For Arabic publishers trying to sell translation rights abroad, the first challenge is getting foreign buyers to consider their books.
Many international publishers have little idea of the range available, says Sherif Bakr, general manager of Cairo's Al Arabi Publishing and Distributing.
“They don't know what to expect. They don't know what we have. This is why we as an industry needed to extend the variety,” he tells The National from the Frankfurt International Book Fair.
Bakr hopes to narrow this gap through the newly launched Arab Voices website, which showcases contemporary literature from across the Arab world. The initiative began in 2020 with a printed catalogue of 32 Egyptian books before expanding online this year.
Funded by the EU and launched in July, the platform introduces foreign publishers to books including Palestinian author Bassem Khandaqji's A Mask, the Colour of the Sky – winner of the 2024 International Prize for Arabic Fiction, Egyptian novelist Adel Esmat's At the End of Time and Nora Nagi's The Fuel House.
“We now have fantasy, crime, women writing crime novels, women's literature, chick lit, literary fiction and award-winning books. We've also expanded across the Arab world, with 200 titles from 22 countries. We need to give more exposure to writers from across the region, not just the known ones or the famous ones,” Bakr says.
Arab Voices joins initiatives such as Leila, an EU-funded European project launched in 2021 to promote contemporary Arabic literature. Based in France, it offers a curated catalogue and resources for publishers and translators, with a focus on Arabic-to-French translation.
Meanwhile, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre is marking the first anniversary of its From Kalima to the World initiative at the book fair on Thursday, announcing 14 new translation and international co-publishing partnerships.
For Bakr, the range of books is important, but the selection must also reflect what international publishers are looking for. An open directory would give buyers more titles to sift through without helping them to identify books suited to their markets.
“Publishers need a selected, curated list. Something that they know is going to work with them. You can't just put anything,” he says.
Literary prize shortlists and winners offer a starting point, although he also considers books that have not received such recognition. A book's success at home is no guarantee of international appeal.
“Maybe it's very good locally, but it doesn't travel, or maybe it travels,” he says.
Bakr also believes Arab publishers need to be more active at international book fairs, where the emphasis is on networking, rights negotiations and showcasing titles rather than the consumer sales that dominate many regional fairs. He acknowledges the additional costs but believes the investment can pay off.
“You have to talk to the publishers and convince them that this book stands up with the others,” he says.
International publishers, however, are not always receptive. At a separate Frankfurt discussion on publishing industry challenges, Bakr described how publishers from the Middle East can be overlooked by their foreign counterparts.
“We would feel publishers don't reply to us, don't think of us as important,” he said.
Foreign publishers and agents can also underestimate the logistical challenges facing regional publishers, including contractual obligations that are far more expensive to fulfil in some markets.
Requirements to send free copies to authors, agents and rights holders in several countries can leave Egyptian publishers facing shipping bills greater than the cost of producing the books. Bakr recalls attending fairs with suitcases packed with copies, relying on travelling colleagues to help to deliver them.
He also recalls agreeing a $100 advance with a Nordic literary agency, only to struggle to transfer the money because Egyptian bank officials at the time did not understand the purchase of publishing rights. He eventually paid in cash at a book fair. Although restrictions have eased, he says a $100 transfer can still incur about $40 in fees.
“We don't have the same banking system,” he says. “We have to be flexible and understanding.”
Bakr plans to increase Arab Voices' international outreach after Frankfurt and to expand the platform into a hub carrying publishing news and links to other initiatives.
He is reluctant, however, to judge its progress solely by the number of translation deals.
“It's not that we have to have a KPI of how many translated books,” he says. “You're building something. It's like soft power. It's about expanding the visibility of what's out there in Arabic literature. There are so many great stories out there, and we just want to help in that effort.”
Frankfurt International Book Fair ends on October 11
