A WeLL-LOveD TrADITIOn FOr mOST

Akhila Prasad, India

— “I’ve been coming here for many years as a student with my school, but this year, I came with my family. I’m an avid reader. I couldn’t tell you how many books I read a year as I don’t keep a count, but I can easily finish one within a week. I think that the message on the importance of reading has been around for a long time, and even though online habits take priority in some people’s lives nowadays, the culture of picking up a book and reading it is still there. I’m visiting the fair this year with the aim to buy more books for leisure reading rather than schoolrelated reading. I love checking out the best-selling books.”

Ayse Ozden, UK

— “I came here as part of the fellowship programme for professional publishers. Over the past few days, before the public opening, we have taken part in a lot of seminars about the different aspects of the publishing industry in the Middle East. We are a UK publisher but what has been really interesting to learn is what exactly the Arab publishers are looking for from us. Because of the societal differences between the UK and the UAE, they’ve communicated to us the need to produce more books that would be culturally sensitive to the audience in this part of the world. This now allows us to look at adapting our content to fit this market in the future; because it’s a huge and growing market.”

Talaat Fouad, Lebanon

— “I’ve been coming to the SIBF for 20 years now. I work as an agent for

Imam Al Ouzai University in Lebanon and we purchase many of our books here to be used for the Islamic curriculum subjects. During our visits, we place orders of between 10,000 to 15,000 books. There is a huge variety here and it’s the best publishing event within the region for stocking up on university resources.”

Feda Shtia, Jordan

— “I was born and raised in the

UAE so this is an annual event I never miss. I’ve actually just finished writing my own series of children’s books, so coming here allows me to check out the bestsellers in that category and get a feel for what works, what sells. Then maybe one day I’ll be on that bestsellers list. I love coming here to buy books for my own children, too. I’ve always encouraged my kids to read. Actually, it started when they were in the womb; I would always read to them. I’ve really seen the SIBF grow over the years and it has become this must-visit event on the annual calendar. It’s a great platform to promote reading.