Publishers on working in a bookshop for one day
Publishers on working in a bookshop for one day.
Watch the video here.
British Bookshops on what they do to promote Reading for Pleasure
Listen to British bookshops on what they do to promote reading for pleasure here.
POUR UNE EUROPE DU LIVRE ET DE LA CULTURE, OUVERTE ET TOURNÉE VERS L’AVENIR
A l’occasion des Journées du livre de Berlin, les syndicats français et allemand de l’industrie du livre lancent un appel conjoint aux dirigeants politiques de Berlin, Paris et Bruxelles #btb17
Dans une déclaration commune, les représentants de l’industrie du livre français et allemands demandent aux dirigeants politiques français, allemands et européens la mise en place d’une politique européenne du livre favorisant, dans le contexte du développement du numérique, la diversité culturelle sur le long terme. / Déclaration de Berlin du Syndicat national de l’édition, du Syndicat de la librairie française, du Syndicat des Distributeurs de Loisirs Culturels et du Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels / Journées du livre de Berlin avec 700 éditeurs, libraires et partenaires
The European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) and the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) react to the Commission’s mid-term review of the Digital Single Market strategy
The European and International Booksellers Federation – EIBF – and the Federation of European Publishers – FEP – have read with interest the Commission’s Mid-Term Review of the Digital Single Market, published just over two years after the strategy was launched in 2015.
The EIBF and the FEP fully support the aims and objectives of the Commission’s Digital Single Market Strategy: A single market truly fit for the digital age, to the benefit of businesses and consumers alike. The book sector is embracing the digital revolution, with a growing number of booksellers and publishers making e-books available to consumers domestically as well as across borders.
However, although the ambitions underpinning the Digital Single Market are both welcome and admirable, they should not cloud our judgment of how best to achieve its aims.
With inter-institutional negotiations (the Trilogue) on the proposal to address unjustified geo-blocking set to commence shortly, the book industry reiterates its concerns about the inclusion by the European Parliament of non-audiovisual copyright protected content, such as e-books, in the scope of the Regulation, and calls on the Council and the Commission to maintain their original stance of non-inclusion.
On a nascent market, the profitability of which still has to be demonstrated, forcing traders to offer e-books across borders would give rise to legal uncertainties, require investments that few can afford, and many SMEs could be forced to exit the e-book market. Far from opening up the single market to consumers, this would be highly detrimental to cultural diversity and consumer choice in the EU.
EIBF co-Presidents Fabian Paagman and Jean-Luc Treutenaere commented: “Our companies are present on the e-book market, selling e-books respectively in the Netherlands and in Flemish-speaking Belgium, and in France & in French-speaking Belgium, in spite of the fact that it is not a profitable activity, at least for the moment. Every business aims to grow and bookselling is no exception, with the right infrastructural conditions and if consumers’ demand reaches a critical mass to make the business sustainable”.
Likewise, recent debates on the Directive on Copyright in the Single Market have been a cause for concern for our sector. The legislative proposal published on 5th September 2017 addressed a number of issues likely to affect the book world such as exceptions for text and data mining, illustration for teaching and preservation, or licensing solutions for out of commerce works. The text is now being discussed in the Parliament and the Council. For the book sector, it is paramount that the provisions of the future legislation provide for incentives to the new business models developed by the industry. With e-books, players are continually inventing new ways of letting consumers access their favourite reads, and this needs to be encouraged.
FEP President Henrique Mota said, “The future is bright for the book sector especially as we are constantly developing new ways to access and read books. With e-books, I would be tempted to say that the sky is the limit. We are working with the legislators so that the text adopted will support innovation”.
EIBF and FEP are keen to pursue their dialogue with decision makers involved in the Trilogue(s) between the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council, for the promotion of the rich European literary heritage and to the benefit of European consumers choice.
About EIBF & FEP
EIBF – The European & International Booksellers Federation represents the interests of the bookselling industry. Its Members are National Booksellers Associations in the European Union and beyond. Their Members, in turn, are all kinds of booksellers: brick and mortar, online retailers, independents and chains.
FEP – The Federation of European Publishers represents 28 national Publishers Associations from the European Union and the European Economic Area. The turnover of book publishers in 2016 reached 22, 5 billion euro. The more than 29.000 European publishing houses have published in 2015 some 575.000 new titles, a testimony of their role promoting culture and knowledge. FEP is the voice of European books and journals publishers in Europe.
For further information, please contact:
EIBF Director Fran Dubruille (fran@europeanbooksellers.eu or +32 475 40 32 34)
or FEP Director Anne Bergman (abergman@fep-fee.eu or +32 477 33 65 76)
The European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) and the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) react to the reintroduction of copyright protected material in the proposed geo-blocking regulation as the Internal Market and Consumer Protection
EIBF and FEP note with great satisfaction that the Committee supported the safeguards proposed by the European Commission (recital 23 and article 4.3), so that this regulation may not be used to circumvent fixed book price regimes.
However, EIBF and FEP note with deep regret the fact that despite numerous representations and contacts with Members of the Committee on behalf of the book industry in the last months, they voted to reintroduce copyright protected material in the scope of the regulation.
The inclusion of copyright protected content has been one of the most contentious elements of the proposal, and a source of major concern for the book industry. In a market that is still at an early stage of development and whose future is highly unpredictable, publishers and booksellers aim to offer their e-books to as many readers as possible. In a context of low cross-border demand and where profitability has yet to be demonstrated, a growing number of booksellers are nevertheless investing in the e-book market.
However, if European booksellers are forced to offer e-books across borders, in the current situation, many of them will not be able to make the required investments and many could, in turn, exit the e-book market. This will be highly detrimental for cultural diversity and European consumers, confronted with reduced choice, and to the only benefit of major platforms and the internet giants such as Apple and Amazon.
Commented Fabian Paagman, EIBF co-President, and owner of Paagman Boekhandels, The Hague and Jean- Luc Treutenaere, EIBF co-President and President of the SDLC, Syndicat des distributeurs de loisirs culturels: “Our companies are present on the e-book market, selling e-books respectively in the Netherlands and in Flemish-speaking Belgium, and in France & in French-speaking Belgium, in spite of the fact that it is not a profitable activity, at least for the moment. As European SMEs, we face a series of challenges: expensive technology upgrades, payment facilities issues, and above all low consumer demand. Booksellers can’t be forced to sell across borders. It is a company choice, in line with the evolution of the market, and booksellers’ first concern is to keep their business afloat.”-
EIBF and FEP are keen to pursue their dialogue with decision makers involved in the trilogue between the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council, for the promotion of the rich European literary heritage and to the benefit of European consumers’ choice.
Read the press release in French in attachment.
Geo-blocking: EIBF & FEP reiterate their request to exclude non-audiovisual copyright-protected content from the scope of the regulation
Recent developments in the discussions around the proposed Geo-blocking Regulation in the European Parliament committees are a cause for great concern for the book industry. In a joint letter sent by EIBF & FEP to all IMCO MEPs, the book industry reiterates its request to exclude non-audiovisual copyrighted-content from the scope of the regulation. The letter also draws MEP’s attention to some very important clarifications regarding the technicalities of e-book sales by booksellers, which so far, seem to be have been very often ignored or misunderstood.
You can download the full statement in attachment.
The American Booksellers Association supports freedom to publish controversial books
Amid the strong controversy that currently surrounds Milo Yiannopoulos and the calls for boycotting his book, the American Booksellers Association (ABA) joined the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and other free speech advocates in support of the freedom to publish controversial books.
They issued a joint “Statement in Support of the Right to Publish” in which they argue that “threats to boycott publishers undermine intellectual freedom and harm readers and writers”, since such a boycott will inevitably affect the publisher’s ability to “express and disseminate ideas, even if they are controversial and offensive to some”.
The free speech organisations that signed the document refuse censorship as a way to solve these matters, saying that “we need not endorse the ideas contained in a book to endorse the right to express them”, and warning that “the suppression of noxious ideas does not defeat them; only vigorous disagreement can counter toxic speech effectively. Shutting down the conversation may temporarily silence disfavored views, but does nothing to prevent them from spreading and resurfacing in other ways”.
Click here to read the ABA article and here for the joint statement (PDF format).
Creativity Works! welcomes the Opinion of the CULT Committee on the Geo-Blocking Regulation
Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education overwhelmingly voted in favour of Maltese MEP Therese Comodini Cachia’s Draft Opinion yesterday. The Opinion’s objective is to to inform the main responsible Committee (“Internal Market and Consumer Protection” – IMCO) about the possible implications of the legislation can have on the cultural industries.
Among other things, the report highlighted that:
- Cultural Goods and Services are unique and therefore cannot be treated the same way as traditional goods and services
- The principle of territoriality is absolutely essential for Europe’s copyright system
- The proposal could potentially lead to many negative developments such as reducing consumer choice, putting cultural diversity in jeopardy as well as unifying the prices upwards.
The Statement specifically highlights e-Books as products of a nascent and sensitive market which could be shattered by an ill-advised legislation forcing small and medium-sized enterprises to sell to the whole of the EU.
You can read the full statement here.
EIBF is a member of Creativity Works, a coalition of the representatives of the European creative and cultural sectors.
EIBF AND FEP WELCOME THE POSITION OF THE COMPETITIVENESS COUNCIL ON THE PROPOSAL FOR A REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL ON ADDRESSING UNJUSTIFIED GEO-BLOCKING
The European & International Booksellers Federation – EIBF – and the Federation of European Publishers – FEP – welcome the compromise text voted by the Competitiveness Council, at its meeting of 28 November.
Book industry bodies press Ankara for unconditional release of Aslı Erdoğan, Necmiye Alpay and all prisoners of conscience
The Federation of European Publishers (FEP), supported by the International Publishers Association (IPA) and the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF), issue a common statement calling for the immediate release of Aslı Erdoğan and Necmiye Alpay.
The full statement can be downloaded in attachment.