Emirates Publishers Association organises publishers training workshop

The 5-day workshop, which will run until Tuesday 10 November, coincides with the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), and aims to increase the experience and skills of the UAE's publishers to help them better cope with global industry trends.

Professors from Oxford Brookes University will be lecturing on a range of key topics related to the development of written material and cultural products, including publishing finance, e-marketing and sales, digital publishing, production and project management, and negotiating rights, sales and purchase contracts. Special lectures on international book fairs and how to adapt local publishing programmes to the international market will also be given.

During the opening session, H.E. Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the EPA, welcomed all present, commending the cooperation between the organisations involved in organising the workshop. She thanked UK Publishers Association Director Emma House for her assistance with the development and preparation of the programme, and Professors Adrian Bullock and Sheila Lambie for being willing to share their vast experience in the publishing industry, as well as the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the media and all EPA members.

Speaking of the importance of the workshop, Sheikha Bodour said, "This workshop is one of series of activities the EPA plans to hold on a regular basis to help achieve the goals for which the Association was established, namely to enhance the UAE's publishing industry through providing training and empowerment to Emirati publishers, to enhance the conditions of and cooperation between local publishers, printers and distributors, and to promote local productions both regionally and internationally."

"Our country is full of creative thinkers, artists and writers. We have a responsibility to bring their creativity to the broadest possible audience, and at the required level in terms of content, design, production, output, graphics, printing and all the other aspects of the publishing process. In order to do this, we need to develop existing expertise, exchange knowledge, and benefit from leaders' knowledge in such areas," she added.

Sheikha Bodour concluded by focusing on the importance of cooperation with other leading publishing centres, institutions and associations around the world, pointing to the EPA's collaboration with the UK Publishers Association and Oxford Brookes University for this workshop as practical proof of its commitment to international cooperation for mutual benefit.

The Emirates Publishers Association was established at Al Qasba, Sharjah, on 25 February 2009 as a public institution dedicated to developing the UAE's publishing industry. The EPA works closely with the National Media Council and other publishing institutions in the UAE and internationally, and is looking forward joining forces with the Electronic Publishers Association as well as publishers of children's books and scientific and educational literature.