PUBLISHERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO GATHER IN ISTANBUL
The fourth edition of International Istanbul Fellowship Program, which was first initiated in 2016 by Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright & Licencing Society (TBYM) with an objective of improving the cooperation between Turkish publishers and publishers from around the world and turning Istanbul into a copyright market, will take place in February 2019.
While the first two meetings were attended by TBYM member publishers, the scope of the program was expanded in 2018 to include publishers, agencies, professional publisher organizations, publishing non-governmental organizations as well as writers from Turkey, which resulted in a more professional and comprehensive organization. At the end of the first three years when the meetings were conducted, a total of 344 publishers from 67 countries gathered in Istanbul to buy and sell copyrights.
209 publishers from 66 countries attended the meetings that took place on 9-11 March 2018 and more than 1700 bilateral meetings were held between the publishers. Following these meetings, the number of copyright sales rose from 439 in the previous year to 533 in the third gathering.
575 Applications from 103 countries!
575 applications from 103 countries were received for the 4th International Istanbul Fellowship Program which will take place on 26-27-28 February 2019 in Avrasya Center for Performing Arts. 113 domestic publishers also filed in their applications for the event.
The program provided an opportunity for more than 1000 preliminary copyright agreements and 1739 bilateral business meetings in the first year. The interest in the program and the number of participants continue to rise in the fourth year. Organized through the partnership of Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright & Licencing Society, the program has higher ambitions each year.
Indonesia and India Lead in Applications
The program provides an opportunity for participants from all corners of the world to come into contact with Turkish literature. This year, the program received the biggest interest from Indonesia and India. A total of 48 publishers from Indonesia applied for the 4th International Copyright Summit to take place on 26-27-28 February 2019. 27 publishers from India, 24 publishers from Brasil and Italy also applied to the program. A total of 131 applications were received from 113 publishers from Turkey.
The 3-day program which will be a venue for copyright and translation negotiations generates interest and excitement in the publishing world ith participants from all corners of the world from Latin America to Far East.
Speaking at the launching event that took place on November 7 in İTO, Mr. Mustafa Doğru, the President of the Board of Directors of Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright & Licencing Society, emphasized the importance of the program for improving the cooperation between world publishers and establishing intercultural friendships. Mr. Doğru underlined that international fairs hardly offer a chance for productive bilateral meetings between publishers. The President alse remarked that what distinguishes Istanbul Fellowship Program is its preparation and organization during which the publishers are selected prior to the event and invited by the host organization allowing meeting arrangements between the participants before the program kicks off.
"To ensure Turkish literature takes its rightful place"
Mr. Doğru also stressed that the organization will be beneficial in championing the translation of [Turkish] works into various languages and offering an invaluable opportunity to follow the most recent developments regarding the works published in other languages. "Thanks to this program, we aspire to create a network of publishers in the Balkans, Africa, Asia, Europe and Turkic Republics and expand the boundaries of Turkish publishing sector to include these places as well. I am sure all publishing houses will work together towards the overarching objective of strengthening Turkish literature and Turkish publishing sector and ensuring they will take their rightful place" the President added.
The domestic publishers who have been granted admission to the program will have a chance to attend dinners, seminars and business meetings within the framework of the program and will receive translation assistance free of charge.
The international participants of the program, on the other hand, will be granted three different types of supports packages. The Bronze Package will cover free attendance to dinners, seminars and business meetings as well as a shuttle service from the airport to the hotel. The Silver Package, in addition to these, will cover a four-day accommodation in a hotel. The Golden Package, in addition to these, will cover flights to and from Istanbul.
Participants to be Announced on January 1
The completed application forms will be reviewed by the Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright & Licencing Society Evaluation Committee. The successful domestic and international applicants will be announced on 1 January 2019.
The participants will be able to devise their own meeting schedule using the online meeting arrangement portal to be activated on the official website of the program as of January 2019. This portal will feature a list of all the participants and each participant will be able to analyse the profiles of attending companies. Meeting schedulings will remain active until the end of the program.
The organization will also provide a team of interpreters and organizers to assist the participants during the course of their stay and meetings in Istanbul. In addition to these, the organization will provide shuttle service to the venue and to the hotels.
The 4th Istanbul Fellowship Program will take place on 26-27-28 February 2019 in Avrasya Center for Performing Arts.