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10 publishing houses from 10 different countries were indeed represented in an especially fit out 60 m² space. Five publishers were present and stayed for 6 days in tune with the fair: Russel Clarke (Jacana Media, South Africa), Béatrice Lalinon Gbado (éditions Ruisseaux d’Afrique, Benin), Marianna Warth (Pallas Editora, Brazil), Marie-Michèle Razafinstalama (éditions Prediff, Madagascar) and Paulin Assem (éditions Graines de pensées, Togo) thus participated both in setting up the stand as well as in managing it.

Read: The eighth issue of Bibliodiversity, the newsletter of the Alliance of independent publishers, has just come out!

The Peruvian publishers that were present at the International Assembly in Paris last July (Germán Coronado, Ediciones PEISA and Álvaro Lasso, Estruendomudo), have participated in founding the Alianza Peruana de Editores in Lima in September. The creation of this Alliance, which gathers about twenty independent, academic and autonomous publishers, is perfectly in line with the appeal launched by signatory publishers in International Declaration of Independent Publishers for the protection and promotion of bibliodiversity (Paris, July 2007): “we call upon independent publishers everywhere in the world to join forces –whether at the national, regional, or international level– creating associations and other collective bodies which will permit us to better defend our rights, and to make our voices heard.”
According to Germán Coronado : “Esta nueva entidad gremial nace como un reflejo de lo que aconteció en París en julio pasado.” (“This new collective entity is born as a reflection of what happened in Paris last July").
The statutes of this Peruvian Alliance are available on the following link: http://alpe.wordpress.com

We wish this national association of independent publishers success in protecting and fostering bibliodiversity as well as its Latin American counterparts (AEMI in Mexico, EDINAR in Argentina, LIBRE in Brazil).

75 independent publishers from more than 45 countries – including members of associations representing over 380 publishing houses – gathered in Paris in the French National Library from July 1-4, 2007 for an International Assembly on Independent Publishing. In the International Declaration of Independent Publishers, they reaffirm their intention to resist and to act with a common purpose.

International Assembly on Independent Publishing -
Paris, 1-4 July, 2007

As the independence of publishing is increasingly discussed, we have decided to bring into debate a possible definition of the “independent creation publisher”. This tool, in the shape of a series of questions, would allow to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a publisher in terms of independence.

Read: The seventh issue of Bibliodiversity, the newsletter of the Alliance of independent publishers, has just come out!

We got some very bad news from Burkina Faso in the month of December: Joseph Ki-Zerbo (photo below), an eminent African historian, political activist, promoter of independence movements, and reputable author, passed away. Upon hearing the news, Marie-Agathe Amoikon Fauquembergue of Eburnie publications (Ivory Coast) responded: “À baobab has left us!”.

We would like to salute the man, author, and thinker Ki-Zerbo was. We remember the international co-publication of his last work, which he entrusted to Alliance members: “À quand l’Afrique?” (“When’s the time for Africa?”) has become a reference, the winner of the “World Citizen award” (prix RFI Citoyen du Monde), a commercial success, and is now translated into Portuguese by 4 members of our network. We would like to send our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

What is an independent publisher? What is a “creative publisher”? Can a large group be an independent publisher? How can a publisher, in the context of concentration and financial constraints, stay independent in daily life, while maintaining its activist role?
Such are the questions that Gilles Colleu confronts in his work Independent Publishers: moving from the age of reason on to the attack? (“Éditeurs indépendants: de l’âge de raison vers l’offensive?”). Far from any caricature, Gilles uses sound and engaging reasoning based on a “certain idea” of publishing to show us some characteristics that make the creative independent publisher a major actor, and a natural defender, of book diversity.

“Independent Publishers: moving from the age of reason on to the attack?”

Alliance of Independent Publishers

Collection “État des lieux de l’édition” (“Reports on the publishing world”)

160 pages, 10 € in France

ISBN 13: 978-2-9519747-2-2

Recycled paper

Find all the information on the collection “État des lieux de l’édition”) here.

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Throughout 46 well-documented pages and based on an extensive in-the-field investigation, Stéphane Marill has produced this remarkable analysis of “Publishing in Côte d’Ivoire: a study of the educational sector subjected to offers to tender”. This comprehensive overview comprises an all-new step-by-step guide for publishers wishing to apply for school publishing tenders (read also this article).

This study, available in Spanish, was carried out as an International Alliance of independent publishers exclusive by Elena Enríquez Fuentes (Mexico) in 2008.

Her work demonstrates that there is a considerable bias in the trading of books between Spain and Latin America. This assertion is based on the analysis of exports and imports between Spain and Latin America in 2006 and 2007.

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.

Through a step-by-step approach, with examples and a pedagogical method, Stéphane Marill gives a precious “vade mecum” for any publisher wishing to respond to a call for tenders in the school textbook industry.

Why did the large majority of European countries choose to protect the book, setting its price through trade agreements or legal measures? How were these protection mechanisms, which make the book into a cultural exception permitted by the European Commission, gradually implemented? Markus Gerlach offers a broad analysis the price-fixing of books in Europe: he begins by relating the background of this measure and then analyzes the economic effects. In the end he shows the extent to which the price-fixing of books, apart from its cultural and economic importance, also assumes an eminently political dimension.

“Protéger le livre” by Markus Gerlach (in French) - available in Spanish (“Cómo proteger el libro”), in Portuguese (“Proteger o livro”) and in Italian (“Proteggere il libro”).

Year of publication: 2006, 160 pages, 15 x 21 cm, ISBN 10: 2-9519747-2-8; ISBN 13: 978-2-9519747-2-2

Year of publication: 2006, 288 pages, 15 x 21 cm, ISBN 978-2-9519747-3-9

Far from being a caricature, developing a reasoning based on his personal conception of publishing, Gilles Colleu explores some of the characteristics of a typical independent publisher.
What do we mean by independent publisher? Are they necessarily small concerns? Can a major group be independent? In a context of concentration and increasing dominance of financial considerations, how can publishers remain independent while playing their crucial role of putting fresh ideas forward?

Gilles Colleu is a former student of Jean-Marie Bouvaist and has taught alongside him on the Master course at Villetaneuse University. He is now an associate professor in the publishing professions department of the IUT in Aix-en-Provence. He founded the Vents d’ailleurs publishing house and manages it with Jutta Hepke, and for the past 20 years has acted as a consultant to publishers.

In this work, he stresses his conviction that publishing needs to be rooted in a long cycle of cultivation, to build a coherent catalogue and long-lasting business.

NB: pages 94 to 97 of this work feature a full, fresh definition of independent publishing, suggested by the International Alliance of Independent Publishers.

Year of publication: 2006, 160 pages, 15 x 21 cm, ISBN 10: 2-9519747-2-8; ISBN 13: 978-2-9519747-2-2

A thorough report by Luc Pinhas, in French

Why do books have such restricted circulation in the French-speaking world? Which way does the flow go and which are one-way streets? What current legislation encourages publishing and the marketing of works? Are public policies sufficient? What setbacks are encountered in the marketing of works? Luc Pinhas draws a comprehensive portrait of the state of publishing, including legislation, circulation, distribution and marketing of books in the French-speaking world. This dossier, featuring entries on many themes and geographic locations, provides a complete overview of local realities, illustrated with telling examples. After analysing measures that states, associations and syndicates of publishing and book-store professionals have implemented, the author puts forward some proposals to fuel a much-needed debate. To achieve this and to hear what the main players had to say, especially with regard to the South, a fruitful survey was conducted at the Ouagadougou book fair in November 2004, in partnership with the international Association of French-speaking Bookstore Managers (AILF) - [http://www.librairesfrancophones.org/]

Year of publication: 2005, 288 pages, 15 X 21 cm, ISBN: 978-2-9519747-1-X

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.