Beijing Int'l Book Fair opens online with Iran's Presence
TEHRAN.(Iranart)-The 27th Beijing International Book Fair kicked off on Saturday with Iranian publishers in attendance.
The exhibition whose slogan is ‘Smart Exhibition’ was supposed to be held September 26 to 30 in both physical and online forms.
However, to sustain the spirit of global cultural exchanges during the COVID-19 pandemic, the book fair is totally online. Deemed as the world’s second-largest book fair in terms of scale and influence, the event has been attracting publishing professionals worldwide since 1986.
Iran Cultural Fairs Institute, Al-Huda Publications, Al-Mustafa Society, Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, Tamas Literary Agency, Pol Literary and Translation Agency, Dayereye Mina (Blue Circle) Literary Agency, TUTI Books (a division at Fatemi Publishing Company which is solely dedicated to publishing books for children and young adults), Nimaj Publications and Candle & Fog Publishing are showcasing their products.
Among the actions taken by Iran Cultural Fairs Institute at the Beijing book fair website are introducing the Iranian publishing industry, presenting a booklet including the best authors in the field of children and adolescents in English, presenting the works of children and adolescents in English, and introducing the Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF).
Also, Iran Cultural Fairs Institute uploaded video clips about the introduction of the TIBF on the Chinese book fair website.
Iran was the special guest of the Beijing Book Fair in 2017, and in 2019, China was the guest of honor at the TIBF.
Right in line with other major fairs, festivals, and trade shows of the publishing year, Beijing is describing its online offering as being designed “to give publishers the change to exhibit, network, and negotiate virtually.”
For the 2020 session, 2,600 publishers, 100 literary agencies and 500 libraries from 97 countries are registered and present their works in this exhibition. Also, more than 300,000 books have been uploaded on the exhibition website and 100 events and meetings are planned.
A total of 200 first-time exhibitors are at this year’s fair, according to the organizers.
The exhibition aims to showcase works of illustrators, both Chinese and foreign, to connect them with the publishers and satisfy the increased demand for quality illustrations for the publishing industry.
As with other programs, a rights trading functionality is to be included, of course, along with networking opportunities.
The “Smart Rights Link” is to include a matchmaking service, a way for exhibitors to upload their catalogs, and chances to display other content and videos. “Intelligent recommendations” are part of the plan, according to today’s news media messaging, along with scheduling meetings.
Cuba is featured as the guest of honor of the 2020 fair. On Sept 28, the two countries will celebrate the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties.
Over 700 book-related events are scheduled until the end of September, including the annual Beijing International Publishing Forum, being presented via the fair’s bilingual mobile application, its official websites, online bookselling platforms, and many bookstores all over the country.
An exhibition of selected titles is representative of influential quality publications and is available online. Virtual reality libraries offer online tours to some well-known bookstores and libraries.
Source: Iran Daily