This year’s London Book Fair coincides with the arrival of the International Publishers Association’s new president and vice-president, leading ‘a conversation of public debate’ about publishers’ role amid ‘sensitive socio-cultural issues.’
Freedom To Publish: Interview with Iranian Publisher Azadeh Parsapour
Azadeh Parsapour, the Iranian publisher and champion of work censored by Tehran, talks about the dangers her company and its authors must navigate to bring suppressed writings to a Persian-language audience.
International Rights Organizations Issue Unified Demand to Mauritania for Mkhaitir’s Release
Mauritania has yet to release writer Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaïtir, convicted of blasphemy, a year after his official release date.
Sharjah’s 2018 Rights Center to Host More Than 350 Publishers and Agencies
Sharjah’s work promoting Arab book markets includes its annual rights center at Sharjah International Book Fair, which will host 350 companies this year.
PEN America Sues Donald Trump: ‘Standing Up to These Encroachments’
Focusing on what it describes as Trump’s assaults on the news media and violations of the First Amendment, PEN America has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump.
Mexico’s Hugo Setzer on Politics and Publishing in a Complex Market
Hugo Setzer’s Manual Moderno publishes some 40 new titles per year and has an active catalogue of around 400 books in Mexico, a market in which, he says, censorship “is coming very close.”
Bodour Al Qasimi Announces Candidacy for Vice President of the International Publishers Association
In opening her bid for leadership in the International Publishers Association, the UAE’s Bodour Al Qasimi says publishing ‘shouldn’t be an industry stuck in time in how it treats the majority of its workforce.’
At Göteborg and Frankfurt: Kristenn Einarsson on the Freedom To Publish
Two events, one this week at Sweden’s Göteborg Book Fair and the other at Frankfurter Buchmesse’s Weltempfang Salon in October, spotlight challenges to the freedom to publish.
The ‘New’ Association of American Publishers to Focus on Advocacy, Copyright
Taking direction from its board members, the AAP has reset its focus on copyright and advocacy for the value of book publishing in modern society.
IPA and UN Unveil SDG Book Club to Promote the Sustainable Development Goals
The SDG Book Club will curate a monthly reading list of books for young readers that encourages them to engage with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.