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Technical understanding of digital footprints, monthly subscription models and serialization of online documents will help curb the unauthorized dissemination of eBooks
The 12th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) Publishers Conference.Photo: Provided
Arab publishers at the 12th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) Publishers Conference detailed how they are finding innovative technological solutions to showcase high-value Arabic content to meet the changing needs of readers, even as the The demand for printed matter is constantly escalating.
On the opening day of the 12th SIBF Publishers Conference at the Sharjah Expo Centre, a panelist on “Digital Publishing in the Arab World: How Arab Publishers Are Embracing the Digital Landscape and Who Are the Key Operators?” said that during the pandemic, Arab The world’s demand for e-books has tripled, while the print industry continues to experience healthy growth.
E-book market, audio publishing will grow
Abjad Website – Jordan CEO and co-founder Eman Hylooz, who hosted the session, said younger generations are discovering the beauty of printed books through digital media.
Ali Abdelmoneim Mohamed Ahmed, Digital Publishing Consultant at Liberty Education UK, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, said: “More and more publishers are offering online platforms and their books are available digitally. Partnering with audio platforms such as Storytel and Audible also helps publishers find new audience.”
He added: “Last year, in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, e-book sales of classical books increased by 14%. This is not the same as online publications, which increased by 50%.”
Salah Chebaro, founder and CEO of the Neelwafurat online platform and a Lebanese publisher, said that while the global Arab population is much larger compared to the U.S. population, fewer books are published in the Arabic language.
“We publish less than 1 million books a year for 450 million people. Last year we produced 8,000 audiobooks, compared to 75,000 in the US market. Despite interest from readers, only 10% of Arabic books are currently digitized. Demand in the e-book market is growing steadily and we need to tap its potential,” he added.
According to Jordanian Doha Alrefae, who runs rufoof, digital piracy remains a major problem in the Arab world. “Most publishers shy away from e-books because they fear duplication of content. While this is a global issue, regulations for online publishing in Arabic are not yet in place,” she said.
“A technical understanding of digital footprints, monthly subscription models and serialization of online documents will help curb the unlicensed dissemination of e-books,” Doha added.
Khaled Ababneh, Business Development Manager at Almotahida Education Group, proposes solutions to the problem of data piracy, such as using watermarks. “Digitally published content can only be deciphered by subscription. Using visual or non-visual watermarks, limiting the number of users or devices, and using content management systems will help regulate consumers,” he said.
The rise of audiobooks
Govind Deecee of India’s DC Books said during a panel discussion titled “The Emerging Audiobook Market” moderated by Nathan Hull, Chief Strategy Officer of Norway’s Beat Technology, that audiobooks are not a lucrative market but will grow exponentially.
“When it comes to creating audiobooks, the publishers are the curators. While we are dealing with a fairly small market, catering primarily to one Indian regional language, we have realised that maintaining the quality of production is critical to attracting interest from young people,” he said. Say.
Ama Dadson, founder and CEO of Akoo Books in Ghana, said the sub-Saharan audiobook market is highly focused on mobile technology users and is growing rapidly.
“Our storytelling is performative and our theatre artists have become voice-over artists. In terms of local digital publishing, authenticity is the number one factor. The interactivity of storytelling, especially with AI (artificial intelligence), is What I’m looking forward to in the near future,” she said.
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The audience for immersive narrative texts will continue to grow, according to Beatrice Lin, executive editor of Co.Mint in South Korea. “We now have a stage for published authors who can see their work being narrated by performance artists. Space publishing is becoming the norm, with professional book-telling voices exploring new content formats,” said Lim, who is also a Seoul-based Storytel’s director. consultant.
On the first day of the 12th SIBF Publishers Conference, Mariam Al Ali from Sharjah Books also provided key information to apply for the SIBF Translation Grant, a $300,000 fund dedicated to Publishers Conference attendees .
Following the meeting agenda for Day 1, participating publishers, rights professionals and translators were paired with peers from the region and around the world.
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