The Thessaloniki Book Fair is launching this year, in its 19th year of organization, the creation of a new international professional unit, expanding its dynamics. The Rights Center will operate in building 13, in the DIALOGUE area, with the aim of increasing literary translations and making better use of GreekLit, through B2B meetings, discussion panels for the exchange of good practices and the acquaintance with foreign book markets.
The international professional program of the 19th TBF includes the invitation of 20 literary agents and publishers from various countries, with the participation of more than 50 people activating in book markets around the world. This year the Hellenic Foundation for Culture has invited 15 booksellers from Northern Greece to strengthen their connection with publishers and the book fair. Among the international participations in this year’s TBF are the national pavilions of 14 countries with their respective publisher delegations, including the US pavilion in which 22 publishers are represented.
INVITATION PROGRAM FOR INTERNATIONAL BOOK PROFESSIONALS
1st Thessaloniki Book Fair Fellowship Program
From 4 to 7 May 2023 the Thessaloniki Book Fair has invited 20 publishers, literary agents and other book professionals from Egypt, Belgium, Britain, Estonia, USA, Japan, India, Spain, Israel, Italy, Canada, Mozambique, Ukraine, Sweden, Turkey and Finland.
The new Invitation Program for Book Professionals, together with this year’s increased participation of national pavilions at the fair, will strengthen its international and professional character. This new initiative of TBF aims, in particular, to increase networking opportunities among book professionals, to promote the Greek book market internationally, to improve Greek understanding of the international book markets and to encourage the buying and selling of rights and the exchange of good practices.
It is noted that within the framework of the TBF, the Hellenic Foundation for Culture has organized international meetings in 2018, 2019 and 2020 on the future of books, with the participation of speakers specialized in the new business models of the global book market (TBF-Seminar on the Future of the Book, Let’s Talk). The new Fellowship program, which is launched this year, is an important opening that places the TBF in the international dialogue and creates new perspectives.
The 1st Invitation Program for Book Professionals includes a series of discussion panels and seminars [Thursday (15.00-19.00), Friday (10.00-15.00), Saturday 10.00-12.00] covering a wide range of topics of professional interest, such as book markets, digitization, sales and purchase of rights, translation, international book fairs, with the participation of the following:
Mauro Spagnol, Books Everywhere (BRITAIN), Eleonora Simonova, Nora-Druk Publishers (UKRAINE), Sandra Tamele, Editora Trinta Zero Nove (MOZAMBIQUE), Teresa Pintó, Agencia Literaria Carmen Balcells S.A. (SPAIN), Emre Can Petek, Introtema Copyright & Translation Agency (ΤURKEY), Hiroshi Asami, Kanki Publishing Inc. (JAPAN), Sherif Bakr, Al Arabi Publishing and Distributing (EGYPT), Michela Pea, Insight Editions, (USA), Fatimah Abbas, Noon for Publishing & Distribution / Fatimah Abbas Literary Agency (EGYPT / UAE), Paul Bernard, Editions Hemma (FRANCE), Prashant Pathak, Wonder House Books / Fingerprint Publishing (INDIA), Gautam Mehta, Mehta Publishers-Mkids (INDIA), Stephanie Barrouillet, S.B. Rights Agency (ISRAEL / FRANCE), Jessica Kasmer-Jacobs, The Deborah Harris Agency (ISREL), Tuomas Sorjamaa, Rights & Brands (FINLAND), Milly Ruggiero, The Rights Factory (CANADA), Chrysothemis Armefti, 2 Seas AgencyInc. (USA), Kadri Rahusaar, Koolibri Publishers (ESTONIA), Silvia Vassena, Silvia VASSENA @ MILANO Scouting & Consulting (ITALY), Emma House, Oreham Group (BRITAIN).
Within the broader framework of its international program, TBF welcomes important personalities activating in the global book market, namely: Elena Pasoli, Bologna Children’s Book Fair Director, Jacks Thomas, Bologna Book Plus Director, Ian Denison, World Book Capital Network – UNESCO Director, Anne Bergman, Federation of European Publishers Director, Alexandra Büchler, Literature Across Frontiers/Wales Literature Exchange, Kristina Kramer, Deputy Director for European and International Affairs, Petra Hardt, rights director for 25 years in the major German publishing house Suhrkamp Verlag books, Emrah Kisakurek, head of international fairs of the Turkish Publishers Association, Porter Anderson, distinguished Americal journalist and editorial director of Publishing Perspectives.
In the context of professional events, the Athens Book Publishers’ Association organizes an International Conference titled: “Exploring the challenges of the new landscape of diversity in the field of publishing”, while events are also organized by OSDEL – Organization for the Collective Management of Literary Works and OPI -Intellectual Property Organization.
The events of the professional program will be hosted in the new DIALOGUE area created by TBF, which includes an event hall as well as an area for professional B2B appointments at the Rights Centre
USA – GUEST OF HONOR
American Literature is the guest of honor at this year’sThessaloniki Book Fair, aiming to promote modern literary voices and the US book market, through the invited publishing houses, writers and book professionals.
The organization of the American Pavilion has been undertaken, by the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with its Culture Committee.The invitation and representation of the American publishers has been undertaken by “American Collective Stand“. The following 22 publishers will participate in the American Pavilion:
Abrams Books Publishing Company, American Psychiatric Assocation Publishing, Booklife – Authors, Georgetown Univeristy Press, Gona’s Publishing, LLC, Guilford Press, Harvard University Press, Heron Books, Inner Traditions International, Insight Editions, Indepent Publishers Group- Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Merriam-Websters Publishers, MoMa Publications, Penquin Random House, The Quarto Group, Roman & Littlefield Publishing Company, Sourcebooks Company, Teacher Created Materials, University of Chicago Press, Yale University Press.
Visit the following link to have a look at the 578 book titles that will be included in the American Pavilion:
The national pavilions that participate in the 19th TBF are from the following countries: Bulgaria, Bosnia, Germany, Georgia, USA, India, Israel, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania, Slovakia, Turkey etc.
PROFESSIONAL EVENTS PROGRAM
TUESDAY 4/7, 15:00-18:00 – THE GREEK BOOK MARKET IN NUMBERS
Seminar: The Greek book market in numbers
Zannos Georgandreas, OSDELDirector
Seminar: Digitization and innovations in the Greek publishing sector
Speakers: Michalis Kalamaras, digital publishing consultant and the founder of the website, George Poutos, JukeBooks, general manager.
Discussion panel: Adiscussion with Greek and foreign publishers and literary agents, coordinated by journalist Lambrini Kouzeli.
TUESDAY 4/7, 19:00-20:00
International Book Fairs – we share books and ideas
Book fairs as a forum for exchange of ideas, meetings, ferments and entrepreneurship. New initiatives and innovations – PublisHer, women in publishing, diversity. Award of the Best Jacket Off award to Greek publisher Yorgos Alisanoglou (Saixpirikon) within the framework of Greece as an honored Market in Bologna Book Plus 2023.
Participants: Elena Pasoli, Bologna Children’s Book Fair Director, Jacks Thomas, Bologna Book Plus Director, Ian Denison, World Book Capitals Network – UNESCO Director, Emrah Kisakurek, head of international fairs of the Turkish Publishers Association.
FRIDAY 5/5, 10:00-14:00
10.00-10.30- SEMINAR: HOW TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL AGENT
Mauro Spagnol (BooksEverywhere)
10:30 – 11.30 – DISCUSSION PANEL: AGENTS WITHOUT FRONTIERS
Fatimah Abbas (Noon for Publishing and Distribution), Chrysothemis Armefti (2 Seas Ageny Inc.), Stéphanie Barroulliet (S.B. Rights Agency), Milly Ruggiero (The Rights Factory)
11:30-12:00 – SEMINAR: RIGHTS AND LICENCES MANAGEMENT
Licenses and rights management, Tuomas Sorjamas (Rights & Brands)
12:00-12:20 – COFFEEBREAK
12:20-14:00 – BOOK MARKETS AROUND THE WORKD
Coordinator: Porter Anderson, director, Publishing Perspecrives (USA)
12:20-13.00 / ASIA-AFRICA
Prashant Pathak (INDIA), Hiroshi Asami (JAPAN), Sherif Bakr (EGYPT-ARAB COUNTRIES), Sandra Tamele (MOZAMBIQUE-AFRICAN COUNTRIES)
13:00-13:40 / EUROPE-USA
Michela Pea, Insight Editions (USA), Anne Bergman (EUROPE), Kristina Kramer (GERMANY), HarisIoannides (CYPRUS)
FRIDAY 5/5 , 17:00-18:00
UNESCO’s “WorldBookCapital” Network
Discussion on the UNESCO “World Book Capital” programme, sharing experiences and examples; how a city can get the title of World Book Capital and what this means for the city itself. Through the Network, cooperation and dialogue between cities is encouraged, as well as the transfer of know-how and the support of interested or candidate cities, along with the implementation or support of programmes and actions for the book and reading. The Greek experience “Athens World Book Capital 2018”.
Speakers: Ian Denison, International Coordinator of UNESCO’s World Book Capital Network and representatives of world book capitals
Organized by: UNESCO WORLD BOOK CAPITAL NETWORK
SATURDAY 6/5, 10:00-12:00
Translators as talent hunters
The role of translators in discovering good books for translation, the limits and restrictions of language, culture, religion, in the encounter of literary works with readers.
Speakers: Claudiu Sfirchi-Lăudat, translator into the Romanian language, Khaled Raouf, translator into the Arabic language, MazenMaarouf, translator of Arabic literature into English, Riikka Pulkkinen, translation of Greek literature into the Finnish language.
Coordinator: Athina Rossoglou, translator, academic researcher
Organized by: Hellenic Foundation for Culture
11:00-12:00 – Buying rights in the new digital age – what has changed?
On the occasion of the book Buying, Protecting and Selling Rights, Petra Hardt, Rights Director for 25 years at the largest German publishing house Suhrkamp Verlag, conveys and captures her experience in a practical way, offering advice to employees in the copyright and publishing license departments, but also to the managers of publishing series and the authors. The work has been translated into many languages. It is published in Greek by Vakxikon Editions.
Participants: Petra Hardt, former rights director at the German publishing house Suhrkamp Verlag (Germany), Silvia Vassena, Acomabook, Scouting&Consulting (Italy), Katerina Fragou, literary agent (Iris Literary Agency)
Coordinator: EmmaHouse, OrehamGroup (Britain).
Organized by: Hellenic Foundation for Culture/ VAKXIKON EDITIONS – TO MELLON
15:00-16:00 – Banned Books at the Age of Political Correctness
Is political correctness a new form of censorship? What are the limits of intervention in the area of ideas and creation?
Participants: Emma House, Oreham Group (Britain), AlexandraΚ*, writer, Kostas Katsoularis, writer and journalist.
Coordinator: the distinguished American journalist and editorial manager of Perspectives, Porter Anderson.
Organized by: Hellenic Foundation for Culture
The Thessaloniki Books Fair is organized by the Hellenic Foundation for Culture in cooperation with Greek Publishers, TIF–HELEXPO, the Central Macedonia Region, the Municipality of Thessaloniki, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, under the auspices of the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou. It is co-funded by the European Regional Development Development Fund under the 2014-2020 Regional Operational Program (ROP) for Central Macedonia. TBF is a member of the International Book Fairs Forum and ALDUS UP – the European Book Fairs Network.
The General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy is the media sponsor of the 19th Thessaloniki Book Fair regarding its international promotion.
A.R.
Read also: Reading Greece:19th Thessaloniki Book Fair – Books and International Dialogue; READING GREECE: Thessaloniki Book Fair – 9th Young Writers’ Festival
TAGS: LITERATURE & BOOKS | READING GREECE
