8th Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program

Turkey's largest publishing program, the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program, was held for the eighth time this year. A total of 410 publishers from 66 countries attended the meeting. The International Istanbul Publishing Program, organized by the Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright & Licensing Society (TBYM) with contributions from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and support from the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, DEKMEB, and the Press and Publishing Association, took place at the Istanbul Rami Library from June 6-8, 2023. The program, which had Anadolu Agency as the Global Communications Partner, was held in a hybrid format, featuring both online and physical meetings. Each year, this program brings foreign participants to Istanbul for copyright and translation meetings, attracting 410 publishers from 66 countries—214 of whom attended in person and 196 online.


 
The opening ceremony, held in a historic venue, was attended by Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Ahmet Misbah Demircan, Director General of Libraries and Publications Taner Beyoğlu, Director of the Istanbul Directorate of Culture and Tourism Coşkun Yılmaz, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Istanbul Andrey Buranov, Cultural Attaché of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Istanbul Adrian Andrianov, İTO Assembly President Erhan Erken, İTO Board Member and President of the Federation of Publishers' Associations Münir Üstün, Chairman of the Press and Publishing Association Mustafa Karagüllüoğlu, DEKMEB President Mustafa Altundal, Turkish Publishers Association President Kenan Kocatürk, Mexican Publishers Association CANIEM President Hugo Setzer, Uzbekistan Presidential Administration Information and Mass Communication Agency (AOKA) Vice President Gayrat Nazarovich Bozorov, along with representatives from foreign publisher associations and publishers.


 
The program was presented by Emrah Kısakürek, President of the 8th Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Coordination Board, and continued with the opening speech by Mehmet Burhan Genç, President of the Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright & Licensing Society. Emphasizing that publishing is, first and foremost, a work of the heart, TBYM President Mehmet Burhan Genç stated, “Publishing is a job done by those who have a message from heart to heart and something to say.”



He added that the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program, organized for the eighth time this year by TBYM, serves as a market for this endeavor. Underlining that TBYM produces approximately 150 million books per year with its 660 publisher members, President Mehmet Burhan Genç remarked, “We were fortunate to raise the bar a little more each year. We were shaken and tested by a great disaster on February 6th, but we are able to hold this event, which we originally planned for March 7th, today with a delay of three months.”


 
İstanbul Chamber of Commerce Board Member and YAYFED President Münir Üstün expressed his joy at being part of a global organization held in Istanbul, where continents meet. Münir Üstün highlighted that the İstanbul Publishing Fellowship Program unites the publishing world on both national and international scales. He stated, “This organization, organized by TBYM, functions as a communication platform for publishing in Turkey on a global scale. I would like to congratulate the valuable presidents and managers of our association. Thanks to this significant meeting, all aspects of publishing will be discussed, and ideas will be exchanged. I would like to thank each and every one of our participants who contributed.”


 
2023 Focus Country: Uzbekistan
In 2023, the focus country was Uzbekistan. The program, which lasted for three days, featured various events with the participation of experts in the field, thematically highlighting the country’s publishing and literature. As part of the Focus Country Uzbekistan event, Uzbekistan’s cultural offerings were showcased to world publishers at the Focus Country stand located in the foyer area.



A mini concert featuring Uzbek music was held during the Gala Dinner at the Bayrampaşa Windsor Hotel, along with refreshments that highlighted national tastes. VIP meetings took place with the Uzbekistan delegation and the President of the Mexican Publishers Association as part of the Focus Country events. During these meetings, ideas were exchanged regarding sector development and strengthening cultural cooperation through increased mutual copyright exchanges with Uzbekistan.



Discussions were also held with the President of the Mexican Publishers Association on potential initiatives for the 2024 focus country event.
 


For the ninth iteration of the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program in 2024, Mexico was selected as the Focus Country. The replica of the ‘2024 Focus Country’ designation was presented to Hugo Setzer, President of the Mexican Publishers Association, on behalf of Mexico by Gayrat Nazarovich Bozorov, Deputy Director of the Uzbekistan Presidential Information and Mass Communication Agency.

 

Seminars Held Within the Scope of the Program
The seminar titled “Uzbekistan Literature Special Session,” moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Murat Özel, a faculty member at Istanbul Medeniyet University, featured speakers Majidov Gayrat Axadovich, Head of the Uzbekistan Delegation, and Omonov Muhiddin Sattorovich, Head of the Translation Department at “Uzbekistan” Publishing House.


 
The session titled “New Themes and Trends in Publishing in Turkey” was moderated by ITO Secretary General Nihat Alayoğlu and included speakers from Epsilon Publishing Group (General Manager Ömer Yenice), Erdem Publishing Group (General Manager Melike Günyüz), and Turkuaz Publishing Group (General Manager İbrahim Altay).


 
Another session, “New Agendas in the World Publishing Market,” was moderated by Emrah Kısakürek, President of the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program Coordination Board. Speakers included Hugo Setzer from the Mexican Publishers Association (CANIEM), Prashant Pathak, General Manager of Prakash Books in India, and Nopi Chatzigeorgiou, Coordinator of the Thessaloniki Book Fair.


 
The session titled “How Did Latin American Literature Become Included in the World Channel?” was moderated by Furkan Çalışkan, General Manager of Ketebe Publications. Additionally, the session “Publishing in Difficult Times - Being a Refugee Publisher” featured speakers Carles Masdeu, Copyright Officer of the Carmen Balcells Agency in Spain; Laura Gomez from Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial Colombia; and Spanish Translator Süleyman Doğru.


 
Another session, also titled “Publishing in Difficult Times - Being a Refugee Publisher,” was moderated by journalist and author Samet Doğan, with speakers Harun Al Zir, Editor-in-Chief of Al Ru’ya Publications in Syria, and Olga Chychynska, Editor-in-Chief of Alemak Publishing House in Ukraine.


 
As part of the program, a tour of Rami Library was conducted, showcasing rare works in the library. The exhibition “1 Poem 1 Life: Sakarya Song” at the Atatürk Cultural Center was visited in honor of the 40th death anniversary of Necip Fazıl Kısakürek. A cultural Bosphorus tour was also organized, where foreign publishers were informed about Istanbul's historical and touristic sites. The event, lasting three days in a historic venue, culminated in the signing of important agreements following bilateral talks among publishers from around the world.