The European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) recognises emerging fiction writers from the European Union and beyond. Engaging the 41 countries participating in the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, the Prize celebrates 41 outstanding new literary talents across a cycle of three years. The EUPL is organised by a Consortium of associations, comprising the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) and the Federation of European Publishers (FEP), with the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.

Spotlighting the creativity and the immense and diverse wealth of Europe’s contemporary literature in the field of fiction, EUPL aims to promote the circulation of literature within Europe and encourages greater interest in non-national literary works. 

The EUPL Consortium is proud to reveal today the list of 13 nominees for the EUPL 2024 edition, one for each participating country. The authors and their novels were nominated by national entities knowledgeable about the literary scene in their countries and used to promoting their own literature abroad. It is with pleasure that the nominees for this year are unveiled:

• Albania: Rita Petro, Lindur së prapthi, Publisher: Onufri
• Bulgaria: Todor Todorov, Хагабула, Publisher: Janet 45
• Denmark: Theis Ørntoft, Jordisk, Publisher: Gyldendal
• Germany: Deniz Utlu, Vaters Meer, Publisher: Suhrkamp
• Hungary: Puskás Panni, Megmenteni bárkit, Publisher: Magvető
• Iceland: María Elísabet Bragadóttir, Sápufuglinn, Publisher: Una útgáfuhús
• Latvia: Daina Tabūna, Raganas, Publisher: Ascendum
  Malta: Aleks Farrugia, Ir-Re Borg, Publisher : SKS
• Netherlands: Sholeh Rezazadeh, Ik ken een berg die op me wacht, Publisher: Ambo|Anthos
• Portugal: Gabriela Ruivo, Lei da gravidade, Publisher: Porto Editora
• Serbia: Bojan Krivokapić, Vila Fazanka, Publisher: Areté
• Slovenia: Tina Vrščaj, Na klancu, Publisher: Cankarjeva založba
• Tunisia: Arbia Braham, Jebel El Milh, Publisher: Editions Arabesques

Watch the announcement video here.

The seven members of the European jury will now read excerpts from all the nominated books and make their choice in the upcoming month to award one EUPL Prize winner for this edition, together with recognising five special mentions.

The 2024 EUPL Prize winner and the five special mentions will be revealed on 4 April 2024 at 17:00, during the announcement ceremony at the Brussels Book Fair’s Place de l’Europe.

All nominated authors will be continuously promoted on the European stage, aiming to reach a wider and international audience, as well as connect with readers beyond their national and linguistic borders.

Iliana Ivanova, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: "The nominees for the European Union Prize for Literature, 13 voices from 13 countries, represent the richness of literary expression across Europe. I congratulate all nominees, wish them all success in the final round and look forward to congratulating the winners on 4 April. One thing is certain though: European literature and its remarkable diversity have already won. We will celebrate it soon with the Day of European Authors on 25 March.”

Ricardo Franco Levi, President of FEP, said: “One of Europe’s wealth is the abundance of languages read all over the region. Thanks to the EUPL, professionals all over the world have the chance to discover new literary talents. On behalf of the Federation of European Publishers, I wish to all the nominee authors to find audiences across their borders, through the talents of translators and publishers who are believing in sharing stories with fellow Europeans.”

Jean-Luc Treutenaere, Co-President of EIBF, said: “Once again, the EUPL has achieved what it does best: conveying the richness and diversity of European literature, outlining every year some of the most promising fiction authors in the participating countries. In 2024, EUPL has spotlighted 13 authors, out of which a European jury will select five special mentions and one overall winner.  What truly matters, however, is the lasting contribution that each of these novels make to the nurture of European literature. On behalf of the European and International Booksellers Federation, I want to congratulate all the authors, and I cannot wait to see their works grace the shelves of bookshops across Europe.”

During EIBF‘s latest international call, held on 15 May 2023, representatives from member associations gathered to discuss updates, challenges, and initiatives in bookselling across various countries. Read more to learn about the key takeaways from the call.

Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, COO of the American Booksellers Association (ABA), reported encouraging growth in the number of brick-and-mortar bookstores across the USA since the pandemic, with 446 new stores opened and another 170 stores in the pipeline. However, she highlighted challenges, including a softening of sales in recent months and increasing concerns about banned books. ABA is currently exploring opportunities to support B2B business, particularly with schools.

Laura McCormack from the Booksellers Association of the UK and Ireland (BA) mentioned the need for support in Ireland due to instances of bookshops being targeted for promoting LGBT literature. The BA is currently working on creating a support kit for its Irish members. Jessica Sänger from the German Booksellers and Publishers Association discussed the importance of collaboration in addressing similar challenges faced by the international publishing and bookselling community.

Members from various countries expressed concerns about the rise of censorship and attacks on bookshops. Jean Luc Treutenaere, EIBF co-President, shared an incident in France where a bookshop's entrance was covered during a demonstration. Laura de Heredia from SLF, the French Independent Booksellers Association, highlighted activists trying to disrupt an event in a bookshop. Fabian Paagman, EIBF co-President and owner of Paagman bookshops, raised concerns about children's books being exploited for political agendas.

In more general updates, Laura McCormack shared positive feedback from UK and Irish booksellers, with overall stability in the market despite challenges such as increasing prices and supply chain issues. Maria Hamrefors from the Swedish Booksellers Association discussed worries about rising salaries and energy costs in Sweden. Graça Santos from the Portuguese Independent Bookshops network expressed concerns about slow sales, rising costs, and declining membership.

Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, representing the American Booksellers Association (ABA), mentioned a shift in how stores open in the United States. There has been a rise in mobile stores, pop-up shops, and online-only retailers. It is possible that some of these businesses may later transition to brick-and-mortar establishments, highlighting the dynamic nature of the retail landscape.

Graça Santos added to the discussion, stating that Portuguese bookshops have also adapted by moving predominantly online, including through pop-up ventures. This shift demonstrates the industry's resilience and ability to embrace alternative models to reach customers.

Shifting the focus to the Dutch book market, Fabian Paagman mentioned a significant increase in the demand for English-language books in recent years. While this trend has created opportunities for booksellers, it poses a challenge for publishers, some of whom have had to lay off a considerable number of employees to adapt to market shifts. Despite this, the Dutch booksellers association remains strong, although two key staff members will be stepping down in the upcoming months.

Raluca Selejan, a bookseller and owner of La Două Bufniţe bookshop in Romania, shared concerns about declining sales in her country. Sales have dropped to the level of 2009, causing worry among publishers. Raluca mentioned that the Romanian Ministry of Culture has proposed a fixed price law, which is still under analysis and awaits voting. It remains to be seen whether this law will be implemented, as the publishers association does not agree with it.

The international calls provide a platform for EIBF members to exchange updates, share concerns, and identify areas where collective efforts can drive positive change in the bookselling community. During the latest call, participants emphasized the importance of collaboration and sharing experiences to address common challenges faced by booksellers worldwide. EIBF is determined to focus on issues related to banned books, censorship, and supporting the industry during turbulent times.

Once again this year, EIBF is thrilled to invite you to a half day of exchanges, discussions and meetings with colleagues

The European and International Booksellers Federation is pleased to once again provide you with a space for sharing knowledge and best practices with key stakeholders in the bookselling industry. We have prepared an exclusive programme -that you can check out here- dedicated to booksellers and booksellers associations, full of inspirational ideas to bring back home, and focused on the future.

The half day conference will be held on Thursday 19 October, at room Fantasie 1 (Congress centre, C3).
Please note that the entrance to the conference is free, but will only be granted upon registration. Please register here before 16 October.

Get to know the speakers

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Tiya Hapitiawati

Literary Translator (Indonesia)

Tiya Hapitiawati is a literary translator from German language into Indonesian language. 

She graduated from Universitas Indonesia with a bachelor degree in Humanities, majoring German Studies, and with a masters degree in Linguistics. She has translated several German classical and contemporary literary works into Indonesian language, such as the works of Hans Fallada, Stefan Zweig, Ricarda Huch, Jeremias Gotthelf, and Herta 
Müller. The translation of Walter Benjamin's essays is her newest project and will be published this summer.

Apart from translating classical and contemporary works from German authors, she is also acquisition editor of Moooi Pustaka Publisher, a publishing firm based in Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. 

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Iris Hunscheid

Bookseller and EIBF Board Member

She has been happily working in the book industry since 2001.

Together with her husband she owns two retail book shops in Germany, one in the north (near Bremen) and one in Bonn (in the west).

They are both retail shops with general assortments with only a few specialized sections.

(One of the shops has a shop size of 120 m² and the other one 160 m². They have 13 employees altogether.)

Besides their two shops she is also engaged in the German booksellers association – as the Chairwoman of the independent bookseller’s forum – representing about 500 smaller independent bookshops in our association.

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Hazel Kenyon

Director of Research, Book Research at NielsenBookData

Hazel Kenyon is Director of the UK and Ireland Nielsen BookData Research business. She joined in 2009 as a Publisher Account Manager working with a portfolio of clients to help 
them analyse the BookScan sales data. 

She is now responsible for all UK, Irish and South African client relationships in publishing, retail and media and for strategic business development across all the 
research products measuring changes in print, digital and consumer behaviour.

Hazel started her career as a Space Physicist, working in industry and academia. For her PhD she analysed particle data from the Cassini spacecraft during its grand tour of Saturn.

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Kate Layte

Founder, owner, buyer, bookseller at Papercuts Bookshop in Boston, MA

Kate Layte is the founder and owner of Papercuts Bookshop, the award-winning independent bookshop located in the beautiful Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain.

Kate established Papercuts in 2014 after a decade in the book business--both at Borders and Hachette. Papercuts started in a tiny 400 square foot space, and Kate relocated the shop to a beautiful corner storefront in 2020 where Papercuts is now thriving despite the pandemic and two cars crashing into our shop in April 2022.

Papercuts has received national and international press, won Best of Boston, Boston's Best, and Kate was named a PW Star Watch Honoree in 2017. 

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Cheryl Lee

Owner of 44th & 3rd Bookseller in Atlanta, GA

Cheryl Lee is the co-owner of 44th & 3rd Bookseller located in Atlanta, GA.  Her husband Warren and her daughter Allyce are also co-owners of 44th & 3rd Bookseller. 

The family owned bookstore opened in November 2017 and specializes in African American and African diaspora literature. 

Their concept for book selling was adapted from Cheryl's Master's thesis on the plight of independent bookstores and a strategy for success. 

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Daniel Martín Brennan

Policy Advisor at EIBF

Daniel Martin Brennan is EIBF’s Policy Advisor. Prior to joining EIBF in early 2020, Daniel studied European studies and European policy in London, Berlin and Amsterdam, before settling in Brussels, where he completed a traineeship at the European Commission, working on the implementation of European projects on non-discrimination, gender equality and the protection of LGBTQ+ rights. 

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Sulagna Mukhopadhyay

Literary Translator (India) 

Sulagna Mukhopadhyay is a translator from German language into Bengali. She has Masters both in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur University, Kolkata and in English Literature from Jodhpur National University, Rajasthan.

She has completed till C1 from Max Műller Bhavan/Goethe-Institut Kolkata. She has interest in Gender Studies and has translated poems, short story collection and novels by German authors like Kathrin Schmidt, Markus Kirchhofer, Hannah Ahrendt and Christa Wolf.

She is currently working on Tauben fliegen auf, a novel by Melinda Nadj Abonji. She has also written articles on German authors and Germany after reunification for various reputed Bengali and English journals. In 2021, she has edited the yearly journal published by Rritobak, a Bengali Publication

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Zala Zagorsek

Literary Agent at VigeVageKnjige (Slovenia)

Since 2020, Zala Zagorek Golob has been employed at VigeVageKnjige. She sells and purchases foreign rights, with a focus on graphic novels and comic books. She also organizes events, produces shows, and is the manager of a brand-new bookstore in Maribor. 

At the start of September 2023, EIBF joined over 70 networks and organisations from across the cultural and creative sectors and industries (CCSIs) in a Culture Action Europe-led letter to express our concern and disappointment by the proposed budget cuts of €40 million to the Creative Europe work programme 2024.

In the context of the annual budget procedure for 2024, The Council of the EU, which represents EU member states, has proposed to reduce the financial envelope of Creative Europe by €40 million. While such a budget cut will barely have any impact on the EU’s budget savings, it will significantly weaken the Creative Europe programme, the EU’s only funding envelope specifically dedicated to the European cultural sector and CCSIs.

In the letter, we strongly support the recent vote of the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) to increase the Creative Europe budget 2024 by €43 million and urge member states to align with this position and increase the budget of the programme instead of reducing it.

We will be monitoring the next steps at the Council level while continuing our efforts to involve all relevant parties and stakeholders to keep a strong funding stream for the cultural and creative sector through the Creative Europe programme.

Read the full letter attached.

This own-initiative report marks the first instance of the European Parliament addressing the needs of the book sector in 10 years

Today 14th September 2023, the European Parliament's plenary session adopted by an overwhelming majority an own-initiative report on the future of the European book sector, which highlights the sector's value in European societies and introduces recommendations to support its growth in the years to come.

As the leading organisation representing the bookselling sector at European and international levels, EIBF has contributed and fed into the content of the report, and has been actively involved in the process to ensure that the priorities and needs of the sector were adequately represented.

The adoption of this report comes at a crucial time, as bookshops are gradually recovering from the difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are still many changes and challenges to face, from increased digitalisation and the undeniable effects of climate change, to a cost of living crisis and growing book censorship. 

Bookselling is not immune to these challenges, and booksellers need to play their part in the digital and green transition. As an innovative and resilient sector, it intends to do so. However, the sector needs the means and support to adapt and thrive in these times, and EIBF welcomes that the report adopted today by the CULT Committee largely supports these calls, for instance, by calling for further educational and professional training opportunities in the book sector, proper enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) to ensure fair competition online, the designation of bookshops as safe and welcoming spaces and the promotion of measures such as culture vouchers, which have proven to be invaluable to the sector while helping introduce new readers to bookshops.

Overall, EIBF is very pleased that the report on the future of the European book sector highlights the essential role of books and the value of the European book sector, advocates for measures that are in the best interest of booksellers and, most importantly, reiterates the European Parliament’s full support for the wider book sector.

Fabian Paagman, EIBF Co-President says “We’re glad to finally see a report from the European Parliament that focuses on the needs of the European book sector and includes measures that can help it continue to thrive. The acknowledgement of European bookshops as cornerstones of local communities and as safe and welcoming spaces is particularly positive. We count on the European Commission and Member States to implement the recommendations laid out in this report”.

EIBF congratulates MEP Tomasz Frankowski (EPP), the lead rapporteur of the file, as well as the shadow rapporteurs and other supportive Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) for their engagement, open communication and willingness to support the sector.

You can find our full statement attached.

Last week, EIBF’s Policy Advisor, Daniel Martín Brennan, travelled to Strasbourg to follow the European Parliament’s plenary session in representation of the European bookselling sector.

During four days every month, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) travel from Brussels down to Strasbourg to debate and vote on key policy files which they have engaged with over the course of months in their respective committees and help define the European Parliament’s position on given topics.

This month was an especially eventful plenary session, as European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, addressed the European Parliament in her annual State of the Union speech (and the last one in her mandate), outlining the European Commission’s key priorities in the coming months. Equally important, MEP Tomasz Frankowski (EPP)’s report on the future of the European book sector was also on the plenary agenda, with a scheduled debate and the final vote for adoption.

It was, therefore, a perfect occasion for EIBF to be present representing the European bookselling sector. Keep reading to follow our trip!

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Day 1 - State of the Union (SOTEU) and debate on future of the European book sector

On Wednesday morning, European Commission (EC) President, Ursula von der Leyen addressed MEPs during her last State of the Union speech before the end of her mandate in 2024. The speech summarised some of the key accomplishments under her leadership and highlighted some of the Commission’s key priorities, such as the digital and green transition and European competitiveness.

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The European Green Deal continues to be a key priority, both personally and the European Commission, as von der Leyen reiterated that no business will be left behind in their journey to decarbonisation.

As for SMEs and competitiveness, the EC President hailed the DSA and DMA as crucial achievements, which will help secure a fairer & safer digital space, where rights are protected and Big Tech is held accountable.

Von der Leyen also acknowledged that complex regulations and administration are a burden to SMEs, and promised to appoint a dedicated EU SME envoy towards the end of this year, which will report directly to her, conveying SMEs’ everyday challenges and needs. She also vouched to make the first legislative proposals next month towards reducing reporting obligations at the European level by 25%.

Later in the afternoon, we held a fruitful exchange with MEP Ibán García del Blanco (S&D) and his assistant. MEP Garcia del Blanco is an active supporter of the European cultural and creative industries, including the bookselling sector. We discussed many topics, including the relevance of a dedicated report on the book sector, key points for the bookselling sector included in the report, some of which are addressed through our RISE Bookselling project’s Industry Insights papers.

That same night, at 22:00, during the last debate of the day, MEP Frankowski (EPP) presented the report in front of the plenary room, hailing the report as the first active effort by the European Parliament to address the book sector’s needs in over 10 years.

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Other MEPs also took the floor to welcome this support and some, namely Ibán García del Blanco (S&D), Massimiliano Smeriglio (S&D) and Diana Riba i Giner (Greens/EFA), highlighted the unique role and contribution of booksellers to their local communities and in promoting reading.

Day 2 - Vote on future of the European book sector

In the morning, we met with MEP Tomasz Frankowski (EPP)’s assistant, to congratulate them on the report and once again reiterate the value and timeliness of such a report for the book sector. At the same time, we discussed other relevant issues for the sector, such as the planned budget cuts for Creative Europe and the RISE Bookselling sector.

Soon enough, the report was voted and adopted by a large majority of MEPs in the European Parliament, sending a clear and strong message: protect books and support all the pillars of the European book sector, including bookshops.

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You can find our reaction to the vote in a dedicated article on our website.

As seen with the practically unanimous vote, many MEPs across the policy spectrum welcomed the adoption of this report, including Irish MEP Grace O’Sullivan (Greens/EFA), who highlighted the great work of Bookselling Ireland and featured a list of Irish bookshops she has visited over the years. We took a picture with MEP O’Sullivan to thank her for her support

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And with that, our trip to Strasbourg came to an end. We might be leaving Strasbourg, but the work from Brussels continues!

On the occasion of the Frankfurt Book Fair, the European Writers’ Council (EWC), the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) and the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) call upon the European co-legislators to seize the opportunity of the AI Act to take decisive action to ensure the transparency of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and make it safer for European citizens

Generative AI models have been developed in an opaque and unfair way, illegally making use of millions of copyright-protected books without permission from authors or publishers. This practice impacts negatively not only rightsholders, but also democracy itself, by facilitating the mass creation of misleading, biased, and even dangerous content which has the potential to undermine European democracy. Transparency is therefore essential to the development of a fair and safe AI ecosystem. The EU now has the ideal opportunity to take a leading role in protecting its citizens through the AI Act.

The European Parliament has taken a good first step by proposing transparency obligations for Foundation Models, such as ChatGPT or Bard, to ensure they provide a detailed summary of the copyright-protected works used for training and operate in respect of fundamental rights. Member States and the Commission must now seize this rare opportunity to improve the proposal and finally put an end to the illegal sourcing and data-laundering abuses of generative AI developers. Transparency over inputs to AI is the only way to ensure quality and legitimacy of outputs.

Meaningful transparency obligations allowing a rightsholder to assess whether their work was used are easy for the innovative AI operators to comply with. They are technologically simple to apply and rely on data that AI developers already collect and organise. And they are needed now, as damage is already done since existing generative text models used works since years without consent, credit or compensation to the authors and publishers. On the 19th of October, FEP will dedicate its Rendez-Vous at the Frankfurt Book Fair to the impact of AI on the sector, the necessary legislative action, and how authors, booksellers and publishers may take steps towards protecting their works in the context of Text and Data Mining (TDM).

Read our full statement attached.