Sharjah 24: The delegation of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) held meetings with a number of international publishers participating in the 34th edition of the Turin International Book Fair in Italy.

During the meetings, the SBA briefed the publishers on its preparations for the next edition of the Publishers Conference, held annually on the sidelines of the Sharjah International Book Fair, which examines the challenges and aspirations of the publishing industry on a global level.

The SBA participated in the event with a special pavilion, through which it conveyed the cultural development in the Emirate of Sharjah and the Emirate's vision towards developing the publishing industry, supporting the production of knowledge content, and encouraging translation, as part of the Emirate's directions to promote civilised dialogue and communication between the cultures of the world.

In its pavilion, the SBA reviewed its efforts to support the book industry and improve the publishing mechanism, through the opportunities it provides to publishers at the local, regional and international levels. In addition to taking advantage of the logistical capabilities provided by the Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone, which provides the publisher with comprehensive and integrated solutions that help facilitate and accelerate the stages of book-making according to the latest technologies. 

The delegation also briefed a number of writers and publishers who visited its pavilion on the objectives of the international events organised annually by the authority, foremost of which are the Sharjah International Book Fair and the Sharjah Children's Reading Festival. Plus, the various cultural programmes and workshops included in its various activities, aimed at encouraging the culture of reading and documenting the community’s connection to the book and the knowledge content in all its forms.

The delegation also introduced its initiatives to support creative industries and distinguished services that are provided for the first time in the Arab region, through what the Sharjah International Literary Agency provides as part of the SBA’s efforts to stimulate the Arab publishing market, enhance the publishing industry, preserve intellectual property rights for all workers in the publishing sector, and facilitate connecting publishers, writers and creative content creators around the world.