and will consider the digital data.

From these exchanges, participants will develop a “good editorial practices” guide. This guide could lead to the drafting of a charter that would accompany the Alliance’s Fair Trade Book logo.

To deepen discussions and enable practical exchanges between language networks, Guido INDIJ (Director of la marca editora publishing in Argentina) will discuss the reflections and projects led in the Spanish-language network over the years in terms of publishing partnerships.

Finally, and since most co-publishing and translation projects come from encounter between people, a considerable amount of time will be dedicated to a project fair. This “mini Frankfurt” will provide the opportunity for publishers to propose works for copyrights transfers or co-publishing to their colleagues. These projects could be supported (logistically, legally or financially) by the Alliance in the near future.

The publishers’ presence in Ouagadougou will provide an opportunity to facilitate, in partnership with the Joseph Ki-Zerbo Foundation and Sankofa & Gurli Publishers, the launch of the last solidarity co-publishing project entitled “À quand l’Afrique ? Joseph KI-ZERBO’s interview with René HOLENSTEIN”, a launch that will close the workshop on June 17 2013.

This workshop is supported by the “Organisation internationale de la Francophonie” and the “Centre national du livre”.

Preparatory and thematic meeting of the International Assembly of Independent Publishers

In partnership with the Bologna Youth Book Fair, the Alliance convenes eight African publishers in Bologna from the 23^rd to the 27^th of March 2013.

How can we reconcile publishing on two levels simultaneously, addressing both the local readership and a potential international one? During the preparatory meeting held on 23^rd and 24^th March, publishers will share their experiences on the international level and will discuss design and production publishing standards relative to youth books. A literary agent will also participate to support publishers in their reflexions and facilitate a think-tank on publishing and commercial strategies that could be developed to reach greater visibility on international markets. One of the objectives of the workshop is to formulate recommendations and develop an advocacy document to enable the presence of publishers from the South in book fairs. Finally, this meeting will be the occasion of a project fair that could lead to translation proposals, transfers of rights and co publishing projects.

On site from 25^th to 27 March at the Africa collective stand (hall 29, stand C/57), publishers are looking forward to welcome you!

The Alliance warmly acknowledges the support of Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Fondation de France, Centre national du livre and the Institut français of Madagascar, essential to the implementation of this workshop.

Read more about this workshop and about the International Assembly.

From 24 to 28 November 2012, the publishers from the Spanish-language network met in Mexico, in the margins of the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL). During this meeting, the Spanish network coordinator, Juan Carlos SÁEZ, discussed the decisions taken at the ICIP Meeting (International Committee of Independent Publishers) in October 2012. Thereafter, the publishers presented a report on the state of bibliodiversity in their country since 2007 (progresses, obstacles, how does digital publishing shape independent publishing, how publishers collectives operate, what are the Alliance’s priority areas for the years to come). The publishers then worked in small groups on specific themes (co-publishing, digital publishing, public policies...), to develop a network action plan for the next two years and prepare the Assembly 2013 and 2014 of the Alliance.

Publishers also participated to the Otra Mirada Forum, jointly organised by the FIL and the Librerías Cálamo.

Finally, on 28 November 2012, at 13h00, the Alliance facilitated a roundtable in partnership with the FIL on “Changes in the book industry: the challenges of bibliodiversity”.

The report of this workshop is underway.

"In this age of deep transformation, we wish to convene a meeting to reflect on our practices, listen to new ideas and include new generations of publishers who share our concerns. Considering two new factors – emergence of new digital actors and global financial crisis – we wish to question our role and reaffirm the issue of bibliodiversity.

In this spirit, we have decided to hold the International Assembly of Independent Publishers, which will be a series of preparatory and thematic workshops in 2013, closing with an Assembly of allies (general meeting) in 2014. The whole process will lead to:
* propositions and recommendations towards bibliodiversity aimed at public authorities;
* cooperative and innovative publishing between independent publishers, based on equity principles;
* new forms of partnerships with other professionals from the book industry meeting in the context of bibliodiversity.

Gathering more than 100 independent publishers from the five continents, the International Assembly of independent publishers is a unique event, professional and intercultural. Professionals, public authorities, institutions and civil society representatives are invited to join us to strengthen and keep bibliodiversity alive".

Paris, on 26 October 2012

by the International Committee of Independent Publishers:
Nouri Abid (Med Ali publishers, Tunisia),
Serge Dontchueng Kouam (Presses universitaires d’Afrique, Cameroon), Susan Hawthorne (Spinifex Press, Australia),
Hamid Medhipour (Forough Verlag, Germany),
Araken Ribeiro Gomes (Contra Capa, Brazil),
Juan Carlos Sáez (JC Sáez Editor, Chile)

First step - 2013 preparatory workshops: from practices to propositions promoting bibliodiversity

Throughout 2013, independent publishers will meet in Latin America, Africa and Europe, in the context of preparatory and thematic workshops. The 2014 Assembly of Allies in Cape Town (South Africa) will close this process. These workshops have a trifold objective: develop and mutualise cooperative and innovative work practices between independent publishers; sustainably strengthen professional capacities and human relations amongst the book industry’s actors; formulate concrete propositions towards bibliodiversity.

The workshops will be held over three to five days, and are structured on a common template:
* Practical training (with the intervention of professionals and/ or specialists, depending on the themes) and knowledge and experience sharing based on concrete projects and little known initiatives;
* Formulation of propositions and recommendations towards bibliodiversity.

For workshops to meet expectations, publishers will design their own daily programme, based on the local context in which they operate and on their concerns. As beneficiaries and actors, the transmission of practical knowledge and practices is at the heart of these days.

To enrich these workshops and promote cooperation, some professionals from the book industry, associative structures, and private and public institutions are invited to share original projects and unique experiences that could be repeated in the publishing sector.

The conclusions of each workshop are centralised by the International Committee of Independent Publishers – and redistributed to participants – to collectively build the 2014 Assembly of Allies’ agenda.

Bibliodiversity in action in Guadalajara
In the context of the Guadalajara International Book Fair (Mexico)
24 to 28 November 2012

Book donation: A system to review
In the margins on the Paris Book Fair (France)
20 and 21 March 2013

African Youth Literature: What visibility on the international market?
In the margins of the Bologna Book Fair (Italy)
23 and 24 March 2013

Local and national languages: What opportunities for publishing in Africa?
Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)
11 to 13 June 2013

Fair Trade book: A real issue for tomorrow / Co-publishing, rights transfers and other solidarity publishing partnerships
Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)
14 to 17 June 2013

Diffusion of human and social sciences works: What innovative strategies to get what you want?
In the margins of the Frankfurt Book Fair (Germany)
13 to 15 October 2013

Digital publishing: What issues for bibliodiversity in the Arab-speaking world?
In the margins of the Abu Dhabi International Book fair
30 April to 3 May 2014

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

The label “Fair Trade Book” is attributed by the International Alliance of independent publishers to works published in the context of international publishing agreements that respect each other’s particularities: fair co- publishing. These fair copublishings enable the sharing of costs linked to intellectual and physical production of books and therefore ensure an economy of scale; an exchange of professional know-how and a common experience, while respecting the publishers’ cultural contexts and identities; and a distribution of works on a broader scale by adjusting prices for each geographic zone.

Download the format epub here!