English

• Gijón meeting (Spain), 2000 (an initiative led by four Spanish-speaking publishers in reaction to the emergence of Spanish multinationals in Latin America)
• Creation of the Alliance project by a group of publishers and Etienne Galliand – who would become the first director of the association
• Paris meeting (France), 2001 (some few days away from the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity)
• Foundation of the “Alliance of Independent Publishers Association, for Another Globalisation”, as per Law 1901 (head office in Paris) 2002
• Dakar meeting (Senegal), 2003 (Declaration of Solidarity amongst Independent Publishers)
• Guadalajara meeting (Mexico), 2005 (Declaration of independent publishers of the Latin world)
• International Assembly of Independent Publishers in Paris (France), 2007 (International Declaration of Independent Publishers to promote and strenghten bibliodiversity together)
• Name change of the association to International Alliance of independent publishers, 2008
• Creation of the International Committee of Independent Publishers (ICIP), 2009
• International Assembly of independent publishers – preparatory meetings and closing meeting in Cape Town (South Africa), 2012-2014 (International Declaration of independent publishers, to promote and strengthen bibliodiversity together, and 80 recommendations and tools in support of bibliodiversity)
• Creation of the Bibliodiversity Observatory, 2016
• Mapping public book policies in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, 2020
• International Conference of Independent publishing in Pamplona-Iruñea, 2021 (Declaration ’for independent, decolonial, ecological, feminist, free, social and solidarity-based publishing’)
• Guide to good practice, 2022
• First edition of Babelica, 2022
• Name change of the association (not in English but in Spanish, French, Portuguese, etc.) to Alliance internationale de l’édition indépendante / Alianza internacional de editoriales independientes, 2024

« Elles marchent côte à côte, serrées l’une contre l’autre, avancent à petits pas vers jedu. La végétation les empêche d’aller plus vite. Elles ne se sont pas munies d’un coutelas, pour trancher les branches rebelles. D’ailleurs, elles ont tout leur temps. Il en est ainsi, lorsqu’on ignore où l’on va : point n’est besoin de se hâter... De quoi s’inquiéter quand on a tout perdu ? »
Dire, avec les mots les plus justes, l’interminable douleur de ceux qui restent après le départ du grand « poisson de fer » des étrangers aux « pieds de poule », tel est le mérite de ce roman de Léonora Miano. Rarement un roman a su nous faire vivre avec autant d’émotion le désespoir et le désarroi des familles frappées en pleine nuit par le feu prédateur des négriers.

Née à Douala (Cameroun) en 1973, Léonora Miano vit en France depuis 1991. L’Intérieur de la Nuit, son premier roman, est paru en 2005. Une dizaine d’autres ont suivi depuis lors, recevant de nombreuses distinctions littéraires. Son écriture s’attache aux expériences subsahariennes et afrodescendantes, les inscrivant dans la conscience du monde. La Saison de l’Ombre a reçu le prix Femina 2013.

Date de publication de la version panafricaine : 2016, 11,5 X 19 cm
Édition première en France : Grasset (2013)

Une coédition solidaire « Le livre équitable ».

« Un système économique et social est en état d’équilibre
dynamique lorsque des voix différentes peuvent être entendues ».

Inspiré de la notion de biodiversité, le terme « bibliodiversité » fait référence à un ensemble de publications variées dans le paysage éditorial, représentatives d’un système culturel équilibré où toutes les voix peuvent s’exprimer. Aujourd’hui, l’uniformisation des médias et la concentration des secteurs de l’édition et de la librairie favorisent le développement d’une culture standardisée et soumise, à grand renfort de campagnes marketing, à des exigences de rentabilité plus que d’originalité et de qualité. En quête d’une autre voix, les petits éditeurs indépendants entendent bien maintenir la diversité culturelle.

S’inspirant de son propre parcours, l’auteure, militante féministe australienne et éditrice indépendante engagée, fait ici le lien entre l’évolution de la place de la femme dans notre société et la bibliodiversité, entre l’oppression des femmes et celle
des créations à la marge, dédaignées par les poids lourds de l’édition. À l’heure du numérique et de l’autopublication, elle rappelle les fonctions indispensables de relecture et de mise en forme assurées par l’éditeur, qui garantissent la qualité d’un
ouvrage. Elle s’attache aussi à mettre en avant les talents d’innovation des petites structures indépendantes, développant une nouvelle forme d’ « écologie de l’édition » en marge des grosses structures vers une véritable bibliodiversité du XXI^e siècle.

Une traduction de l’anglais vers le français, couplée à une coédition solidaire entre 4 éditeurs en France (éditions Charles Léopold Mayer), en Suisse (éditions d’en bas), au Mali (Jamana) et au Cameroun (Presses universitaires d’Afrique).

From October, 19th to 23rd, meet the independent publishers at the Frankfurt Book Fair : more than 25 publishing houses from all around the world will be there !

You can find the publishers’ contact on the attached document. Do not wait to make an appointment !

The International Alliance of independent publishers demands that Turkish authorities immediately release publishers, authors and journalists currently detained. It is necessary to guarantee freedom of speech and publishing in Turkey. The Alliance joins the Turkish Publishers Association’s condemnation of the summary closure of publishing houses and media as a clear human rights violation, and urges the Turkish authorities to rescind those summary closures.

The Alliance has adopted an original method of internal organization, respecting both the democratic principles and the functioning of an international network. The Alliance rests above all on its member publishers, represented by the International Committee of Independent Publishers (ICIP). It also relies on a Board – charged with upholding and respecting the publishers’ decisions – and a permanent staff.

Through the support of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and the partnership established with the Ivorian publishers association (Assedi), the Alliance’s Digital Lab will convene 18 publishers from Sub-Saharan Africa from 23 to 27 May, to a workshop focusing on :
* the production and marketing of digital books (session facilitated by Gilles Colleu, Vents d’ailleurs, France) ;
* management of the Alliance Press web template developed by the Alliance for publishers who do not have websites (session facilitated by Mouhammed Diop, Senegalese developer and designer of Alliance Press).

The workshop follows on the series of meetings/training workshops designed and implemented by the Alliance since 2010, and is aimed at publishers in particular from French-speaking Africa. In order to share knowledge and encourage ownership, all workshops and meetings of the Alliance are complemented by factsheets published on the Digital Lab website, and personalised online tutorials.

The workshop will be held at the occasion of the Abidjan Book Fair (26-28 May, Palais de la Culture), and will provide the opportunity for publishers to share the collective stand of the Afrilivres association. The Afrilivres Prize will be awarded on that occasion, in the presence of the recipient of the 2015 prize : Valesse publishers from Ivory Coast.

After studying political sciences, Laura Aufrère was for 5 years coordinator of the French confederation gathering not-for-profit cultural professional initiatives from a variety of disciplines (music, theater, outdoor and circus, visual arts, etc.), rooted in the solidarity economy movement (UFISC). She is now a PHD student in management, looking specifically into critical approaches in the organisation theory and the digital humanities fields. She studies commons and social and solidarity economy initiatives, focusing specifically on work and labour organisation, cooperation and governance issues, and social protection. She joins the Alliance Board in 2016 and is now its President.

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

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.

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

Read the text of the Convention.
Read the Operational Guidelines of the Convention here.