In the run up to the official opening of the 37th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) on October 31, Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) organised a Publishers Training Programme for a group of 100 Arab publishers, which took place yesterday (Sunday).

Held at the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), the sixth edition of training was conducted in partnership with SBA’s longstanding partner, the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYUSPS) Center for Publishing.

The programme opened with a welcome note by Faisal Al Nabodah, General Coordinator of Publishers Conference, he said: “The Publishers Training Programme exemplifies the vision of the culturally vibrant vision of Sharjah and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. Every year, we bring in a new edition of the training programme to acquaint regional publishers with international best practices to benefit their businesses and the overall Arabic publishing industry, and equip them with the knowledge and expertise to better navigate regional and global challenges.”

Andrea Chambers, Director of NYUSPS Center for Publishing, and regular at the programme, highlighted the need to share expertise and best practices in publishing in order to face persistent and emerging challenges effectively. She said: “This training programme is a one-of-its-kind endeavor to present the latest book industry practices from around the world to local and regional publishers. It is also a great networking platform that presents them opportunities to network with international publishers and branch out into new markets”

Chambers brought on stage Jennifer Brehl, executive editor and director of editorial development at William Morrow, a HarperCollins US imprint, who spoke about their 2016 bestseller The Woman in the Window, emphasising on how a successful publishing plan that is followed to the ‘T’, being on top of the fast-changing copyrights market and reflecting the in authors’ contracts, are some of the technical aspects of creating bestsellers that publishers must not lose sight of.

An interactive workshop followed, which saw its 100 participants and other publishing experts on what they think comprises the features of a book that can make it to the top of the list of the most celebrates books at a session titled, ‘The Making of An International Bestseller’.

The latest marketing trends in the industry were discussed through a collection of short documentaries, which addressed the topic of harnessing social media platforms to promote books, generating curiosity with unconventional book covers and even soundtracks (in audiobooks) to attract readership’s interest. The role of the authors themselves in promoting their books by turning them into marketable brands even before their works are published was also highlighted as an important factor for ensuring success. All these developments were put within the context of Arabic publishing to see where developments are required, and the specific times/events that can make the most of marketing and publicity campaigns.

A key highlight of training day was an in-depth analysis on 21^st century anti-piracy techniques that have been developed and are being adopted by publishers like HarperCollins to apply more effective safeguards against copyright infringement and online hackers.

Highlighting two major trends in piracy – PDF and audio piracy – Jennifer told attendees that the publishing industry around the world can combat the issue by following a three-pronged approach, which includes automation where possible, which would entail sweep the web for infringing content, investigating and reporting suspicious links to search engines for their removal; increased support to authors through better customer service education and tools; and building anti‐piracy measures like watermarking into the supply chain for print and eBooks.

Offering a collective solution by highlighting the power of partnerships, Brehl said: “The publishing industry’s approach to piracy should be to work together. We must all collectively turn to publishing associations and anti‐piracy working groups who provide a forum to voice common concerns and enact collective actions, and help one another by sharing country- and market-specific experiences, create common policies and regulations. Even beyond formal associations, publishers can still collaborate to fight a common pirate enemy.”

This was followed by a presentation titled ‘Global Market and Publishing Opportunities and Strategies’ on the changing dynamics of the international market place by Seth Russo, which touched on how Arab publishers can benefit from the changing dynamics of international publishing trends like the increasing popularity of eBooks, and a sudden emergence of a new crop of ‘cross-border readers’ worldwide owing to increased sharing of cultures, more tourism, and globalisation of the workforce who are now immigrating more than ever to find career opportunities abroad.