Kitab showcases opportunities in the Arab world at the London Book Fair

KITAB's participation in the British Council-sponsored panel discussion underscored their commitment to boosting the region's publishing industry.

"Our presence and activities at the London Book Fair build on the platform of success established at this year's ADIBF. There is a new momentum in the region's publishing industry that must be maintained as we work towards achieving our twin goals of developing the professionalism of the industry and creating a buzz about books"

says Ms Kaiser.

In an effort to forge ahead with these goals, KITAB has announced plans to hold a series of publishers training courses in 2009, starting in June. The courses will be organised in conjunction with the Goethe-Institute Gulf Region, the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Academy of the German Book Trade.

This new offering follows up on the success of another professional programme launched at the 19th ADIBF in March: the subsidised licences initiative 'Spotlight on Rights', which generated more than 200 letters of intent during the fair. Maintaining this pace into 2010, KITAB will also host the 7th IPA Copyright Symposium in the week before the 20th ADIBF, where the focus will be 'trading rights'.

Sharing her thoughts and expertise on the region's publishing industry, Ms Kaiser said: "Facilitating the dialogue between local publishers and international players is pivotal if we are to raise the bar for the region's publishing industry."

"Since the introduction of the Arab book market at the LBF in 2008 there have been a number of successful collaborations between UK and Arab publishers. A year on from the Market Focus this is an opportune time to review progress and celebrate the success we've achieved."