Denver-based literary agent Kristin Nelson has an interesting piece in her Pub Rants column: she talks about the ongoing problem of pirated copies of clients’ books being published in Iraq and Iran. The translators of these works are often the ones who apologetically notify Nelson Literary, but nothing can be done to stop this. As Nelson writes, these countries simply don’t comply with copyright restrictions.
This is the kind of issue that one day the International Publishers Association may be able to address for authors, agents, and publishers. Founded in 1896 and based in Geneva, the IPA brings together about 60 nations’ publishers associations and markets. In these times of rising nationalism in so many parts of the world, the IPA’s mission is heavily weighted toward freedom of speech. Its Prix Voltaire, for example, is a freedom-to-publish award that honors individuals or organizations who have contributed to the defense and promotion of freedom to publish. IPA has worked recently with the German Publishers and Booksellers Association and Reporters Without Borders to petition Germany to work toward the release of authors and journalists imprisoned in Turkey.
At London Book Fair last week, IPA’s new president, the Dutch publisher Michiel Kolman, spoke about the IPA’s controversial decision to accept China’s publishers as members of IPA. Some IPA players felt that including the publishers of a nation with a questionable stance on human rights is wrong. Kolman argued that inclusion, rather than ostracization, is the right course, reminding his audience that, “In terms of new titles, China is the biggest market by far: 470,000 in 2015, up from around 328,000 in 2010. This is compared to 338,000 in the US and 173,000 in the UK.”
Bottom line: With more and more emphasis on international publishing—and at a time of mounting pressure in issues of free expression, nationalism, and isolationism—we think the IPA’s mission is essential and its potential is rising fast. Next week, the organization sends a delegation to Georgia, for example, where textbook publishers are being driven into bankruptcy by a government takeover of the market. Once more, it appears that copyright violations are at play. From time to time, we’ll update you on some of what the IPA is doing and on key issues it’s identifying for authors and publishers.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
