They confirmed a decline in cultural production rates by up to 85%.

Publishers between the grimaces ... "Corona" and the electronic book

• During the meeting, the association presented a special study that identified the Copyright Center.

  From the source

• Rashid Al-Kous: “We hope that we will all overcome this circumstance and contribute to advancing this industry forward.”

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Publishers confirmed that the loss of the book industry during the "Corona" crisis amounted to between 50% and 85% of total sales, due to the stoppage of events, cultural events, Arab and foreign book fairs, and the weak turnout.

They demanded the establishment of a local book distribution company, pointing out that the paper book suffers today in light of the increased demand for "electronic".

This came during a meeting recently held by the Emirates Publishers Association (remotely), through the application of visual communication (Zoom), with the aim of listening to the demands of publishers and discussing a set of future plans and strategies to advance the reality of local publishing, in light of the current conditions imposed by the spread of the new Corona virus on the world. .

The meeting, which was held in the presence of the President of the Emirates Publishers Association, Ali bin Hatim, the Executive Director of the Association, Rashid Al-Kous, and more than 50 publishers from the Association's members, touched on the effects that the Corona crisis has caused on the publishing mechanism and the consequences thereof on the publishing market. And the role of the association and its supportive efforts during this period in terms of facilitating the procedures related to the renewal of economic and commercial licenses, lease contracts, publications bills, licenses of the National Media Council, and other supporting steps.

Events stop

Rashid Al-Kous pointed out that the association is committed to the responsibility of standing by its members in various circumstances, especially in light of the current crisis that accompanied the suspension of many cultural events, events and Arab and international book fairs, indicating that this unexpected circumstance has accumulated many difficulties and obstacles for publishers. It called for a serious pause to ensure the continuation of their business.

Al-Kous added in the opening speech of the meeting: “The reality that the publishing market is experiencing has led to the association developing a package of measures in support of the work of the member publishers, represented in the Crisis Fund, which contributed to support their work, and this meeting comes in the same context to listen directly to the opinions and suggestions of publishers closely, as will be sent A questionnaire that accurately identifies their needs, in order to develop, in cooperation with them, an integrated plan that serves the publishing industry, and guarantees for the publisher an ideal environment in which to continue his work, and we hope that we will all overcome this circumstance and contribute to advancing this industry forward.

Challenges

For his part, the head of the Emirates Publishers Association, Ali bin Hatim, stressed the great role that the executive management plays in providing various means that ensure the continuity of publishers' work in various circumstances, pointing out that the circumstances that accompanied the Corona crisis during the recent period have created a lot. Among the obstacles facing publishers, it created challenges in terms of promoting their business and staying in the competition race, which prompted the association to develop plans and solutions to stand by and support all members during this period.

He added: “Our goal, through this meeting, is to listen to and discuss the demands and proposals of publishers, because we believe that working in the spirit of one team contributes to overcoming the various difficulties facing the publishing sector during this period, and we look forward to coming out with a package of visions that serve the continuity of the work of this sector and advance it.”

Keep up with reality

For their part, a number of publishers indicated that the pandemic had led to a decline in book sales by 50-85%, and greatly reduced translation contracts, stressing that the increasing demands on electronic books pose a danger to the "paper" in the future, as sales of digital books have reached Double the paper, and up to 75% of the book market.

The association recommended publishers should pay attention to electronic books, and work on producing audio books that keep pace with the current reality and push for the continuity of the work of publishing houses.

A number of publishers pointed out that they have overcome the crisis, but their book production is no longer the same, as the house used to publish about 60 new titles annually, but this year they reduced their production plan to about 15-20 books.

And they called for work to facilitate participation in school and university events, and to communicate with the Ministry of Education to obtain special licenses for that, so that publishing houses are keen to support the educational process.

The publishers also discussed the need to raise awareness of intellectual property rights and to protect them.

During the meeting, the association also presented a special study through which it defined the Copyright Center, which works to protect the rights of authors and creators who cannot easily manage their rights, in addition to the tracking services it provides for business piracy and the provision of licenses for users that are provided to universities, schools, etc. And users have the opportunity to benefit from the books in legal ways and with certain limits for copying, explaining that this process creates a state of awareness in terms of preserving the rights of the publisher, and works to facilitate access to books and reduce costs for students, and other options.

Support those affected

The publishers appreciated the "Crisis Fund" initiative launched by the Emirates Publishers Association with the aim of supporting publishers affected by the Corona crisis, stressing that this step contributes to the continuity of the publishing sector and keeps the publisher in the competition race, despite the current circumstances, especially since it recently contributed to providing about 356 One thousand dirhams for the benefit of 19 publishing houses.

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Publishers participated in the remote discussion organized by the Emirates Publishers Association.

Rashid Alkous:

"We hope that we will all overcome this circumstance and contribute to pushing the wheel of this industry forward."

Publishers: The house, which was publishing 60 new titles annually, has reduced its plan this year to 15.

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