Roger Tagholm shares a few of the faces and places he experienced during a visit to the Riyadh International Book Fair (RIBF).
Riyadh Int’l Book Fair Offers Window Into Closed World
Roger Tagholm reports from the Riyadh Int’l Book Fair, where his pre-conceptions about Saudi Arabia were challenged and cultures connected through books.
Hachette’s Man in the Middle East
Matt Cowdery, Hachette’s representative in the GCC, reflects on several publishing issues impacting the region including importation certificates, the Arab Spring and more.
How Developing Markets Fuel Wattpad’s Explosive Growth
Markets often overlooked by Western publishers — like the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Saudia Arabia, Romania — are proving powerhouses for Wattpad says CEO Allen Lau.
Dubai Arabic E-bookseller Rufoof Attracts 100,000 Users
Dubai’s Rufoof e-bookseller offers 5,000 titles in Arabic and has attracted 100,000 users, 50% from Saudi Arabia, starting with free Islamic titles.
Do School Textbooks Shape National Attitudes? Yes, says Study
A new study conducted in Germany looked at textbooks from 160 countries found an alarming number of instances of idealogical indoctrination and falsehoods.
US Publishing Leaders Unite To Denounce Saudi Textbook Bigotry
Seven current and former heads of major American publishing houses have published a joint statement opposing hate speech in Saudi textbooks.
The Divergent Worlds of Book World Prague 2011
A book fair has many faces depending on who you are: a local, a foreigner, or a country that is Guest of Honor but doesn’t believe in literature.
A Rare Book Signing in Saudi
By Mark Garcia-Prats At the Virgin Megastore in Saudi Arabia, four women authors were signing copies of their newest books for devoted fans. Though this event might not seem newsworthy to many of us in established book markets, book signings are truly rare in Saudi Arabia. Signings by women…rarer still. (Of course, as with most everywhere else in the world, …
Saudi Author Abdo Khal Wins Arabic “Booker”
By Edward Nawotka Saudi Arabian author Abdo Khal won the $60,000 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (the Arab Booker) for his novel Spewing Sparks as Big as Castles, which is also known as She Throws Sparks, and is published by Al-Jamal Publications. Taleb Alrefai, who served as chair for this year’s panel of judges, said, “The winning novel is a brilliant …