The Sharjah International Book Fair has maintained its position as the world’s largest fair for buying and selling copyrights for the sixth consecutive year, reinforcing Sharjah’s role as an international hub connecting publishers and literary agents with opportunities to negotiate book and translation rights, explore co-publishing opportunities and reach new markets and readers.
The milestone follows the conclusion of the 16th Sharjah International Publishers Conference on Tuesday, where 7,980 professional meetings for publishing and translation rights were held over two days, compared with 3,321 at the previous edition — an increase of more than 140%. The meetings were scheduled in advance and confirmed through a dedicated electronic system. The event brought together 1,888 publishers from 126 countries.
Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), the conference featured matchmaking meetings alongside 30 specialised roundtables and programmes for professional exchange with publishing industry leaders, addressing changes across the sector and opportunities for collaboration between global book markets.
A cultural vision behind Sharjah’s global leadership
H.E. Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of SBA, said: “The Sharjah International Book Fair’s global leadership in buying and selling copyrights for the sixth consecutive year reflects the lasting impact of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, who made books and knowledge the foundation of Sharjah’s cultural project and supported publishing to strengthen the presence of Arab culture and expand international cultural exchange. Today, Sharjah is a key destination on the international publishing calendar, where partnerships help bring books and ideas across languages and cultures.”
He added: “The increase in professional meetings reflects publishers’ growing confidence in the conference and the business opportunities it offers. Under the guidance of Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of SBA, we continue to develop the conference and its programmes to connect publishers with new partners and turn meetings into agreements and sustainable publishing projects that strengthen the sector’s competitiveness and support its growth in global markets.”
Meetings focused on practical outcomes
Mansour Al Hassani, Director of Publishing Services at SBA, said: “This edition focused on helping publishers build partnerships suited to their catalogues and target markets through exposure to international publishing practices and direct negotiations on publishing and translation rights. These meetings resulted in agreements to translate literary and intellectual works, publish titles across a range of subjects and bring them to new markets. We aim to extend the conference’s impact beyond the event itself, enabling publishers to continue negotiations, develop joint projects and turn the connections made in Sharjah into lasting partnerships and tangible results.”
Specialised discussions on the future of publishing
The first day featured 30 roundtables across four rounds, including seven in Arabic, addressing ways to generate greater value from content rights, adapt books for film and television, and expand into international markets. Discussions also covered audiobooks, distribution, digital marketing, artificial intelligence, and the protection of authors’ and publishers’ rights.
Global Exchange expands connections between publishing markets
Introduced for the first time at this year’s conference, Global Exchange brought publishers, literary agents and experts from different regions together to discuss opportunities for collaboration and challenges across publishing markets, alongside specialised discussions on comics and children’s publishing.
Boardroom Exchange provided direct access to senior global publishing leaders for the exchange of expertise and discussion of business development opportunities, while the PublisHer Lounge offered workshops, mentoring sessions, and professional networking opportunities for publishers.
