The Alliance

“I wouldn’t have written the many books if I didn’t have publishers who were sensitive, publishers who had their own networks, publishers who worked with my philosophy of smallness is beautiful, smallness in self-organised form is largeness—it is largeness of mind, it is largeness of heart, it is largeness in terms of expanding the possibilities of humanity and the earth in a time where the dominant economy would like to shrink those possibilities.”

“If you were not as diverse as you are and if you did not publish the diversity of ideas that are necessary for our times not only would you as a publishing network not have the resilience and robustness that is needed, but wouldn’t be providing that amazing robustness to society in a period where, like monocultures are destroying the fertility of the soil and creating deserts (...)”

Read the speech by Vandana Shiva at the closing of the International Conference on Independent Publishers, Pamplona-Iruñea, 26 November 2021.

This speech is also available in audio on the Alliance’s Youtube channel.

“More than ever, the future of the book—namely its diversity and promotion of minority and alternative voices—rests on the shoulders of independent editors, who give life to the book’s cultural necessity through their commitment, convictions, and attachment to causes that break with the lone dictature of capitalism.”

“My third novel, Munyal ; les larmes de la patience (forthcoming in English translation in October 2022 as The Impatients), is now available in many Francophone African countries because of the Alliance’s ’Terres solidaires’ collection. Many African authors feature on that list, but the part that brings me the most pride is to have such a recognition from Sub-Saharan Africa, where I live and work. This is truly the spirit of diversity that is so dear to the Alliance, and what represents the values that we writers and editors must defend and promote. The Alliance plays such a fundamental role in this sense, mitigating as much as possible the issue of book distribution in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Francophone countries.”

Read the speech by Djaïli Amadou Amal at the closing of the International Conference on Independent Publishers, Pamplona-Iruñea, 26 November 2021.

Translated from the French by Allison M. Charette.

This speech is also available in audio on the Alliance’s Youtube channel.

The Independent Publishing Glossary is a collective project led by publishers from the Spanish-language network of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers.

It shows the meanings and definitions of words commonly used in publishing. It is an evolving project, which will be enriched over time in order to include new concepts and to take into account other proposal for definitions. The idea is not to freeze or petrify the concepts, but to open them up to enhance their multiple meanings.

Each term is signed by the person who worked on the definition. The glossary was edited by Germán Gacio Baquiola (Corredor Sur Editorial, Ecuador / Colectivo Editores independientes de Ecuador), Teresa Gottlieb, (Editorial Maitri, Chile), Paulo Slachevsky (Lom Ediciones, Chile) and Miguel Villafuerte, (Editorial Blanca, Ecuador).

1/ The Alliance, a place for experimentation and reflection through the Bibliodiversity Observatory

• Continue the analyses, reflections and advocacy via the thematic working groups set up during the 2014 Conference and set up new working groups on the themes and issues discussed during the 2021 Conference
• Providing tools and documenting international independent publishing

2/ The Alliance, a space for collaboration and sharing

• Share practices and know-how (on regional, national or even international levels, depending on the needs expressed) between publishers
• Meet and strengthen the flow of exchanges

3/ The Alliance, a tool for promoting independent publishing and the circulation of books

• Encourage the visibility and promotion of independent publishing
• Promote the circulation of works and productions of independent publishing houses

4/ The Alliance, a laboratory of alternative editorial practices

• Pursue and strengthen solidarity-based publishing partnerships (transfer of rights, translations, co-publishing projects, etc.)
• Communicate and increase awareness

5/ The Alliance, an evolving governance and operation

• REthink
• Get involved

Gathered in the city of Pamplona-Iruñea from 23 to 26 November 2021 at the fourth International Conference of Independent Publishers, organised in partnership with EDITARGI (Association of Independent Publishers of Navarre), we, the publishers of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers (IAIP), reaffirm our commitment to :

• the cultural, social and political character of books and reading ;
• the democratisation of books in our societies ;
• reading as an emancipatory practice that strengthens the critical thinking of citizens and stakeholders within their society.

Read the full Declaration here :

This Declaration is in line with the discussions and work of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers, in particular the Declarations of 2003, 2007 and 2014 and the 80 recommendations in favour of bibliodiversity. It will be complemented by a Guide to Good Practice (collective work in progress, for publication in the first half of 2022).

The round-table discussions of the Conference are available in replay on the Alliance’s YouTube channel.

Support bibliodiversity and independent publishing through a professional solidarity network

• Support the creation and strengthening of memberships to national and/or regional publisher collectives (including in Europe)
• Promote bibliodiversity, popularise the idea of bibliodiversity for the general public, for example through the (International Bibliodiversity Day on 21 September, )

Support the creation of national, regional and international book policies

• Create the Bibliodiversity Observatory : mapping of national book policies in Latin America, the Arab world, West Africa… and developing a bibliodiversity measurement tool
• Make independent publishers’ voice heard among public authorities (Ministries of Culture), international organisations (UNESCO, OIF, CERLALC, UEMOA, etc.), and book professionals and collectives : diffuse, promote and defend the International Declaration of independent publishers and the 80 recommendations in support of bibliodiversity

Reaffirm and defend freedom and equity of speech

• Create a censorship typology ; draft advocacy plans in support of, and in solidary with, publishers

Strengthen collaborative spaces and innovate to respond to tomorrow’s changes and issues

• Develop the Digital Lab, organize workshops, and sharing of experiences and tools (on digital publishing, editorial solidarity partnerships, national and local languages publishing, etc.)
• Strengthen inter-professional collaboration (authors, librarians, booksellers, diffusers-distributors, digital actors, etc.) : inter-professional meetings, joint lobbying

Reinstate equilibrium between book exporting countries and importing countries

• Manage an online resource centre, complementing the Bibliodiversity Observatory
• Modernize book donation practices : Book Donation Charter reviewed by professionals from the global South
• Participate in book fairs (collective stands in book fairs in both the global South and global North), promotion of books from the South in the North

Develop and strengthen intercultural sharing

• Develop and support copublishing/ translation projects : North-South and South-South editorial partnerships bearing the “Fair Trade Book” label, and research on economic solidarity models (social and solidarity economy)

Publishers collectively adopted the Alliance’s 2015-2018 objectives during the International Assembly of independent publishing (2012-2014). Projects and activities arise from each of these directions, and are implemented by the Alliance during the 2015-2018 period.

The socio-economic environment, historical approach and political context are only some of the factors to consider in appreciating, in all its complexity and diversity, the notion of an independent publisher. Independent publishers in Chile, France, Benin, Lebanon, or India work in specific contexts that have direct consequences on their activities. However, although the situation differs from one country to another, it is possible to agree on some criteria in order to define what is an independent publisher. Independent publishers develop their editorial policy freely, autonomously, and without external interference. They are not the mouthpieces for a political party, religion, institution, communication group, or company. The structure of capital and the shareholders identity also affect their independence : the takeover of publishing houses by big companies not linked to publishing and implementation of profit-driven policies often result in a loss of independence and a shift in publishing orientation. Independent publishers, as defined by the Alliance’s publishers, are originating publishers : through their often-innovative publishing choices, freedom of speech, publishing and financial risk-taking, they participate in discussions, distribution, and development of their readers’ critical thinking. In this regard, they are key players in bibliodiversity.

During the closing meeting of the International Assembly of Independent Publishers (Cape Town, South Africa, September 18-21, 2014), 400 independent publishers from 45 countries signed the International Declaration of Independent Publishers 2014.
Collectively drafted in three languages, on September 20, 2014, the Declaration 2014 is available in several languages (French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Farsi, Italian, etc.).

Do not hesitate to share the Declaration and promote and strengthen bibliodiversity with us !

Read here the 80 recommendations & tools (on digital publishing, public book policies, youth literature, national and local languages publishing, solidarity publishing partnerships and “Fair Trade Books”, book donations).

Bibliodiversity is cultural diversity applied to the world of books. Echoing biodiversity, it refers to the critical diversity of products (books, scripts, eBooks, apps, and oral literature) made available to readers. Bibliodiversity is a complex, self-sustaining system of storytelling, writing, publishing, and other kinds of production of oral and written literature. The writers and producers are comparable to the inhabitants of an ecosystem. Bibliodiversity contributes to a thriving life of culture and a healthy eco-social system. While large publishers do contribute to publishing diversity through the quantitative importance of their production, it is not enough to guarantee bibliodiversity, which is not only measured by the number of titles available.
Independent publishers, even if they consider their publishing houses’ economic balance, are above all concerned with the content of published products. Independent publishers’ books bring a different outlook and voice, as opposed to the more standardised publications offered by major groups. Independent publishers’ books and other products and their preferred diffusion channels (independent booksellers, among others) are therefore essential to preserve and strengthen plurality and the diffusion of ideas. The word bibliodiversity was invented by Chilean publishers, during the creation of the “Editores independientes de Chile” collective in the late 1990s. The International Alliance of independent publishers significantly contributed to the diffusion and promotion of this notion in several languages, including through the Dakar Declaration (2003), Guadalajara Declaration (2005), Paris Declaration (2007), Cape Town Declaration (2014) and the Pamplona-Iruñea Declaration (2021). Since 2010, International Bibliodiversity Day is celebrated on 21 September.

See the article « Bibliodiversity » on Wikipedia.
The article also exists in French, Spanish and Portuguese.

The bibliodiversity, in pictures !

Container full of books inundating the market, books produced in another cultural setting given away free to readers or public libraries, the setup of local branches by publishing groups from abroad aiming to achieve monopoly conditions… Drawing on some examples of practices with damaging consequences to the publishing market in developing countries, Étienne Galliand (founder of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers) presents an overview of the predation to which emerging markets are subjected directly or indirectly. An edifying panorama.

As a complement to this article, you can consult the Guidelines for Fair Publishing Partnerships (in French).

À quand l’Afrique ? Voilà bien une question que nous préférons éviter, tant l’Afrique semble sans avenir. Mais Joseph Ki-Zerbo, historien et homme d’action burkinabé, ne peut et ne veut occulter cette question. Pour lui, l’Afrique doit conquérir son identité, fière de sa contribution à l’aventure humaine.
Un livre passionnant, nourri d’une Afrique vécue et étudiée pendant des décennies, riche de réflexions profondes d’un historien sur le rôle de son métier pour l’action concrète des hommes. Un livre engagé : N’an lara, an sara (Si nous nous couchons, nous sommes morts).

Joseph Ki-Zerbo, éminent historien, né à Toma (Burkina Faso) en 1922, est décédé en 2006 à Ouagadougou. Il a notamment publié Histoire de l’Afrique noire (Hatier), dirigé les volumes I et IV de la monumentale Histoire générale de l’Afrique (UNESCO), et La Natte des autres : pour un développement endogène en Afrique (Karthala). Il est interrogé par René Holenstein, docteur en histoire et spécialiste des questions du développement, longtemps en poste à Ouagadougou.

Cette réédition d’À quand l’Afrique, qui intervient après la disparition du Professeur Joseph Ki-Zerbo en 2006, rend témoignage de l’actualité et de la profondeur de sa pensée. Elle est publiée simultanément en Afrique, en Europe, au Canada et en Haïti.

Cette réédition est augmentée de notes réalisées par les éditions Pallas au Brésil pour la publication en portugais de l’ouvrage. Ces notes ont été traduites en français par Caroline Sordia.

Date de la première édition : 2004 ; réédition : 2013 ; 240 pages ; format poche ; ISBN France : 9782708241626 ; ISBN Suisse : 9782829004568 ; ISBN Québec : 9782897120337

Cette coédition solidaire porte le label Le livre équitable.  

Les coéditeurs et l’Alliance remercient Claude Calame, directeur d’études à l’EHESS à Paris et la Direction du Développement et de la Coopération suisse pour leur précieux soutien.

Les manœuvres des cigarettiers, les mensonges ayant entouré le Médiator, les non-dits de l’industrie chimique à propos du Bisphénol A : les scandales de santé publique ne manquent pas. Bien qu’il n’y ait pas toujours eu de certitude scientifique quant à la nocivité de ces produits, le principe de précaution aurait dû l’emporter. Nous sommes aujourd’hui dans la même situation pour les OGM.

Faisant le constat du refus des autorités publiques de jouer leur rôle, des défaillances, des conflits d’intérêt et autres manœuvres destinées à empêcher la recherche indépendante et la transparence sur les effets des OGM, le Comité de recherche et d’information indépendantes sur le génie génétique (Criigen) a décidé de mener lui-même une expérimentation qui est une première.

Corinne LEPAGE raconte dans cet ouvrage la saga de cette expérience, la manière dont elle s’inscrit dans l’histoire des OGM en Europe et les perspectives de participation qu’elle ouvre à la société civile. Elle propose un nouveau modèle d’expertise, pluraliste, pluridisciplinaire et contradictoire, fondé sur la responsabilité des experts et des politiques, et dans lequel les citoyens ont toute leur place.

Résumé extrait du site Internet des éditions Charles Léopold Mayer

Éditeur : Il leone verde
Date de publication : 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 23rd to the 27th 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 23rd and 24th 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 25th 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

Discover publishers’ backgrounds, get to know their work and their publications, and listen to the voice of independent publishers… by reading the exclusive publishers portraits in this section !

In partnership with the online magazine ActuaLitté, interviews with publishers member of the Alliance are regularly added here. Explore the interviews :
* Élodie Comtois (Écosociété publishers in Québec),
* Samar Haddad (Atlas Publishing in Syria),
* Marie Michèle Razafintsalama (Jeunes malgaches in Madagascar),
* Constanza Brunet (Marea Editorial in Argentina),
* Antoinette Koleva (KX Critique & Humanism in Bulgaria),
* Karine Joseph (Sirocco in Morocco),
* Colleen Higgs (Modjaji Books in South Africa),
* François Nkémé (Proximité in Cameroon),
* Aliou Sow (Ganndal, Guinea Conakry),
* Ritu Menon (Women Unlimited in India).
* Ivana Jinkings (Boitempo in Brazil),
* Sophie Bazin and Johary Ravaloson (Dodo vole in Madagascar),
* Dorota Hartwich (Format in Poland),
* Amanda Crocker (Between the Lines, Canada),
* Dieulermesson Petit Frère (LEGS Édition, Haiti),
* Corinne Fleury (Atelier des nomades, Mauritius),
* Abdulai Sila (Ku Si Mon, Guinea Bissau),
* Susan Hawthorne (Spinifex Press, Australia),
* Dan Bomboko (Elondja, Democratic Republic of Congo).

After studying at the IUT Book Trade in Aix-en-Provence, Laurence Hugues went to earn a bachelor’s degree in Literature at Trois-Rivières University in Québec, and later a Masters’ degree in Book Marketing at Paris 13-Villetaneuse University. After several professionals stays in West Africa, she joined the International Alliance of independent publishers’ team in 2007. In July 2009, Etienne GALLIAND passed on management responsabilities to Laurence HUGUES.

After a master’s degree in French Literature at the Sorbonne Nouvelle, Camille CLOAREC worked at the Maison de la Poésie in Nantes and was also the coordinator of literary life at Ciclic (the center of book, cinema and digital culture for the Loire Valley Region), before being in-charge of the book and debates office at the French Embassy in Canada. In 2019, Camille began learning Telugu (Indian language) at Inalco.
Camille joins the Alliance team in July 2020 ; she is in charge of the management of the the association’s language networks and the co-publishing and translation projects within the Alliance.

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.

Vice-President of the Board of the Alliance since the General Assembly of June 20, 2011, Luc Pinhas is a former student of the École normale supérieure in Saint-Cloud. He holds a PhD in Communication Studies and teaches at Paris 13-Villetaneuse University, where he is currently in charge of a master’s degree on “Book Marketing”.

Thierry Quinqueton has long experience in the publishing world and of intercultural dialogue. He was Literary Director at the Desclée de Brouwer publishing house (France) from 1991 to 1999, and then Director of the French Cultural Center in Khartoum from 2000 to 2004. After spending four years at the French Department of Foreign Affairs (department of written documents and libraries), he was responsible from May 2009 to July 2013 for the libraries network in the Châtellerault area ; from 2013 to 2017, he was in charge of the Book Office at the French Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. Thierry Quinqueton also pursues his research on the links between market economies, public policies, and non-monetary aspects within the book economy (Law and Development of Social and Solidarity Economy - University of Poitiers). Author of « Que ferait Saul Alinsky ? » (DDB, 2011), he was Chairman of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers from 2006 to 2013.

Mariette Robbes is specialized in network facilitation, public relations and project management in the associative and cultural sectors. She has worked at Katha publishing (India), at the International Association of Francophone Booksellers and the International Youth Library (Germany).
Her growing passion for “third places” and innovative ways of working and creating (fablabs, coworking, shared workshops, etc.) led her to explore new horizons. She is now working as a Network Development & Animation Manager at myCowork, in Paris.
Passionate about publishing for youth in India, she is also an associate member of the academic project DELI (Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Literatures of India). In addition, Mariette works as a freelancer (support for fundraising, graphic design and layout).

Jérôme Chevrier has been working for 20 years in the book and reading sector. As a librarian, he has worked at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Ministry of Culture, the Centre national du livre and the French Institute of South Africa.
He was in charge of cultural mediation at the Centre Pompidou public information library. He is currently cultural attaché in charge of the Book Department at the French Embassy in London.
He joined the Alliance Board in July 2021.

A committed journalist with a special interest in international solidarity, sustainable development and human rights, David Eloy founded Altermondes in 2005, a media focusing on civil society’s actors, where he was editor-in-chief until 2016. He previously held positions in several international NGOs, including the Centre de recherche et d’information pour le développement (CRID), Peuples Solidaires – Action Aid France and the Association internationale de techniciens, experts et chercheurs (Aitec).

As an English professor with a degree in languages and comparative literature, Marielle Morin’s professional career has revolved around books, languages and research.
She has worked in the International Rights Department at the University of Chicago Press, and as a librarian at the Centre for Indian and South Asian Studies (CEIAS-EHESS). She has translated Indian literature from English (Khushwant Singh, Anita Naïr, Amruta Patil) and Bengali (Mahasweta Devi) and then went on to manage the media libraries and the book office of the French Embassy/ Institute in New Delhi first, then in Cairo, for eight years until 2014.

She is now back at the CEIAS, where she is in charge of international research projects within the research focus areas of Asia, Middle East and Muslim Worlds and African Studies.

She continues to be interested in languages, Indian literature, translation, and book history, and is an associate member of the DELI academic project (Encyclopedic Dictionary of Indian Literature).