The Alliance

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.

The notion of fair speech expands the idea of ‘free speech’ to incorporate the concept of justice. Indeed, in a context of media concentration, dominant powers (whether political, economic, religious, ideological, etc.) are the most represented and heard (because they are powerful or loud). Fair speech fosters speech equity for other voices that are often marginalised and/or censored to be heard. Fair speech therefore promotes an equitable access to expression (for example for women, historically marginalised groups, etc.), enabling an authentic diversity of voices. This concept was created by Betty McLellan in Unspeakable (Spinifex Press, 2010, Australia) and promoted by Susan Hawthorne in Bibliodiversity : A Manifesto for Independent Publishing (Spinifex Press, 2014, Australia).

The Dakar Declaration (December 2003) is the foundational text of the Alliance and birth certificate of the association. The Guadalajara Declaration (October 2005) is the outcome of a meeting held in Mexico between independent publishers from the Latin world.
The International Declaration of independent publishers for the protection and promotion of bibliodiversity (July 2007) was drafted and signed by the 70 publishers participating to the International Assembly of independent publishers held in Paris in 2007.
These three texts, as well as the 2014 International Declaration of independent publishers, are milestones in the history of the Alliance – they are a reminder, and bear witness to the present bearing testimony to the commitment of independent publishers, and serve as their policy guidelines.

The International Alliance of independent publishers is a professional collective that brings together more than 800 independent publishing houses in 60 countries around the world. Created as an association in 2002, it is composed of 6 language networks (English, Arabic, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Persian) and thematic groups. Members of the Alliance are publishing houses and publisher collectives.
The Alliance’s activities promote and strengthen bibliodiversity (cultural diversity applied to the world of the book).

In alignment with its mission, the Alliance created a Bibliodiversity Observatory that gathers studies, analysis and tools produced by the Alliance, aimed at professionals and public authorities. The Observatory’s objectives include assessing and strengthening bibliodiversity in the world.

The Alliance also hosts and facilitates international meetings and thematic workshops (for example on children’s book publishing, digital publishing, etc.), enabling independent publishers from various continents to exchange ideas and initiate collaborations. These meetings support increasing capacity through peer sharing, an aspect developed in particular around the issue of digital publishing in the context of the Digital Lab.
The Alliance supports international publishing projects (co-publishing, translation, copyright transfers, etc.), for greater circulation of texts and fair access to books for readers.

In 2022, the Alliance launched a first-of-its-kind initiative : the first edition of Babelica, an international online Book Fair of Independent Publishing, which takes place once a year, on 21 September (International Bibliodiversity Day).

• 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

On Saturday 24 March, 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.

Created in 2013 in Germany by the Hamburg-based publishing house Mairisch Verlag –member of the German association of independent publishers Kurt Wolff Stiftung, the Indie Book Day has first met a great success in Germany, and then has been celebrated also in other countries – like the UK, Italy, Portugal, and Brazil. For this special occasion, independent bookshops promote the event (posters in their bookshops, specific campaign on the social networks). To help readers to make their choice, specific spaces can be proposed in the bookshop to focus on the diversity of independent publishing.

In 2018, the Kurt Wolff Stiftung (Germany), the ODEI (Italy) and the International Alliance of independent publishers (550 publishers from more than 52 countries around the world) keep fostering the Indie Book Day.

Indie Book Day website : www.indiebookday.de/english

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/.

• Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/indpub/
• Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/bibliodiversidad/

Nouvelle édition publiée en 2017 par la marca editora (Argentine), en coédition avec EDINAR (Argentine) et le CERLALC.
Ouvrage de référence publié initialement par le CERLALC.

ISBN : 978-950-889-299-7
264 pages / 20 X 25 cm

Pour en savoir plus.

Voir également ci-dessous l’édition péruvienne du Manual de edición, éditée par La Travesía Editora, maison d’édition péruvienne, membre du collectif EIP au Pérou.

Album illustré jeunesse – édition bilingue français-malgache
Traduit du portugais (Brésil) vers le français par Joana Cabral, traduit en malgache par Veloniaina Rabakoly

Éditions Jeunes Malgaches, 2014, 32 pages
Édition originale : Pallas Editora (Brésil)

ISBN : 978-2 916362-42-7

Ce livre est issu de plusieurs rencontres entre les éditrices et éditeurs membres de l’Alliance internationale des éditeurs indépendants (« Groupe jeunesse » de l’Alliance), lors de salons du livre (stand collectif jeunesse) et dans le cadre d’ateliers autour de la littérature jeunesse. Ces temps de partage, de connaissance mutuelle, d’échanges, de savoir-faire favorisent des partenariats éditoriaux inédits. En soutenant et favorisant ces partenariats, les membres de l’Alliance participent à la circulation des textes et des idées d’un continent à un autre, mais aussi d’une langue à une autre. À travers ces partenariats éditoriaux solidaires, il s’agit aussi de développer des flux de traduction encore « rares », par exemple ici du portugais du Brésil vers le malgache.

Kofi était enfant dans un village du Ghana, au temps où ce pays s’appelait la Gold Coast et était une colonie anglaise. Il avait entendu dire qu’il existait des gens qui avaient des cheveux clairs et des peaux blanches, peaux qui rougissaient quand ils étaient en colère et qui, alors, pouvaient brûler celui qui les touchait. Imaginez alors son inquiétude quand il se trouva face à un jeune Anglais, venu en visite avec son père, chef d’une délégation officielle. Le petit Blanc, lui, pensait que le noir de la peau s’effaçait au toucher… Tous ces présupposés écartés, leur sourire et leur poignée de main sont des plus sincères. Cette histoire, porteuse de leçon sur l’importance de la rencontre pour dépasser les préjugés, est servie par un texte qui reflète bien le point de Kofi avec toute sa naïveté. Les illustrations aux belles couleurs chaudes modèlent formes et lumières.
Les dernières pages du livre sont consacrées à un intéressant dossier documentaire sur le Ghana.
Présentation du livre : © Nathalie Beau (Takam Tikou)

Traduit du portugais (Brésil) vers le français par Flavio Corrêa de Mello

Ruisseaux d’Afrique (Bénin), 2012 ; 37 pages
Édition originale : Pallas Editora (Brésil)

After Ouagadougou, Tunis, Dakar, Abidjan ... it is in Conakry – UNESCO World Book Capital in 2017 – that will be held the next digital workshop of the Alliance, bringing together more than 15 publishers from West Africa, Central Africa and Madagascar. This workshop, facilitated by publishers and typographers, will explore digital tools to solve the typographical problems encountered in the production of books in local languages.

This workshop is supported by the International Organization of the Francophonie and is held thanks to the partnership with Ganndal publishers, a member of the Alliance in Guinea Conakry.

Ganndal publishing, who are celebrating their 25th year in 2017, are also organizing several activities during this period, to be held at the Centre culturel franco-guinéen. Publishers participating in the workshop will participate to some of these events, and will speak at the symposium on children’s literature in Africa :
• Colloquium on children’s literature in Africa : 22 to 23 November
• Children Book Fair : from 23 to 26 November
• Colloquium on the challenges related to the promotion and distributing of books in African languages : 27 and 28 November
Overview of the activities and programme here.

WHY A HOTLIST ?

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

The 9 coordinators and vice-coordinators of the Alliance’s 6 language networks, the Board and the Alliance team gather for the ICIP, an essential annual meeting in the governance of the association. On the agenda : public book policies in West Africa, Latin America and in the Arab world ; the Europe and the Alliance ; strategy and governance ; the Alliance of tomorrow...

As the Frankfurt Book Fair (11-15 October 2017) opens in a few weeks’ time, with a special focus on France and French languages, the International Alliance of independent publishers takes the opportunity to revisit some key issues for independent publishers and bibliodiversity, as expressed by 400 publishers from 50 countries, in the International Declaration of independent publishers of 2014.

France wished, in the context of Frankfurt’s invitation, to provide a space for publishers from the South and we are grateful for this opportunity. We hope this openness will contribute towards meaningful networking, discussion, and exchanges among Francophone publishers. These mutual trust and interest, at the heart of the Alliance, have indeed proven themselves over the past 15 years, leading to unprecedented co-publishing and translation projects between continents.

However, other aspects of “Frankfurt in French” are counterintuitive to this dynamic. Book donation initiatives from France to Africa are indeed planned in Frankfurt this year. More specifically, the 30 000 books to be displayed in the French Pavilion will be distributed to foreign countries after Frankfurt – and this while some twenty African publishers are invited to participate in the Fair, in an “African/Haiti” stand. As mentioned in several reports and in the Frankfurt programme (see here), book donations, while underpinned by good intentions, can disrupt the local book economy.

We therefore call on the accountability of each involved — public authorities, associations, and professionals, for these donations to be made in close collaboration with participating African publishers, but also in consultation with local African booksellers. These are the basic conditions for balanced and respectful exchanges in the actors’ respective environments.

It is critical to rethink book donation. Encouraging and supporting sustainable and fair editorial partnerships must be a priority.

We hope that the readiness to showcase Francophonie’s diversity and plurality in Frankfurt will be paralleled with constructive actions by public authorities, both in the North and South. It is indeed essential for political will to accompany a change of perspective and relations among Francophone countries.

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.