Sharjah goes from strength to strength, as the centre of global publishing gravity inexorably shifts east following the collapse of Book Expo NY.
TNPS has been running seven years now, when internet and other local West African variables permit, and it’s instructive to look back at early TNPS coverage of the rise and rise of the Sharjah International Book Fair and its associated bodies (Publishers Conferences, Booksellers Conferences), when the Arab book market was something just beginning to be looked at seriously by western publishing.
Sharjah? For most people in the industry outside the Arabian peninsula, Sharjah only really became a thing when Bodour Al Qasimi became VP and then president of the International Publishers Association – IPA.
But her legacy lives on. Today Sharjah is among THE places to be for anyone who’s anyone in global publishing.
Sharjah’s timing was always unhelpful, coming so soon after the must-do Buchmesse, meaning small-budget publishing stakeholders probably couldn’t afford to attend Sharjah even if – very unlikely even five years ago – it was a consideration.
Looking at the messages flying about on LinkedIn and other social media this week, “See you at Sharjah” is almost impossible to miss.
The three day Publishers Conference grows each year, and its global reach is second to none. And while Frankfurt and Bologna need not be worried by the rise of Sharjah, the London Book Fair should be thankful it is two seasons apart, and only has to worry about Bologna.
I hope the new LBF director, Adam Ridgeway, will be at Sharjah and learning from the professionals, and not planning to make the same mistakes Gareth Rapley and Andy Ventris did.
Ridegway needs to understand that modern industry-facing book fairs are about far more than just selling rights and collecting exhibitor fees.
London Book Fair’s place on the must-attend publishing calendar has been thrown into question by several years of mismanagement after Jacks Thomas departed.
Meanwhile Sharjah goes from strength to strength, as the centre of global publishing gravity inexorably shifts east following the collapse of Book Expo NY.
I’d love to say “See you in Sharjah” myself, but school beckons.
This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn news feed.
