The London Book Fair, the British Council, the General Administration for Press and Publication (GAPP) and the Turkish Ministry for Culture and Tourism formally inaugurated Turkey as Market Focus for 2013 in an official handover ceremony on the final day of the fair.
The official handover was attended on behalf of outgoing Market Focus country, China, by Wu Shulin, Vice Minister for GAPP. Prof. Onur Bilge Kula, General Director of Libraries and Publications, and Hakan Gunday, author, accepted the honour on behalf of Turkey.
Turkey was chosen as the London Book Fair Market Focus for 2013 to reflect the country's dramatic rise in stature within the international publishing community over the past decade.
The London Book Fair Market Focus initiative is currently in its ninth year. It is seen to have done much to open doors, creating both commercial and cultural partnerships around the world since it was first introduced by the Fair in 2004. The objective is to put the spotlight on publishing trade links with the country or region that is showcased, highlighting its publishing industry, and the opportunities for conducting business with the rest of the world. This year's programme of events has reportedly been one of the most stimulating and varied to date, as well as doing much to cement crucial new relationships between the East and the West.
As in the past years, the Market Focus programme will be supported with a series of cultural events organised by the British Council, the London Book Fair's strategic partner on its cultural programme.
