3

His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi

WELCOME

BY AHMED AL AMERI
I WELCOME YOU TO
SHARJAH AND I WISH
YOU, ON BEHALF
OF THE SHARJAH
INTERNATIONAL
BOOK FAIR TEAM,
A PRODUCTIVE AND
INTERESTING VISIT.
Ahmed Al Ameri is Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority
The 35th edition of the Sharjah International Book
Fair (SIBF), gateway to the publishing world in the
Middle East, North Africa and Asia, takes place under
the patronage of His Highness, Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin
Mohammed Al Qasimi, the United Arab Emirates
Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
I would like to thank again all our partners and
friends in the UAE and internationally for their support
of the Fair. The partnerships we have forged across
the world, and which join us here in Sharjah, are of
great importance to SIBF. In particular, we welcome
again members of the American Library Association
(ALA) to meet their counterparts from the Arab world
for ALAs most ambitious international professional
development collaboration to date. This year,
registration numbers are looking as strong as last year,
when more than 300 librarians attended.
We are also proud to have signed, at London Book
Fair 2016, a Memorandum of Agreement with the
British Library to further cultural engagement and
exchange between Sharjah and the UK. I can also
announce our agreement with Publishers Weekly to
publish the magazine in an Arabic edition, with the
first issue due in 2017. Our successful co-operation with
New York University also continues this year with the
Publishers Training Program, in association with the
NYU School of Professional Studies (NUYUSPS) Centre
for Publishing.
2016 marks our seventh Cultural Program and the
sixth Professional Program. This year, we are delighted
and proud to be welcoming international writers
of great stature, including Cassandra Clare, Eric Van
Lustbader, Rupi Kaur, Terry Fallis and Abubakar Adam
Ibrahim.

This years Professional Program welcomes over

200 publishing professionals from more than 30
countries, with new countries represented, including
Albania, Armenia and Romania. The SIBF Translation
Grant, which was launched in 2011 with a $300k fund,
has to date facilitated the translation of over 225 titles,
and continues to grow. It awarded grants to 73 titles
across 22 publishers in 2015, a 17% increase over the
previous year.
I am also delighted to announce the launch of the
Turjuman Award (Sharjah Translation Award), which
will recognize and honor international publishers of
translated works relating to Arab Islamic civilization
in all genres. The winner will be awarded 1.3m AED
($354,000).
I hope you enjoy A World of Words, designed to
showcase development in the Arab market and to
deepen our understanding of the huge opportunities
that exist within it, and its place in the international
publishing world.

CONTENTS
2

WELCOME AHMED AL AMERI

INTRODUCTION ROGER TAGHOLM

SHARJAH PUBLISHING CITY NICHOLAS CLEE

THE SHARJAH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR/

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION LIBRARY CONFERENCE
MARY MACKAY AND MICHAEL DOWLING

SIBF BOOK FAIR AWARDS 2016 ROGER TAGHOLM

OUR STORIES TRAVEL THE WORLD TAMER SAID

10

SHARJAH CHILDRENS BOOK ILLUSTRATION PRIZES 2016

12

AUTHOR Q&AS: WITH

CASSANDRA CLARE & ERIC VAN LUSTBADER

14

MAKING THE GRANT GIGI ISHMAEL

16

DATING IN SHARJAH MICHEL MOUSHABECK

17

THE PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM DOUG WALLACE

18

INDIAN AUTHORS AT SIBF RAVI DEECEE

20 MAP OF THE ARAB LITERARY WORLD

22

PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM Q&AS: MICHAEL TAMBLYN

FROM KOBO AND ALEXANDER BREGMAN FROM GOOGLE
Bookbrunch/Publishers Weekly A World of Words BookBrunch Ltd and PWxyz
Published by BookBrunch Ltd and Publishers Weekly
Registered office: BookBrunch Ltd, McKelvie and Co, 82 Wandsworth Bridge Road, London SW6 2TF
Publishers Weekly, 71 West 23rd Street, New York, New York, 10010, USA
Editors: Nicholas Clee and Louisa Ermelino
Publishers Weekly Publisher and Vice President: Cevin Bryerman
Design and Production: Jane McKenna (www.fogdog.co.uk)

INTRODUCTION
BY ROGER TAGHOLM

Roger Tagholm is
a London-based
freelance journalist
specialising in the
book trade
When Sharjah was named Arab Cultural Capital
by UNESCO in 1998, its Ruler, His Highness Sheikh
Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Member of the
Supreme Council, told guests at the ceremony in Paris
that culture is used as a means to achieve the noble
goals of decency and dignity of mankind in pursuit of
modernity and progress, and to denounce evil and the
tragedies of war.
Nearly 20 years later, that guiding philosophy
remains true in an emirate that places culture at the
heart of much of what it does. Now in the fifth decade
of his reign, His Highness retains an unwavering belief
in culture as a civilizing force, and his commitment to
learning and, in particular, the role of books, remains
central to his life.
It was His Highness who began the Sharjah
International Book Fair (SIBF) then simply the Arab Book
Fair back in 1982, and he has opened every Fair since
then, famously followed by a phalanx of photographers
who record his every stop at publishers stands.
His Highness love of books is well known, and
rather than staged stops, if something catches his eye,
he will pause to investigate. He has a library of some
12,000 volumes, and is the author of 30 books. Some of
these are revisionist studies of the region that correct
western interpretations of Gulf history and have led
to a gently joshing relationship between His Highness
and Nigel Newton, Chief Executive of Bloomsbury,
publisher of his memoirs.
The breadth of the rulers interests is wide, from
history to literature, religion to politics, and includes art
and science. In 2014, Sharjah hosted an Islamic Books
Exhibition that included Egypts very rare Mamluk
Mushafs early illustrated editions of the Quran
and earlier this year His Highness welcomed NASA
Administrator and former astronaut Major General

Charles Frank Bolden to the UAE. The SIBF itself has

a long history of attracting celebrated writers with
a guest list that includes Jeffrey Archer, Ben Okri,
Arundhati Roy, William Dalrymple, Fatima Bhutto and
Darren Shan although, in terms of crowd-pleasing
appeal, 2013s sell-out appearance by Dan Brown
remains a hard to beat event.
The Fair goes from strength to strength, with a
professional program that continues to tackle difficult
issues, and a rights centre at the Chamber of Commerce
whose noisy match-making sessions are legendary. In
2014, Oxford University Press sold 15 childrens titles
to Arabic publishers who do not traditionally attend
the childrens fair at Bologna precisely the sort of
international deal Sharjah is all about.
Meanwhile, the generous Translation Grant program
continues to provide $250,000 for translations from
Arabic to any language and $50,000 for translations
from any language to a non-Arabic language.
Additionally, this year sees the inaugural Sharjah
Translation Award, worth AED 1.3m (see page 2).
Celebrated publisher Christopher MacLehose of
MacLehose Press notes that the Fair has made itself
a crucial meeting point between the cultures of the
East and the Middle East and the West. For all of those
publishers whose objective is to discover the best writing
in other languages, Sharjah has become a magnet.
Sheikha Bodour, the rulers daughter, continues to be
a driving force in the cultural arena. She is the founder
and CEO of childrens publisher Kalimat, and it was her
efforts that led to the establishment of the Emirates
Publishers Association (EPA) in 2009. The EPA received
full membership in the International Publishers
Association in 2012, and Bodour has done much to build
understanding between the Gulf States and the West,
accomplishing that tricky feat of marrying reform with
a respect for tradition.
Certainly, in just a few years Sharjah has gone from
a relatively little-known location to an important hub
on the global publishing map something that will
only increase as plans for Sharjah Publishing City, its
printing and publishing free zone, come to fruition.
Richard Charkin, President of the International
Publishers Association, describes the Fair as a fantastic
initiative, adding: What they are doing, and what
they are showing they can do, is marvellous. They are
changing perceptions of the Middle East. They are
putting themselves at the forefront of what publishing
can be in the Middle East and I have nothing but
admiration for what they are trying to do.

LET THE 35th SHOW BEGIN

SHARJAH

PUBLISHING CITY

AN ATTRACTIVE HUB FOR INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS, AND A BOOST FOR THE LOCAL INDUSTRY
February 2017 will see one of the most significant
initiatives yet from the Sharjah Book Authority: the
opening of Sharjah Publishing City. The City is a world
first, offering a free trade zone for publishers.
Companies that set up in the City will enjoy
exemption from corporate, personal, import and export
tax, while benefiting from Sharjahs location as an ideal
hub for trade, both in the Middle East and internationally.
Visas will be readily available for staff, all of whom, if a
company wants, may be expatriates. Office space will
be open right away from the opening of the City and
warehouse facilities will come into service later in 2017.
But the City is a lot more than a tax haven for
international publishers. It is a key subsidiary as is
the Sharjah International Book Fair of the Sharjah
Book Authority (SBA), founded in 2013 by His Highness
Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, ruler of
Sharjah, to promote literature, reading, publishing,
and education. The Authoritys mission is not only to
welcome international publishing to the emirate, but to
promote Arabic and Emirati writers to the world. Hence
another Sharjah Book Authority initiative: the Sharjah
Book Authority Translation Grant (see page 8), which
offers generous sums to encourage rights trading
between Arabic publishers and international houses.
Sharjah Publishing City will be, in the words of SBA
Chairman Ahmed Al Ameri, a hub that brings together
publishing, translation, and all aspects of the industry,
all together in one location. It is actually 365 days of
book fairs in one spot.
So for local publishers, Sharjah Publishing City
will have an expanded training program, bringing
new expertise to the industry, and will promote skills
in outward-facing roles such as rights trading and
translation. It will become the Middle Easts largest
distribution company, addressing an issue that
Ahmed Al Ameri has described as one of the most
pressing that local publishers face, and allowing for
the free and unencumbered trade of books in Middle
East, Asia and Africasomething that will have a
tremendous positive impact on reading accessibility in
the region. And it will also, in the words of Bodour Al
Qasimi, founder of Kalimat and patron of the Emirates
Publishers Association, serve as a model for other
countries to ensure that innovative, unique voices from
around the world are heard. Nicholas Clee

SHARJAH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR/AMERICAN

LIBRARY ASSOCIATION LIBRARY CONFERENCE

NOW IN ITS THIRD YEAR

BY MARY MACKAY & MICHAEL DOWLING

Mary Mackay is ALA Marketing Director. Michael Dowling is ALA International Relations Office Director.

Following successful 2014 and 2015 conferences, the

THE SIBF/ALA CONFERENCE

HAS BEEN A GREAT
OPPORTUNITY FOR JAMALON
TO CONNECT WITH
LIBRARIANS TO ASSESS THEIR
NEEDS AND OFFER THEM
CUSTOMIZED ORDERS FOR ALL
THEIR ARABIC AND MIDDLE
EASTERN BOOK NEEDS.
Ala Alsallal, Founder and CEO, Jamalon

Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF)/American Library

Association (ALA) Library ConferenceALAs most
ambitious international professional development
collaboration to datelooks set for a strong future as
preparations for the third event on November 8th-10th,
2016 get underway. The Library Conference is at the
heart of an ongoing collaboration between the two
organizations.
The 2016 conference ties in especially well with the
United Arab Emirates Cabinets declaration that 2016 is
UAE Reading Year, marking the start of an integrated
national literacy strategy and a framework to produce a
reading generation and establish the UAE as the capital
of cultural and knowledge content. The conference
also supports ALAs global theme, Partnering to build
stronger libraries worldwide. As part of this effort, it
aims to deepen participants understanding of the
importance of literacy and help provide tools for
promoting a love of reading.
Building strong libraries requires well-trained
librarians. The conference offers librarians from all types
of libraries (academic, school, public, and special libraries)
the chance to learn from international experts from the
MENA region as well as from the U.S. Topics such as
engaging your community, new trends and technologies
(and choosing among them), marketing and promotion,
staff and leadership development, maker spaces and
teen spaces, and trends in academic librarianship are
selected to keep attendees on top of trends, increase their
expertise, help inspire innovation, and share successful
practices that they can replicate in their home institutions.
The presenters and facilitators represent a wide variety
of institutions, and a range of titles from public library
director and city librarian to school librarians/media
specialists and tech trend expert and library and
instructional technology specialist.
Responding to attendee feedback, the 2016 conference
offers more interactivity and greater focus on specific
topics, including in depth facilitated discussion sections
that address building stronger library associations in the
MENA region, the importance of research and writing for
librarians, and the successes, struggles, and challenges in
school libraries and with reading initiatives in the region.
The keynote speakers for 2016 are Julie Todaro, ALA
2016-17 President, and Miguel Figueroa, Director of the
ALA Center for the Future of Libraries. Todaros speech
will focus on library transformation as essential to the

OUR DISPLAY IN THE LIBRARIANS

LOUNGE HAS ENABLED US TO MEET WITH
LIBRARIANS FROM MANY DIFFERENT
SETTINGS, INCLUDING ACADEMIC, PUBLIC,
AND SPECIALTY LIBRARIES. WE SEE THIS AS
AN ESSENTIAL VENUE IN WHICH TO EXPOSE
OUR PRODUCTS TO AND ENGAGE IN
HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSIONS WITH
LIBRARIANS.
Peter M. Gaviorno, Senior Director, Sales, Licensing, Marketing,
and Exhibitions, APA

communities we serve, while Figueroas will be Thinking

About the Future: Trends and Signals for the Library of
the Future. Todaro, whose presidential-year initiative
at ALA includes training and highlighting the expert in
the library, will also lead a session on how to integrate
continuous learning with work.
An exciting addition in 2016 is a full day preconference workshop for school librarians, sponsored
by the Sharjah Ministry of Education, with around 150
registrants expected. School librarians, while enthusiastic
attendees of the first two conferences, have requested
more content to meet their specific needs. Dedicating a
full day of training to them as a unique group will provide
learning that they can implement in their own schools,
as well as help them to develop a network of colleagues
in order to continue sharing ideas, innovations, and best
practices in the future. The ALA, which includes several
divisions that focus on youth librarianship, programs,
and services, is well positioned to plan programs for
school and youth librarians, drawing upon deep levels of
expertise among its 58,000 members and staff.
Attendees have access to the Librarians Lounge,
sponsored by SIBF and library-related companies, for
informal networking and information about new
products and services. Platinum and Gold Sponsorships
sold out in 2015, showing the growing interest in the
conference and the opportunity to connect directly with
librarians in the region and beyond. Platinum Sponsors
for 2016 confirmed at press time are Ingram Content
Group and the American Psychological Association.
Returning Gold Sponsors include Books Kinokuniya and
YPB Library Services, while the International New York
Times and Overdrive are first-timers in this category.
Exhibitors are returning for the second year of the
Library Solutions area.
In 2015, 300 librarians from academic, public, school,
government, and special libraries attended from more
than 20 countries including UAE, Afghanistan, Oman,
Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, India, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt,
Mauritania, Sudan, and the U.S. All sessions are presented
in Arabic or English with simultaneous translation. The
2016 conference will again be hosted at the Sharjah Expo
Centre during the 35th Sharjah International Book Fair,
so attendees can combine the conferences professional
development with exploring and acquiring materials for
their libraries.
The conference is managed by SIBF, ALA International
Relations Office, and by the Combined Book Exhibit
(sponsor liaison). SIBF representatives, including Sharjah
Book Authority Chairman Ahmed Al-Ameri, have
strengthened the exchange by attending ALA conferences
and offering information and resources to U.S. libraries
that showcase UAE culture and libraries and help build
related collections.
Serving librarians and libraries for 140 years, the
ALA provides leadership for the development, promotion
and improvement of library and information services
and the profession of librarianship to enhance learning
and ensure access to information for all. The content
of the SIBF/ALA conference reflects ALAs key action
areas and core values, including literacy, education
and lifelong learning, advocacy for libraries and the
profession, diversity, equitable access to information and
library services, transforming libraries, excellence and
innovation, and expanding library services. For additional
information, please contact the ALA International
Relations Office at intl@ala.org.

SIBF BOOK FAIR

AWARDS 2016
THERE REALLY ISNT ANYTHING
QUITE LIKE THE SHARJAH
INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR
AWARDS

The awards ceremony, which precedes the opening of

the fair itself, is like the Oscars and the National Book
Awards and the British Book Industry Awards and a
government summit all rolled into one. It combines
elements of all four events in an intoxicating mix of
speeches, video packages, literary prizes, state of the
art lighting and stagecraft.
Last year, the Crown Prince of Saudia Arabia,
Khalid-al-Faisal Al Saud, the poet prince, was at the
main table with attendant dignitaries. It is that kind
of gathering. And it all takes place in the morning,
before the fair opens, yet has the feel of the magic
of night, making it a most memorable fixture on the
international publishing calendar. The wonder of it all
is apparent on the faces of first-timers.
This year, the total prize purse for the awards has
tripled to 1.9m AED ($517,000), thanks to the new, 1.3m
AED ($354,000) Turjuman (translation) Sharjah
Translation Award. This is open to a translated work
of Arabic fiction or non-fiction, and will be presented
to a work featuring knowledge that helps the
development of mankind as well as creative writings
relevant to the same topic. Submitted titles have to
have been first published in Arabic to be eligible and,
in line with the directives of His Highness, Sheikh
Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Member of the
Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the award is
being launched to promote a flourishing translation
movement, moving human intellectual work freely
across linguistic and cultural boundaries.
Once again there are three awards for Emirati
titles, aimed at advancing local writing and
publishing. For the Best Emirati Book by an Emirati
Creative Writer, poetry and drama, as well as novels
and short stories are eligible; the prize is 100,000
AED ($27,000). The winner of the Best Emirati
Academic Book also receives 100,000 AED, while the
winners of the Best Emirati Foreign Translated Book
and the Best Emirati Book about the UAE each receive
50,000 AED ($13,500).
There are prizes for the Best Arab Novel, worth
150,000 AED ($41,000), and for the Best International
Fiction Book and Best International Non-Fiction Book,

each worth 50,000 AED. Last year these prizes were

awarded respectively to Sorayya Khan for City of
Spies (Aleph Publishing), her coming-of-age story set
in 1970s Islamabad, and to Glenn Greenwald for No
Place To Hide (Macmillan), an account of the Edward
Snowden leaks by the US journalist whose extensive
reporting of the story for the Guardian earned the
newspaper a Pulitzer Prize for public service.
The Sharjah Publisher Recognition Awards are
for 25,000 AED ($7,000) each and include Best Local
Publisher, Best Arab Publisher and Best International
Publisher. The last was won in 2015 by Indias National
Book Trust, the body set up by the Government of
India in 1957 for the production of good literature
and to encourage reading among the public.
Last year, a Special Recognition award was given
posthumously to the Eyptian novelist Gamal El
Ghitani, who died just before the fair opened.
The SIBF awards began in 1995 and are
administered by the Sharjah Book Authority. They
are presented by His Highness, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin
Mohamed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah and Member
of the Supreme Council, for whom they are a very
public demonstration of an continuing commitment
to the promotion of literature. His Highness often uses
the occasion to make remarks on issues affecting the
wider region, and last year he referred to this blighted
Arab world, and stated that: We must dispel the Devil
from the world of the Holy Quran, a clear reference to
Daesh, as ISIS (ISIL) is referenced in the Arab world.
He often returns to a favorite theme the book
as the light dispelling ignorance, leading us to faith
and certainty. But as he told guests last year: At
the Sharjah International Book Fair almost all books
are allowed. But to attack a person, or God, or the
principles of any religion we do not accept this.
I dont think we should mix culture with political
ideologies.
The awards remain central to Sharjahs identity
as the cultural emirate, and increasingly provide a
platform for His Highness to address both his people
and through the dissemination of his words by the
media- the world. Roger Tagholm

OUR STORIES

TRAVEL THE WORLD

BY TAMER SAID

Tamer Said is
Managing Director,
Kalimat Group

The year 2016 marks a new milestone for the Kalimat

Group. The award for Best Childrens Publisher,
presented to Kalimat at the Bologna Book Fair, was a
testament to the teams hard work over the past years.
Alongside the honorary award, Kalimat partnered with
two renowned international publishing houses: Quarto
and Bloomsbury, in a sucessful move toward our goal of
bringing cultures together.

Our aim is to encourage intercultural dialogue. We

want to help readers better appreciate and understand
societies outside of their own. Our initiative is to
exchange and publish titles that will benefit intercommunity relations.
Under the title of Exchanging Cultures and
Bringing Nations Closer, exciting novels, fables, and
our illustrated books, have found a place in libraries
and houses around the world. We have introduced
Middle Eastern culture and renowned Arabic authors to
children, young adults and adults from Norway, Turkey,
France, the UK and many other nations; they have been
able to read our books in their own language.
We are now a step closer to forming one large
central library that will be home to books from around
the world. The Arabic reading population will be able
to enjoy titles from other societies and cultures, and in
turn, through our efforts, there will be new titles from
the Middle East on the shelves of Western libraries and
bookstores.
Kalimat Group is in the mid-stage of its storytelling,
seeking to establish solid ground in every quarter of
the world. Our story continues with more ventures,
partnerships, launches and collaborations. Through our
different exciting programs, and very soon through
our new Comics imprint, we aim to reach more
readers around the world and educate them about our
community, society and culture.

SHARJAH

CHILDRENS
BOOK ILLUSTRATION
PRIZES 2016
The Childrens Book Illustration prizes are given at the
Sharjah Childrens Reading Festival every April. The
Sharjah Exhibition for Childrens Book Illustration takes
place each year during the festival, and showcases the
work of childrens book artists from around the world.
The theme for the 2016 exhibition was human
values, and featured 60 artists from 26 countries. The
first prize of $6,000 went to Hassan Zahreddine of
Lebanon, with runner-up prizes of $4,000 each going
to Alexandra Sternin, a native Russian who now lives
in Barcelona, Spain and Sonja Danowski, a German
based in Berlin. Honorable mentions went to Valentina
Piacenza of Italy, Jesus Cisneros of Spain, and Fereshteh
Najafi of Brazil.
The awards are in their sixth year, and each year the
names of all participants are entered into a database
to help artists meet fellow artists and publishers
to interact with authors and enable all to work
in harmony towards a common goal: high quality
childrens books.

FIRST PRIZE Hassan Zahreddine

10

RUNNER UP Alexandra Sternin

RUNNER UP Sonja Danowski

11

Q&A WITH

CASSANDRA CLARE
Cassandra Clare was born to American parents in Tehran, Iran and spent much
of her childhood travelling the world with her family. Since her family moved
around so much she found familiarity in books and went everywhere with a book
under her arm.
After college, she lived in Los Angeles and New York, working at various
entertainment magazines and even some rather suspect tabloids. She started
working on her YA novel, City of Bones, the first book of The Mortal Instruments,
in 2004, inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan, her favorite city. The Mortal
Instruments went on to be New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today
bestsellers, as did the companion series, The Infernal Devices. Cassandra Clare lives
in Western Massachusetts with her husband and three cats.

Is this your first visit to the UAE and/or Sharjah?

Yes, it is. I hear all the time from readers there, so Im
very excited to visit. I was born in Iran and this will
literally be my first time back in the Middle East since I
was three, and that is so exciting for me.
What are you hoping to gain from the experience?
Im excited to connect with readers in the UAE who
have enjoyed my books. Ive gotten letters over the
years asking me to do an event there, so I hope some of
those readers will be able to attend.
Also, Shadowhunters, the demon-hunting warriors
I write about, live all over the world and are an
international group, so when Im traveling Im always
keeping an eye out for places and ideas that might
someday be useful in my writing.
Have your books been popular in the Middle East?
From what my foreign rights agent has told me, my
books are popular in the Middle East. I havent had
many chances to engage with that fan base in person,
so this is a great opportunity.
What did you learn from fan fiction before you
became a mainstream writer?
Practice is important. Even if youre writing something
completely different from whatever you plan to write
next, the time you put in isnt wasted. It can provide useful
experience, and it can help you avoid pitfalls later on.
You write solo books and collaborations. How do you
decide on the right approach for each project, and
how do you choose your collaborators?
My longer books are generally solo projects. When I plan
them out, I usually have a pretty clear sense of where I
want to go with them, and while I do get lots of feedback
from other writers during the workshop process, it would
feel strange to introduce other voices in the early stages.

12

I usually know right away whether a project is one

I want to collaborate on. Ive collaborated on short
stories with Maureen Johnson, Sarah Rees Brennan,
and Robin Wasserman. For projects like those (Tales
from the Shadowhunter Academy and The Bane
Chronicles), it was important to me to bring other voices
into the world of my books. I have so much history
with the Shadowhunter universe, its nice to get fresh
perspectives from time to time. My collaborators come
up with things I never would have thought of.
Im currently collaborating with Holly Black on the
Magisterium series, and Ive just begun working with
Wesley Chu on a trilogy. In the case of Magisterium, Holly
and I had discussed the idea of the series for years before
we began writing it. Holly has written a lot of middle grade
fiction, and has a great voice for that type of story. I find
working with her on Magisterium very reassuring, because
were writing for an age group I hadnt written for before.
The project Im working on with Wes Chu will be
focused on one of my most popular characters, Magnus
Bane. It will fill in many of the gaps in his life story, and
explore mysteries that fans have been curious about for
years. My writing schedule is packed, so I knew that if I
wanted to get Magnuss story out there I was going to
need help getting it done. Wes has great ideas and Im
excited to work with him.
You have co-written with your husband. How was that?
It was a ton of fun. Josh has been discussing
Shadowhunters with me for many years, and he knows
the books inside and out. Hes very helpful in keeping
facts straight. I get to use him as a reference book
regularly, so it only made sense to enlist him in the
writing of the Codex, which is basically a reference
guide to the Shadow World. Another delightful aspect
was finding artists to collaborate with, and seeing what
they came up with. Josh and I are both proud of the
finished Shadowhunters Codex. It looks great.

Q&A WITH

ERIC VAN LUSTBADER

Eric Van Lustbader was born and raised in Greenwich Village, NY. He is the author of
more than 35 best-selling novels, including The Ninja, a N.Y. Times bestseller for 24
weeks, in which he introduced Nicholas Linnear, an enduring modern fiction hero.
Spanning 40 years, Van Lustbaders novels have been translated into over
20 languages, and are so popular world wide that they command entire sections
of bookstores from Bangkok to Dublin.
In 2004, Van Lustbader was chosen by the estate of the late Robert Ludlum to
continue the Jason Bourne novels. He has written 10 Bourne novels; the latest is
The Bourne Enigma, published July, 2016.
He is also the author of Any Minute Now (August, 2016), and the sequel to
international best-seller The Testament, titled The Fallen, the first novel in a
planned trilogy, will appear in 2017.

Is this your first visit to the UAE and Sharjah?

Yes, and Im quite excited about it. Im extremely
impressed with the degree of concern and interest in
the UAE in educating their children and encouraging
reading to enable them to understand their history and
the history of the world, writing to express themselves,
and inculcating in them a love of literature.
These are qualities that will enrich their lives year
after year.
What are you hoping to gain from the experience?
Im very much looking forward to getting to know
Sharjah, its beauty, its history, its people, and, especially,
its children.
Im also eager to meet fellow authors from all over
the world and exchange ideas with them.
Youve been writing novels starring your late friend
Robert Ludlums character Jason Bourne for over
10 years. Have you enjoyed mixing these assignments
with your own projects?
I have, indeed. I wouldnt be writing the Bourne books
unless I loved to do it. I feel very honored that I was
the first and only writer considered for the task. Im
convinced that Bob is pleased, too.
Has the casting of Matt Damon influenced your
perception of, and portrayal of, Bourne?
Yes and no. When I first took up the Bourne baton
I was very much aware that though Bob had legions of
fans all over the world, many many readers would be
coming to these new books because they had seen Matt
and the films.
I felt it best to meld the literary character Bob
created with the one on screen. It was a tricky business.
I didnt want the movie viewers to read the books
and say, Who is this? He doesnt seem like Bourne.
On the other hand, I didnt want the older fans to feel

that Bourne had changed into someone they didnt

recognize. Judging by the fan mail Ive gotten,
I seem to have succeeded in a big way, mainly because
I have kept the essence of Jason Bourne entirely intact,
while enriching his character.
You recently brought back Nicholas Linnear for a
couple of ebook stories. How have you enjoyed this
departure?
Nicholas Linnear was my first love. Hes the character
Bob and I spoke about when we first met. Hed fallen in
love with Nick also.
I got the idea to do a series of short stories that could
be read independently, but when read in sequence
would reveal something vitally important in Nicks past,
and set him on a whole new path.
It was wonderful to welcome him home; once I
started writing about him again I realized how much Id
missed him.
Are there likely to be further full length Ninja novels?
You know, thats up to my publishers, Im sorry to say.
The marketplace determines all, doesnt it? Even for me.
Having said that, Id love to write a new Nicholas
novel to follow the big reveal that will come with the
last story in the sequence Im currently writing. Its a
bit frustrating, though. Writing two novels a year,
I dont get as much time to write about him as Id like.
Consequently, the stories arent being written as fast
as Id like.
Fans must have many requests concerning favourite
characters and series. How do you balance their
demands with what you want to write?
I listen to all reasonable requests, but to be honest, Im
the writer here, so I proceed where my heart and mind
take me, and for the last 40 years my fans have been
very happy to go along for the ride with me.

13

HOW TO MAKE THE

SHARJAH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR

PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM
& TRANSLATION GRANT
REWARDING
BY GIGI ISHMAEL

Gigi Ishmael is
President and
Publisher of the
Ishmael Tree

Two short years ago, I attended the Sharjah

International Book Fair Professional Program for the
very first time. Like many other publishing industry
first timers, I was not quite sure what to expect or,
what was expected of me. It was The Ishmael Tree
publishing houses inaugural year in the US where
the company was still enduring the typical First Phase
chaos. However, I was a determined publisher on the
hunt for the rights to books to translate into English
and Spanish.
SIBF, the 4th largest book fair in the world, is
dedicated to providing an international platform for
translated titles, continuing a long standing Arab
tradition. During the European Dark Ages until the
end of the first millennium, Arab scholars led the
world in translating books.
SIBFs Professional Program a two-day event
generously offers publishers access to a plethora of
resources for buying and selling rights in a warm,
hospitable, and educational environment.
Navigating through appointments at the
Professional Program can be overwhelming at first.
With back-to-back informative seminars moving
quickly, some people tend to lag and either miss
their appointments or are late. A year of hardcore
preparation gets folded into those mere two days
and its totally for publishers benefit. I made sure
beforehand that I knew what would fit our catalog

14

SIBF, THE 4TH

LARGEST BOOK FAIR
IN THE WORLD,
IS DEDICATED TO
PROVIDING AN
INTERNATIONAL
PLATFORM FOR
TRANSLATED TITLES,
CONTINUING A LONG
STANDING ARAB
TRADITION.
and understood which books were good grant
candidates.
Early on, I learned that if I missed anything or
had questions, help was nearby via email or staffed
tables. You can ask anything, even for more tea! I am
always impressed by the immense talent of SIBFs
on-site staff. Ive witnessed them move mountains to
solve problems even in the most peculiar of situations
where it seemed clairvoyance was a prerequisite.
I found it necessary to abandon certain personal
preferences when cherry picking titles and even when
selecting co-publishers by being diligent and attentive
and studying the literature beforehand. It is important
to make sure you have a market with distribution for
the books you are acquiring. To do business, moving
swiftly and with precision will lead to success for
both parties.
Also, its important to note that many Arab
publishers prefer face-to-face negotiations, unlike
Westerners who are fast paced and more willing to
communicate over email. If Arab publishers do use
email, its not with the same speed of a typical New
Yorker who tends to answer emails from mobiles
within minutes. Immediacy is not a common practice
or a priority in the Arab world. Patience as a virtue is a
way of life.
To Westerners, delayed responses come off as a
form of rejection. I assure you, a rejection will arrive

much faster than an acceptance, and you will know

when your business is not wanted. It will also be the
politest rejection this side of The Big Five.
To comply with cultural tradition, simply allow
more time in your dealings, but be mindful that book
marketability loses potency with increased delays.
The publishers worth their salt can be professionally
tactful without being disrespectful.
And take into consideration that certain political
environments have caused some publishers home
regions to lack full internet services. You may get
quicker responses through phone apps like WhatsApp,
but, personally, I prefer not to conduct business over
the same platform as a Kardashian posting emojis.
Besides, should the event of arbitration become
necessary (hopefully not), having to turn over your
phone for an arbitrators examination is a thought
that raises my blood pressure. I prefer concrete and
credible forms of communication which is good
practice for conducting any international business
involving copyrighted materials.
I resolved long distance business deal dilemmas
ahead of time by drafting contracts tailored for
SIBF. And I kept handwritten detailed logs of each
appointment. When meeting scores of people
fresh off a 13-hour flight over three time zones,
remembering my own name becomes a challenge.

Taking advantage of translators to help explain

contract terms and clear up any confusion is a must.
Misunderstandings can make solid agreements
morph into quick sand. I was very upfront with what I
wanted and with what I could offer.
I have structured deals for more than thirty books
from SIBF. Not all received grants which is to be
expected. It is good to note that awardees are required
to turn over proposed books and signed contracts
upon notification of winning the grant. The maximum
grant a book can receive is $4,000 and $1,500 for
childrens. Books translated to and from Arabic take
preference although SIBF reserves $50,000 of the total
$300,000 fund for books to be translated from any
language to any other language.
I always make sure contracts are duly signed before
the Fairs end (mine have opt-out contingencies in
case a grant is not awarded or a partys mind changes).
Overall, should you attend the Sharjah International
Book Fairs Professional Program, you will have an
experience on many grand levels.
And I always stick around to enjoy the Fairs
festivities by getting involved with media, cultural
shows, and author events. Attending SIBF has
strengthed my relationships: I have become family
with our co-publishers and for this as well, I am
grateful to SIBF.

15

DATING IN SHARJAH
BY MICHEL MOUSHABECK

Michel Moushabeck
is founder of the
Massachusetts-based
Interlink Publishing.
He serves on the board
of trustees of the
International Prize for
Arabic Fiction (IPAF).

Dating matters. The culture of the United Arab Emirates

in general and Sharjah in particular is built around
habits of sociability and hospitality, especially dating.
But here I do not mean the tradition of offering you
luscious datesthe best youve ever tastedwhen you
arrive at your hotel or enter an Emiratis home or office.
Nor do I mean the act of going out on a date, which
probably was the first thought that came to your mind.
Here, I am referring to dating as it relates to books and,
more specifically, the professional and other programs
organized by the Sharjah International Book Fair to bring
together editors and writers, publishers and agents,
booksellers and readers to its annual gathering.
SIBF matters. A few years back, I wrote a Publishers
Weekly Soapbox piece after attending my first SIBF.
In it, I said that the fair was not on my literary radar.
Today, SIBF ranks high on my list of book fairs to attend
each year: for buying and selling rights, for networking
with Arab and international publishers, and for the
promise of new literary discoveries and the joy of
lasting friendships. In 2015, 1547 exhibiting international
publishers from 64 countries have also taken notice of
the fact that the UAE has become the worlds fastestgrowing educational market and that SIBF, now
celebrating its 34th year, has become one of the top
international book fairs, boasting over 1.2 million visitors
and 200 author events.
Diversity matters. Lebanese literary agent Yasmina
Jraissati, of Raya Agency, told me about the importance
of participating in the professional program that brings
together over 250 rights professionals from across the
world. She said that over the years SIBF has become
the book fair for Arabic literature. Nigerian-American
novelist and winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for
African Literature (Everything Good Will Come) found
it a welcome reorientation, and said that it gave me
a sense of possibility for African literature. Similarly,
Indian novelist Tabish Khair, author of the forthcoming

16

Just Another Jihadi Jane, was pleased with the audience

attending his readings and impressed with the fact that
It was very well-organized. I was happily surprised to
see the effort put into it.
Bookselling matters. Bookseller extraordinaire, Rick
Simonson, of Seattles Elliott Bay Book Company, found
SIBF to be highly informative, eye-opening, engaging,
and welcoming and he felt fortunate to meet writers
and publishing people and to see people of all ages
perusing and buying a great array of books there at the
book fair: that is always a sight to warm the heart.
Childrens books matter. Like her father, His Highness
Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Ruler of
Sharjah, HE Sheikha Bodour has taken great interest
in promoting literacy and childrens literature. She is a
forward-thinking publisher with an unmatched passion
for multicultural childrens books. As such, over the fairs
duration of 11 days, visitors can enjoy a wide array of
activities geared specifically to children. US childrens
author-illustrator Jeff Mack (Good News Bad News),
featured in last years fair, told me about his impression:
Sharjah was a super experience! Besides the thrill of
speaking to huge audiences of kids, the most exciting and
meaningful part of the fair was having the opportunity to
befriend other creative people from around the globe We
spent our evenings talking about art, literature and ideas
It was a rare and special thing: I came away with greater
awareness and understanding of others lives. And I made
some lasting friendships as a result.
Translations matter. While in the US the number of
books translated from other languages is shamefully
low, it is encouraging to see a growing number of editors
championing fiction-in-translation. But, of course,
the biggest challenge to publishers remains a books
economic feasibility. To ease this burden a little and
help encourage translationsfrom any language to any
languageSIBF devotes an annual fund of $300,000.00
and offers translation grants of up to $4000 for general
titles and up to $1500 for childrens titles. This year SIBF
is launching a new award, Turjuman Award, to recognize
and honor international publishers of translated works
relating to Arab Islamic civilization in all genres. The
publisher of the translated work and the originating
Arab publisher will share the annual award in the
amount of AED 1,300,000.00 (approximately $350,000)
with 70% going to the publisher of the work in a foreign
language.
Sharjahs devotion to the written word and its
commitment to diversity match its love affair with
datesand here I mean the fruit. We need dates because
of their indisputable healing qualities (try a breakfast of
date syrup and tahini soaked up with warm flatbread);
we need booksnow more than everbecause of their
undeniable power to make the world a better place.
At the end of your visit, youll be leaving with an
armful of dates and, it goes without saying, a suitcase
full of books.

PROFESSIONAL
PROGRAM PROFILE
BY DOUG WALLACE

Doug Wallace is
International Rights
Manager at AUC Press.
He lives and works
in Cairo

2016 will be my third visit to Sharjah International

Book Fair and Im looking forward to it.
I work at AUC Press. We publish Arabic fiction
in English translation through our fiction imprint
Hoopoe, alongside academic and trade non-fiction
about the contemporary Middle East and Ancient
Egypt. The Press built its reputation on bringing
Arabic modern classics to English speaking readers:
from Naguib Mahfouz, Tawfiq al-Hakim, Yusuf Idris,
Sonallah Ibrahim, Alaa al-Aswany and many more.
Were based in Cairo on Tahrir Square, which
gives us great access to Egyptian authors but it also
makes us Egypt-centric, with many Arabic books
published outside Egypt not easily available. This
makes Sharjah an increasingly important place for us
to see whats out there in the wider Arabic-speaking
world and a good place to share what were excited
about from Egypt.
I moved from London to Cairo in 2014 to re-start
the rights program for the Press. I hadnt attended the
Sharjah International Book Fair before, but I applied
to join the Professional program that year because it
seemed like a good way to make new contacts.
Were now in the first year of our new fiction
imprint Hoopoe, having launched it at the London
Book Fair in April 2016. Our second season of books has
just arrived. These are exciting times to be publishing
Arabic fiction in English translation. As any publisher
of translated fiction will tell you: its neither easy nor
cheap. I was fairly sure that visiting the Fair would be
good preparation for the launch of our list because,
though smaller than Frankfurt and London, it would
attract many of the European acquiring editors. It can

still be difficult to move a conversation beyond the

presumption that publishing Arabic fiction is more
of a charitable enterprise when presenting titles in
Frankfurt or London. Sharjah did turn out to be the
best place to speak about our new list with passionate
editors and translators.
With our fiction, our aim is not to explain or
represent the Middle East: an expectation that has too
often been put on Arab writers. We have deliberately
moved away from this understanding of Arabic
literature as a means to comprehend a distant region,
one that is often in the news for all the wrong reasons.
Unsurprisingly, this was not a problem at Sharjah and
that was refreshing.
In that first year at Sharjah, I presented English,
non-fiction titles to Arabic publishers and Arabic
fiction to publishers from outside the region. The
matchmaking sessions didnt work for me, but the
sessions were arranged in such a way that there was
time enough to fit in speculative meetings as needed.
After two days, Id added my signature to a flurry of
papers with foreign publishers and some months
later, licences were signed with new publishing
partners from some unexpected places (Georgia,
Malaysia) and some more familiar (Turkey, France).
In the second year I took more time out and
attended talks when they were of interest. I spent
more time drinking coffee and chatting informally
with fellow participants from the professional
program. Theres a relaxed atmosphere around the
fair and a sense of openness and camaraderie among
those taking part in the matchmaking sessions.
Conversations on the periphery lead to contracts being
signed in some cases without the added paperwork
of the bursary scheme. Most importantly, the mix of
European editors who attended meant there was time
to discuss our authors (and theirs) more broadly than
is usually possible.
We have recently commissioned our first series
of detective fiction from renowned Moroccan crime
writer Abdelilah Hamdouchi (The Final Bet, Whitefly),
which well begin publishing in English translation
in 2017. This sits in a diverse list that includes
Mohammad Rabies dystopian novel Otared, Hammour
Ziadas historical novel The Longing of the Dervish
and Ezzedine C. Fisheres diaspora novel Embrace on
Brooklyn Bridge.
Alongside my colleague Nadine El-Hadi, well be
in Sharjah signing up promising Arabic literary and
genre writers and licensing our fiction.
www.hoopoefiction.com

17

Vayalar Ravi

Shobha De

Ruskin Bond

ONV Kurup

M T Vasudevan nair

INDIAN AUTHORS

AT SIBF

The participation of Indian authors and the Indian

publishing industry at SIBF has increased exponentially
since 2008 when DC BOOKS participated for the first
time. In 2011, declared India Focus Year, there was an
Indian Pavilion at SIBF, inaugurated by Shri Vayalar
Ravi, the Cabinet Minister for Overseas Affairs,
Government of India, with an increased presence of
Indian Publishers as exhibitors.
That year, DC Books was assigned to coordinate Indian
Writers and publishers for SIBF. Renowned authors
Ruskin Bond, Shashi Tharoor, Shobha De, M. J. Akbar,
Jaishree Misra, M. T. Vasudevan Nair, and Dr. Lekshmi Nair
attended SIBF as esteemed guests, interacting with the
audience and signing books. The cooking demonstration
by Dr. Lekshmi Nair was a highlight of the fair.
In 2012, Indian personalities attending SIBF included
Zacharia, Sethu, Benyamin, Arundhati Roy (winner of
the Man Booker Prize in 1997), Akbar Kakkattil, Anupam
Kher and Namitha Gokhale. These authors, well known
and respected in their professional worlds, honored
with various awards and recognitions, attracted
crowds of UAE readers. Indian film actor Anupam
Kher, a legend in Indian cinema, having acted in more
than 500 films and the recipient of the Indian civilian
awards Padma Shri in 2004 & Padma Bhushan in 2016,
was another popular draw.
2013 was the year SIBF witnessed programs by an
array of Indian celebrities from various cross sections
of art, culture and literature. Indian events that year
started with the seminar Birth of an Author in you

THE INDIAN
PAVILION
IN 2014 WAS
INAUGURATED
ON 5 NOVEMBER
BY HE MR. T. P.
SEETHARAM,
THE INDIAN
AMBASSADOR
TO THE UAE.
18

Anupam Kher

with HE Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam as the keynote speaker.

Vikram Chandra, Rana Das Gupta, and Marcus
Sedgwick were also speakers at the seminar. Dr. APJ
Abdul Kalam pre-registered 1850 students for his
interactive presentation.
On Nov 8th world famous film director Adoor
Gopalakrishnan, Late Kavalam Narayana Panicker
(founder of modern theatre in India), Chemmanam
Chack (well known poet), and K. Jayakumar (poet,
bureaucrat and vice chancellor of Malayalam
university), appeared at SIBF. Other celebrities
participating in 2013 were Chef Sanjeev Kapoor,
magician Gopinath Muthukad, Ruskin Bond, Ravinder
Singh, Deepti Naval, Farooque Sheikh and Kamal
Haasan writer, director, actor, intellectual, who
mesmerized the audience. K. Satchidanadan one of
indias finest travel writers triggered sparks with his
well attended dialogues.
The Indian Pavillion in 2014 was inaugurated on
5 November by HE Mr. T. P. Seetharam, the Indian
Ambassador to the UAE.
Publisher participation from India reached 100 in
2014 compared to 55 in the previous year. The most
prominent guests made up an impressive list: Dr. Shashi
Tharoor, Amitav Ghosh, Shiv Khera, Chetan Bhagat,
Amish Tripathi, actress Manju Warrier, Rasmi Bansal, K.G.
Sankarapillai, M. P. Veerendrakumar, Madhusoodhanan
Nair, Kureepuzha Sreekumar, Perumpadavam Sreedharan,
A. Sethumadhavan, Prabha Varma, P. P. Ramachandran, K.
R. Meera and singer G. Venugopal.
Dr. Lekshmi Nair and Chef Anil presented a
cooking demonstration. Kavyasandhya appeared in a
highlighted event, and reciting their poems were poets

Adoor Gopalakrishnan

Arundhati Roy

Chetan Bhagat

Kamal Hassan

Jeffrey Archer

Jayshree Mishra

K. G. Sankara Pillai, Kureepuzha Sreekumar, Prabha

Varma, Madhusoodanan Nair and P. P. Ramachandran.
The successful In Conversation event with actress
Manju Warrier attracted a crowd of fans.
K. R. Meera , author of Aarachar and winner of the
Kerala Sahitya Academy Award, appeared as well as
Amitav Ghosh, a popular author honored with the
Padma Shri. Amish Tripathi, described as Indias first
literary pop star, and Chetan Bhagat , the biggest
selling English language novelist in India, rounded out
the Indian presence at SIBF 2014.
The 34th edition of SIBF in 2015 continued to
include an impressive lineup of Indian talents: writers,
famous actors, chefs and doctors. Prominent guests
were Durjoy Datta, Subroto Bagchi, T. Padmanabhan,

Chef Naushad

Dan Brown

Deepthi Naval

Willam Dalrymple

Vidya Shah

K. Satchidanandan, Vairamuthu, Sudha Murty, Rujuta

Diwekar, Dr. V. P. Gangadharan, T. D. Ramakrishnan,
Srijan Pal Singh, Dr. K. Chithrathara, N. S. Madhavan,
Balachandra Menon, Shemi and Mattanur
Sankarankutty Marar.
There was a talk show with Subroto Bagchi and
Dr. D Babu Paul and a tribute to APJ Abdul Kalam by
Srijan Pal Singh and Sheridon Harry where the book
Advantage India was launched. Culinary expert Nita
Mehta did a cooking presentation.
Balachandra Menon spoke about his three decades
of experience in the film industry as an actor, director,
script writer, distributor, editor, composer, singer and
producer and also introduced his book Ithiri Neram
Othiri Karyam during the event. Oncologists Dr. V. P.
Gangadharan and Dr. K. Chithrathara led an interactive
and informative seminar on cancer.
SIBF has been an ongoing platform for Indian
authors to speak about their books and their interests,
along with social issues. We look forward to coming
editions of SIBF that will undoubtedly include
appearances by more renowned Indian authors and
celebrities promoting Indian literature and the Indian
Publishing Industry.
Ravi DeeCee, CEO, DC Books

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

Dr Shashi Tharoor

INDIAN PAVILION

19

MAP OF THE

ARAB LITERARY
WORLD
TUNISIA

Lebanese house Dar

al-Tanweer has an office
in Tunis. Editorial Director
Hassan Yaghi believes
piracy the biggest problem
in Arab world

SAUDI ARABIA

Low oil price may affect

future funding of educational
projects, but still a major
market. Jarir chain thriving
though long-standing buyer
Rumi Izadeen has left

EGYPT

Tourism hit by terrorism.

Fewer people visiting Cairo.
Payment issues persist
bookshops/wholesalers
cannot access enough
foreign currency to pay bills

MOROCCO

Inaugural international
rights hub held at Casablanca
International Book Fair in
February 2016

ALGERIA

Educational publishers
beginning to make progress,
but payment problems
remain. Not easy to bring
books in on credit

LIBYA

Starting to open up.

Academic wholesaler
Alresaleh and others making
approaches to buy higher
education stock and some
trade titles

20

FACT BOX

Signatories to Berne Convention on

Copyright: 15 (not Iran, Iraq, Palestine)

Full members of International Publishers

Association (IPA): 5 (Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi
Arabia, Tunisia, UAE)
Provisional members of IPA: 1 (Jordan)

JORDAN

Accepted as provisional
member of International
Publishers Association
in 2015

LEBANON

Entrepreneurial spirit
undimmed despite civil war
on border and refugee crisis.
Wholesalers like Levant
provide access to more
difficult regions

TURKEY

Tourism hit by terrorism.

Political situation difficult
with a rise in censorship

BAHRAIN

Small but significant market,

with some interesting
independents (eg. Books@
caf), good wholesalers and
branches of major chains
(Jashanmal, Virgin)

PALESTINE

The Educational Bookshop

also runs much-respected
boutique bookshop at The
American Colony hotel.
Sharbain in same street
supplies throughout
West Bank

IRAQ

Although Daish controls

large part of country, local
agents considering trips to
safer, Kurdish, northern Iraq

IRAN

Huge appetite in Tehran for

opening up business with
international publishers.
During sanctions piracy and
parallel importing increased

KUWAIT

Graphic novels very popular.

WHSmith franchise run by
wholesaler and retailer
That-Al-Salasil does very well

QATAR

New Hamad International

Airport a success. V good
airside WH Smith, but
censorship a major issue
landside

SHARJAH/UAE
YEMEN

Civil war has forced Yemen

Bookshop to cease trading in
Sanaa and relocate to Jordan

Continues to look to future

with creation of publishing
hub Sharjah Publishing City
and launch of worlds first
virtual reality book Baba
Zayed. Presence of Sharjahs
Sheikha Bodour on executive
committee of International
Publishers Association
continues to give region an
important voice

OMAN

Virgin hoping to source

from locally owned supplier
because of problems
acquiring license to sell
books. Borders doing well

21

SHARJAH INTERNATIONAL

BOOK FAIR Q&A

WITH MICHAEL TAMBLYN

Michael Tamblyn is the President and Chief Executive
Officer at Rakuten Kobo. He has been part of the
e-reading company since 2009. Before that, he was
the founding CEO of the supply chain agency BookNet
Canada, and co-founded Canadas first online bookstore,
Bookshelf.ca.

I believe you have been distributing e-readers in the

Middle East since 2014. How has it been going?
The Middle East is at the beginning of its adoption of
ebooks. Since we began distributing e-readers in 2014,
we have seen encouraging signs of growth not just
in sales of e-readers, but in app and desktop customers
and will continue to look for ways to better serve our
Middle Eastern readers.
What sort of penetration do ebooks have in the
Middle East?
Ebook penetration varies widely from country to
country, but we are seeing increases across the board in
just the last few years, with countries like Turkey and
UAE in the vanguard.
While it can be difficult to estimate the uptake of
digital reading accurately, according to Statista, user
penetration in Africa & The Middle East is currently at
6.40% and is expected to hit 8% in 2020. But its safe to
say that it is a digital market thats just getting started,
but with significant potential.
High internet penetration rates vs. the global average
and strong literacy rates all point to this to being a
region where ebooks are likely to play a significant role
in bookselling and publishing in the long term.
What genres of books are doing well in the region?
The Middle East is home to many different types of
readers, each with their own specific interests and
reading behavior. Nevertheless, we have noticed some
fascinating patterns in the region. According to internal
Kobo reading data, our Middle Eastern customers are
prolific readers of true stories with nearly 30% of their
purchases coming in the non-fiction genre. Romance
comes in second with a solid 25% followed by Literary
Fiction with a solid 19%. They also over-index on
childrens books.
That said, one thing we know from experience
is early data tends to be noisy and includes early
adopters, expats, tourists and probably doesnt
represent how the market will actually evolve. The
most important thing is to pay attention, to see what
makes each market different and adapt accordingly.

22

You have moved confidently into international

markets when some of your rivals have been more
cautious. Does this remain Kobos strategy?
From the very beginning, we set out to be a global
player. We built systems on the assumption that we
were international, we hired people who were experts
in other markets. Even when we were tiny, we were
tiny and global. All in the name of making reading
easier for booklovers of all kinds, in all places.
To do this, we have built partnerships, whenever
possible, with retailers in each region to create the kind
of shopping experience that is right for the community
theyre in, anywhere in the world. Our heart is in the
book industry: offering booksellers a full e-reading
solution to compete in a complex, competitive, and
fast-changing industry. We strongly believe that a
diverse market is a strong and healthy one. This ability
to partner with great retailers and tailor our offering
for specific markets has allowed us to move into
international markets confidently and successfully and
remains our strategy as we continue to grow.
Have you visited the Sharjah International Book Fair
before?
Members of the Kobo publisher relations team have
attended and we have been closely following the Sharjah
International Book Fair for many years, recognizing its
importance within the Middle Eastern book industry and
reading community more broadly. This is the first time a
Kobo chief executive has attended.
What are you hoping to get out of the Fair, and what
is the principal message you want to get across to the
audience?
We are constantly looking for markets where that
combination of reading culture, title availability and
tech adoption marks the beginning of a possible eBook
market.
Our focus always is on serving the passionate
booklover, that person who puts books at the centre
of their lives. We look forward to learning a great deal
more about the market during this years Fair in order
to understand the opportunity for e-reading here.

Q&A WITH

ALEXANDER BREGMAN
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS EMEA, GOOGLE

Alexander Bregman has been with Google since 2007 and is now working on the
Google Play team as an expert on digital publishing. Over the last 5 years he has been
involved with the expansion of Google Play Books and Newsstand across the EMEA
region, including the Middle East, in cooperation with various major book, news and
magazine publishers across the region.

I believe that Google Play Books is achieving

significant market penetration in the MENA region.
Could you tell us more?
Were really focused on growing our local offering in
the MENA region by working with publishers and
helping them sell more ebooks with Google Play
Books in the region and beyond. We see MENA as an
exciting opportunity where we can give users access
to great content which otherwise might not have been
accessible to them.
To what do you attribute this success?
First of all, I believe that content is an essential part of
our offering, so were happy to be able to offer users in
the MENA region access to both local and international
ebooks. At the same time, the experience of discovering,
purchasing and reading an ebook should be delightful
and easy, so our Product team is constantly working
hard to improve this experience even more.
You introduced books to the Play Store in the region
earlier this year. Are they are a significant part of the
mix?
We launched both the Book and Newsstand categories
in the Google Play store in the MENA region earlier this
year. Digital content is certainly a very important part
of Google Play and we look forward to growing this in
the MENA region.

How are ebooks read in the region? Is mobile

particularly important?
Books purchased from Google Play Books can be read
on both mobile devices (iOS and Android) and on a
computer. Users love having access to their books right
from their mobile devices at any time, so we certainly
see that a lot of reading is done through smartphones.
Have you visited the Sharjah International Book Fair
before?
This will be my very first time so Im really looking
forward to being there and meeting with both
publishers and users to discuss Google Play Books.
What are you hoping to get out of the Fair, and what
is the principal message you want to get across to the
audience?
Im hoping to connect with more publishers from the
region and learn more about their businesses. My
message to both publishers and the general audience
would be about the major opportunity of ebooks in
the MENA region. Sign up for Google Play Books and
discover great books to read!

MY MESSAGE WOULD
BE ABOUT THE MAJOR
OPPORTUNITY OF EBOOKS
IN THE MENA REGION
23

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