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TURKISH LITERATURE IN 72 LANGUAGES

The 4th Istanbul Fellowship Program, which brought together publishers from all corners of the world, was completed with record-breaking number of participants. The 3-day program that turned Istanbul into a hub of publishers is set to become one of the world's leading organizations.

The 4th Istanbul Fellowship Program, which is organized since 2016 by Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright and Licencing Society (TBYM) with a view to turning Istanbul into a copyright and translation market, has come to an end. This year's program attracted the highest number of participants since its beginning with 191 publishing houses from 72 countries. The organization took place in Avrasya Center for Performing Arts and brought together publishing house representatives, agencies and editors from all parts of the world for three days. 85 domestic publishing houses and agencies also attended the program. From 26th to 28th February, 2782 bilateral meetings were held and as many as 1000 preliminary agreements were signed. This also marked the highest number of book trades within the organization.

WORLD-RENOWNED PUBLISHERS GET TOGETHER IN ISTANBUL
This year's Fellowship Program was also distinctive as world-renowned publishing houses were also invited to the program. Claudia Kaiser, Vice President of Frankfurt Book Fair and one of the leading figures of the publishing world, was among the participants in Istanbul alongside the likes of Ed Nawotka (Publishers Weekly editor), Gvantsa Jobava (President of Association of Georgian Publishers and Bookstores), Mohamed Sibai (Vice President of Association of Arab Publishers), and Thomas Atasana (Member of Indonesia National Book Committee).

KAISER: "THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLISHERS"
Speaking on the organization, Claudia Kaiser, Vice President of Frankfurt Book Fair, said that "Turkey has created a platform for international publishers to gather through this organization and all this is happening in a world famous city of Istanbul".

"Especially Istanbul is a great city. Professionally, this is a great opportunity to be here. [Fellowship] creates an invaluable opportunity of access for publishers. It is very important to be able to see who are interested in your publications, who you can cooperate with, who are interested in book fairs and who can be invited to this organization".

"IF THEY EVER ASK ME TO CHOOSE BETWEEN LONDON AND ISTANBUL..."
International Publication Director Tomoyasu Sagawa, one of the participants of Fellowship Istanbul from Japan, said that "if they ever ask me to choose between attending the fair in London or in Istanbul, I would definitely choose Istanbul. When in London, I get an opportunity to see people from our neighbouring countries. But here there is truly an international environment."

Mustafa Doğru from the host organization Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright and Licencing Society said that "this year's organization created a wonderful impact. Many people had a chance to meet Turkish authors and Turkish books for the first time. For us, Istanbul is an intercontinental meeting point."

Istanbul Fellowship program coincided with the Eurasia Book Fair and many seminars and conferences were organized in addition to the fair activities. A mini concert was also held as part of the program to celebrate the 2019 Russia-Turkey friendship year.

ISTANBUL: THE MEETING POINT OF CONTINENTS, NOW THE MEETING POINT OF PUBLISHERS
Organized in cooperation with Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright and Licencing Society, Istanbul Fellowship program has higher objectives every year. The program brings together participants from Far East to the United States, and is set to be among the most prestigious events of the sector among the likes of London, Frankfurt and Bologna Book Fairs. The program provides an opportunity not only for promoting Istanbul and Turkey, but also for publishing houses with its international outlook. The organization targets being among the most prestigious events of the publishing industry in years to come.