The International Assembly of independent publishers 2012-2014 was held over two years, through seven preparatory and thematic workshops held in Guadalajara (Mexico), Paris (France), Bologna (Italy), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), Frankfurt (Germany) and Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and a closing meeting held under the patronage of UNESCO, in Cape Town (South Africa) at the Centre for the Book, from 18 to 21 September 2014.

Preparatory workshops, completed through working groups, focused on themes selected and prioritised by publishers (digital publishing, public book policies, independent publishing houses’ economic models, youth literature, national and local languages publishing, solidarity publishing partnerships and “Fair Trade Book”, book donations). From these workshops and on-line exchanges some tools and recommendations were developed, aimed at public authorities, international organisations and book professionals, discussed, and validated by publishers who convened in Cape Town in September 2014. The objectives of these proposals (made available before the end of 2014 by the Alliance) are to support and promote bibliodiversity at both national and international levels.

This whole process led to the drafting of the 2014 International Declaration of independent publishers. On 20 September 2014, 60 independent publishers from 38 countries present in Cape Town collectively drafted, in three languages, their policy statement. For more than four hours of interlinguistic and intercultural exchanges, joint reflection, mutual respect and questioning, publishers drafted this statement. The 2014 Declaration was also validated on-line by absent publishers and is currently being translated into several languages (French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Farsi, Italian, etc.). To date, 400 publishers from 45 countries signed the International Declaration of independent publishers, that you can widely distribute to promote and strengthen bibliodiversity with us.

 

International Declaration of Independent Publishers 2014, to promote and strengthen bibliodiversity together

Preamble

The book is essential for building and spreading knowledge, in the shaping of a human being and development of a critical mind. It is not simply a commodity. As a cultural asset, it forms part of a certain kind of economy which should not be subject to market forces exclusively. Its design, production and marketing, whether in print or digital format, should enable a book to last, since it is intended as much for future generations as for those in the present.

The independent publisher has total freedom in the design of editorial policy, which s/he carries out autonomously. Her/his approach is not solely commercial. Together with the other actors in the book chain, s/he is the guarantor of creativity, of ensuring that histories of oppression and suppression are kept alive, of the democratisation of books as well as of diverse and critical publishing. S/he is also the crafter of essential bibliodiversity. S/he prioritizes quality and longevity over mass production and speed.

Independent publishers find themselves increasingly weakened by the consequences of neo-liberal policies and the resulting corporatization of the publishing industry. Over the past few years, the rise of the large digital players has further intensified this situation: they consider cultural content to be simple instruments which serve their financial interests.

Political developments have an impact on the fate of cultural actors. In certain countries, democratic changes have opened up platforms for freedom and allowed a new generation of independent publishers to emerge. In other countries, on the other hand, conflicts severely affect publishing activity and the freedom to express a variety of opinions.

Within this context, independent publishing nevertheless manages to renew itself and to make diverse voices heard. Independent publishing is still thriving not only out of necessity but also because publishers have been able to mobilise themselves so as to be heard and to join forces. Today, more than ever, solidarity is vital.

Declaration

We, 400 publishers from 45 countries, meeting in the framework of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers at our Third Assembly, held in Cape Town (South Africa) in September 2014, reaffirm our will to act together to defend and promote bibliodiversity.

In 2005, the adoption by UNESCO of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, followed by its ratification by numerous States, represented an important step in recognising the specificity of cultural content and the role of the independent publisher. In order for it to be heeded, however, this Convention must be translated into pro-active public policies.

In countries where national book policies are weak or non-existent, we appeal to governments to establish without delay policies which foster cultural development and the democratisation of books and reading. All the actors in the book chain need to be very closely involved in drawing up and applying such policies. They must reinforce the book industry in each country and help support local production, distribution, and access by all to books; in particular by establishing adequate regulatory and fiscal measures, and by providing more space for reading, especially public libraries. Such policies should encompass printed books as much as digital and should promote their complementarity.

It is also crucial, in the context of globalisation, that national policies are carried over into regional and international policies. Such policies must allow books to circulate in an equitable manner and regulate the book market so that it is protected from the predatory acts of the large international e-tail and retail groups.

It is essential that fair laws regarding copyright be drawn up and applied, laws which allow for authors’ rights be protected while guaranteeing access to knowledge.

We must be doubly vigilant and also doubly inventive if we are to thwart any form of suppression of the word. The struggle against all forms of censorship (State, administrative, religious, economic and even self-censorship) remains a priority.

Thought is not controlled by censorship alone. In an environment of excessive information, media concentration and the standardisation of content, it is essential to be careful that freedom of expression does not only serve the voice of the dominant groups or powers. We, the independent publishers, defend Fair Speech in order to make a multiplicity of voices heard, which in itself secures bibliodiversity.

The digital players in a hegemonic position, such as Amazon, Google or Apple, should not be above the laws and fiscal regulations in force in any country. We call on public authorities and on international bodies to pass laws which encourage bibliodiversity, so that publishers and bookshops may continue to play their indispensable role as cultural actors and intermediaries.

The distribution of books should not be uni-directional, reproducing situations of dominance and preventing the development of local markets and national industries. We call for equitable exchanges between large book-exporting countries and those countries that import books.

Regarding textbooks, the State and the large international publishing groups tend to dominate markets in the countries of the Global South, despite the advocacy of professional collectives and the existence of policy measures. It is urgent that local independent publishers be allowed to take over the production of textbooks, which is essential for strengthening the local book economy and developing other less lucrative and more risky publishing sectors. In particular, it is vital for young readers’ development that they should be able to relate to the material given to them.

Donations of printed books, as well as digital devices (e-readers, tablets…) and digital content, even when motivated by philanthropic principles, contribute to a certain cultural hegemony. The warnings given by Southern professionals and their proposals for other types of book donation have contributed to a change in such practices. It is important that this system continues to be questioned across the world to provide a sustainable response to readers’ needs and expectations.

Professional solidarity among independent publishers is a force that counters such predatory structures. We need to develop our own tools and encourage the transfer of skills as well as the sharing of know-how and resources.

Exchange of literature and ideas between countries through translations is an important promoter of mutual knowledge and is essential for the development of a critical, democratic approach. Funds to support translation must be established and strengthened. In order to encourage intercultural dialogue and preserve bibliodiversity, reciprocal translations should be supported.

Co-publishing and the principle of the “fair trade book” facilitate the exchange of content and ideas. They allow publishing costs and activities to be shared and books to be offered to the broadest public at a fair price. We are convinced that these practices need to be extended, especially through recourse to funds offering assistance for co-publishing.

Despite its essential role in sustainable education and social development, publishing in local and national languages continues to be marginalised. We need to promote the transmission of knowledge and emancipation, and ensure that each community has access to reading material in its own language.

We call on independent publishers everywhere in the world to come together, alongside the authors, independent bookstores, librarians and other actors in the book chain, and to form associations and collectives allowing bibliodiversity to thrive and become stronger.

Finally, it is our responsibility, as independent publishers, to practise the principles we have set out and to defend a publishing model which respects human rights and the environment. We also have a responsibility to readers and to people with little access to books, since a democratic approach depends on the acquisition of knowledge by each one of us. Together we must count on our ability to act and to redouble our creativity.

Saturday 20th September 2014, Cape Town (South Africa)

List of signatories

The list of signatories is not complete and is a work-in-progress.

Nouri Abid, Éditions Med Ali, Tunisia

Waël Abid, Al-Tanweer, Tunisia

Silvia Aguilera, Lom Ediciones, Chile

Mesbahuddin Ahmed, Ankur Prakashani, Bangladesh

Diego Álamos, Chancacazo Publicaciones Ltda, Chile

Samer Alkadri, Bright Fingers, Syria

Ángeles Alonso, Baile Del Sol, Canary Islands – Spain

Bahman Amini, Éditions Kharavan, France – Iran

Marie-Agathe Amoikon Fauquembergue, Éburnie, Ivory Coast

Pascal Assathiany, Éditions Du Boréal, Quebec – Canada

Alejo Avila, Del Naranjo, Argentina

Anne Beech, Pluto Press, United Kingdom

Bichr Bennani, Tarik Éditions, Morocco

Karim Ben Smail, Cérès Éditions, Tunisia

Pierre Bertrand, Couleur Livres, Belgium

Isabelle Bourgueil, L’or Des Fous Éditeur, France

Constanza Brunet, Marea Editora, Argentina

Haroldo Ceravolo Sereza, Alameda Casa Editorial And Representative Of The Libre Collective, Gathering 140 Brazilian Independent Publishers, Brazil

Indira Chandrasekhar, Tulika Books And Representative Of The Ipd Alternatives Collective, Gathering 8 Indian Independent Publishers, India

Gilles Colleu, Vents D’ailleurs, France

Élodie Comtois, Écosociété, Quebec – Canada

Antoinette Corréa, Bld Éditions, Senegal

Élisabeth Daldoul, Elyzad, Tunisia

Anna Danieli, Ediciones Trilce, Uruguay

Víctor Hugo De La Fuente, Editorial Aún Creemos En Los Sueños, Chile

Héctor Dinsmann, Libros De La Araucaria, Argentina

Serge Dontchueng Kouam, Presses Universitaires D’afrique, Cameroon

Fatma El Boudy, Elain Publishing, Egypt

Dina El Ghamry, Bardi, Egypt

Nadia Essalmi, Yomad, Morocco

Jose Mari Esparza, Txalaparta, Basque Country – Spain

Francisco Fantini, Fundación Gourmet Patagonia, Chile

Raúl Figueroa Sarti, F&G Editores, Guatemala

Sékou Fofana, Éditions Donniya, Mali

Gustavo Mauricio Garcia Arenas, Icono Editorial/ Códice Producciones, Colombia

Araken Gomes Ribeiro, Contra Capa Editora, Brazil

Silvia Gonzales, Madriguera And Representative Of The Eip Collective, Gathering 15 Peruvian Independent Publishers, Peru

Müge Gursoy Sokmen, Metis, Turkey

Agnès Gyr-Ukunda, Bakame, Rwanda

Samar Haddad, Atlas Publishing, Syria

Sofiane Hadjadj, Barzakh, Algeria

Pablo Harari – Ediciones Trilce, Uruguay

Susan Hawthorne, Spinifex Press, Australia

Jutta Hepke, Vents D’ailleurs, France

Colleen Higgs, Modjaji Books, South Africa

Déborah Holtz, Trilce And Representative Of The Aemi Collective, Gathering 12 Mexican Independent Publishers, Mexico

Jafar Homaei, Nashre-E Ney, Iran

Dorothée Gérard Houessou, Les Éditions Du Flamboyant, Benin

Bridget Impey, Jacana Media, South Africa

Guido Indij, La Marca Editora And Representative Of The Edinar Collective, Gathering Argentinian Independent Publishers, Argentina

Yasmin Issaka-Coubageat, Graines De Pensées, Togo

Aline Jablonka, Éditions Charles Léopold Mayer, France

Ivana Jinkings, Boitempo, Brazil

Karine Joseph, Éditions Du Sirocco, Morocco

Billy Kahora, Kwani Trust, Kenya

Hassan Khalil, Dar Al Farabi, Lebanon

Renate Klein, Spinifex Press, Australia

Hamidou Konate, Jamana, Mali

Octavio Kulesz, Libros Del Zorzal And Editorial Teseo, Argentina

Béatrice Lalinon Gbado, Ruisseaux D’afrique, Benin

Ester Levinrad, Jacana Media, South Africa

Mical Lorougnon Drehi, Éditions Livre Sud (Edilis), Ivory Coast

Isabella Marcatti, Boitempo, Brazil

Hamid Medhipour, Forough Verlag, Germany – Iran

Ritu Menon, Women Unlimited, India

Phehello Mofokeng, Geko Publishing, South Africa

Anita Molino, Il Leone Verde And Representative Of The Fidare Collective, Gathering 104 Italian Independent Publishers, Italy

Pablo Moya, Ediciones El Milagro, Mexico

Nabil Mroueh, Al Intishar, Lebanon

Jean-Claude Naba, Sankofa & Gurli, Burkina Faso

Tinouche Nazmjou, Naakojaa, France – Iran

Seydou Nourou Ndiaye, Éditions Papyrus Afrique, Senegal

Abdoulaye Fodé Ndione, Abis Éditions, Senegal

François Nkeme, Ifrikiya, Cameroon

Carla Oliveira, Orfeu Negro, Portugal

Isabelle Pivert, Éditions Du Sextant, France

José Antonio Quiroga, Plural Editores, Bolivia

Mehdi Rahimzadeh, Ferdosi, Sweden – Iran

Dan Raymond-Barker, New Internationalist, United Kingdom

Marie Michèle Razafintsalama, Jeunes Malgaches And Representative Of The Afrilivres Collective, Gathering 33 Sub-Sahara African Independent Publishers, Madagascar

Jean Richard, Éditions D’en Bas, Switzerland

Luis Daniel Rocca, Taller De Edición Rocca And Representative Of The Reic Collective, Gathering 13 Colombian Independent Publishers, Colombia

María José Ruiz Vilas, Txalaparta, Basque Country – Spain

Juan Carlos Sáez, Jc Sáez Editor, Chile

Rodney Saint-Eloi, Mémoire D’encrier, Quebec – Canada / Haïti

Abdulai Sila, Ku Si Mon Editora, Guinea Bissau

Paulo Slachevsky, Lom Ediciones And Representative Of The Edin Collective, Gathering 55 Chilean Publishers, Chile

Aliou Sow, Ganndal, Guinea Conakry

Bernard Stephan, Les Éditions De L’atelier, France

Roger Tavernier, Zellige, France

Abdón Ubidia, Editorial El Conejo, Equator

Luis Augusto Vaca Melo, Abra Palabra Editores Sas, Colombia

Mariana Warth, Pallas Editora, Brazil

Alejandro Zenker, Ediciones Del Ermitaño, Mexico