Continuing with its strategic goals to offer its membership business exposure at key regional and international industry events, the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) has selected nine Emirati publishers who each have less than 20 publications to their credit, to be showcased on EPA’s Manassah platform at the 39th edition of Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), which begins on Wednesday.
The Manassah project was launched by EPA last year to enable its member publishers to put their titles in front of millions of readers at regional and international book fairs and cultural events, as well as enable them to take advantage of opportunities on the professional end of the book fair spectrum.
At SIBF 2020, which is taking place until Saturday, November 14, and is being organised by Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) under the theme ‘The World Reads from Sharjah’, the nine selected EPA member publishers will collectively display 103 of their literary and scientific publications at EPA's Manassah pavilion in Hall No.5, Expo Centre Sharjah.
The participating publishing houses include Hamaleel Publishing; The DreamWork Collective; Souad Sleibi Publishing; Andalusia Publishing; Makarem Publishing; Beacon of Science Publishing; Alreyada Publishing; Dar Al Saif Publishing; and Dar Al Thuraya.
The Executive Director of EPA, Rashid Al Kous, said that the entity’s annual participation in SIBF was part of their efforts to advance their communication with local publishers as well as showcase Emirati member publishers and their literary output to the global audience the book fair attracts. “Manassah has been serving as a bridge between our member publishers and other industry players, enabling them access to new commercial in both regional and international book markets,” he said.
“Through our Manassah project, we aim to facilitate the participation of smaller member publishers members who have less than 20 published works under their hat. These efforts gain greater significance this year as the publishing industry as a whole goes through challenging times. We hope this new opportunity we are offering our membership will offer them the required impetus they need to reconnect with their readers as well as their peers,” he added.
Manassah is an initiative by Emirates Publishers Association to support Emirati Publishers with the marketing of their publications through various local and international book fairs and exhibitions. EPA bears the entire cost of their participation at these events.
The Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) was founded in 2009 by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder and President of the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA), who has led the efforts to advance the publishing industry in the UAE. The organisation is dedicated to serving and developing the publishing sector and advancing the role of Emirati publishers through training and mentorship programmes. EPA represents the interests of professionals in the UAE’s publishing industry by working on advancing their rights and has a remit to improve the conditions in the industry in coordination with the authorities concerned, locally and internationally.