August 2020 newsletter: Amazon, Belarus, Kuwait, Frankfurt, APIF and more

IPA NEWSLETTER July 2020 View this email in your browser Dear readers, Frankfurt Book Fair is fast approaching and while we focus on other issues from August in our newsletter below, we have some exciting announcements scheduled for September.  Below you can read a number of articles on the freedom to publish, whether that is the terrible situation in Belarus, a positive story from Kuwait or a fascinating interview with French historian and author Jean-Yves Mollier on his new book on censorship. We were delighted with the number of proposals we received for our latest round of the Africa Publishing Innovations Fund and we also report on news from the USA regarding the market dominance of Amazon. If you think we've missed anything, contact the editor at taylor@internationalpublishers.org Amazon market power under the spotlight in USA   The Association of American Publishers (AAP) joined the Authors' Guild and American Booksellers' Association in cosigning a letter highlighting Amazon's market dominance in the digital market for the advertising and sale of books. Read more.  International and European Publishers Condemn Violent Crackdown in Belarus The International Publishers Association (IPA) and the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) call on Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to cease his brutal campaign of violence and intimidation against peaceful protests.  Read more.  IPA Welcomes End of Kuwaiti Book Censorship Committee A report in ArabLit confirms that Kuwait's National Assembly has amended the law on media and publications that previously required all books to receive prior approval from a committee before release. The new rules apply to both local and imported books and put an end to the mandate of the Kuwaiti book censorship committee. Read more.  Hundreds Pitch Ideas to IPA to Confront Africa's Remote Education Challenges The International Publishers Association (IPA) has received a huge response to its call for proposals to tackle Africa's remote education challenges, which have been dramatically exacerbated by the global Covid-19 pandemic. Shortlisting is underway to decide winners of the US$200,000 fund in 2021-2022. Read more.  Submissions for the lucrative Sheikh Zayed Book Award to close on October 1st The Award recognizes outstanding literary and scholarly works written in Arabic or that engage with Arabic culture across a range of categories.   The prestigious award is internationally focused, accepting submissions from across the world, with several categories rewarding works in other languages, alongside the Arabic language categories. The winner of each award receives a career-changing prize of AED 750,000, equivalent to 204,000 USD.  Submit here IPA selects partners following guidelines overseen by our Executive Committee to ensure our impartiality and continued commitment to our values. More information here. IPA in Conversation with...  Click below to learn how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the book sector in Africa, ASEAN, Europe, Latin America and more. Our COVID-19 page includes actions of publishers and governments worldwide.  The Freedom To Publish – an interview with Jean Yves Mollier On 24 September, Jean Yves-Mollier's « Interdiction de Publier » (Banned from Publication, published by Double Ponctuation) is released in France. IPA spoke to the author about the book and the author's vision of the current situation for the freedom to publish. Read more. IPA in the news IPA's joint statement with FEP on the situation in Belarus was picked up in Publishing Perspectives, Nasher,Shelf Awareness and Actualitté.   Our statement on Kuwait was covered in The Guardian, the Indian Express, The National, Publishing Perspectives and Actualitté.   Modern Ghana covered our story on the Africa Publishing Innovation Fund.   IPA Executive Committee members Karine Pansa and Gbadega Adedapo were also in the press.    Inclusive Publishing quoted IPA President, Hugo Setzer.   IPA's 2020 Prix Voltaire laureate, Liberal Publishing House, was mentioned as part of an article on the challenging situation in Vietnam.   ISMA Times covered a FICCI organized event in India on the Future of Publishing where IPA Secretary General, José Borghino, was a speaker.   The Good eReader mentions IPA in an article on the impact of lockdown on reading.  In case you missed it: Nominations open for the 1st Bucheon Diaspora Literary Award (close 30 October). To Come: 1-7 September: Nigeria Virtual Book Fair – IPA President, Hugo Setzer keynote. The fair is free to attend or exhibit, more information at: www.nigeriabookfair.com     2-6 September: Moscow International Book Fair - Panel on 'Recovery after the pandemic' moderated by IPA Vice President, Bodour Al Qasimi and featuring: Vladimir Grigoriev, Maria Hamrefors, Joachim Kaufmann, Maria Pallante, Laura Prinsloo. More information: http://fair.mibf.info   3-4 September: International Cultural Industry Expo (Beijing) - Hugo Setzer keynote. More information: http://english.iccie.cn   3 September: Forum Edita (Barcelona) - Hugo Setzer presentation on intellectual property in the world. More information:  https://forumedita.com/es/   8 September: International Literacy Day    8 September: Global Book Alliance Webinar: How the Business of Books Can Advance Literacy   21-25 September: WIPO 61st Assemblies of the Member States Like Follow Forward Subscribe About the IPA Established in 1896, the International Publishers Association (IPA) is the world's largest federation of publishers associations. The IPA is an industry body with a human rights mandate, whose mission is to promote and protect publishing and raise awareness of publishing as a force for economic, cultural and social development. Working in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and other supranational bodies, the IPA champions the interests of book and journal publishing at national and supranational level. Internationally, the IPA actively opposes censorship and promotes copyright, freedom to publish (including through the IPA Prix Voltaire), and literacy. CONTACT US: International Publishers Association 23 Avenue de France CH-1202 Geneva Tel: +41 22 704 1820 www.internationalpublishers.org   Copyright © 2020 International Publishers Association, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website Our mailing address is: International Publishers Association Avenue de France 23 Geneve 1202 Switzerland Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.