Doha – Saba:
Secretary-General of the Arab Publishers Association Bashar Shabaro has confirmed that printing books "on demand" has become a realistic solution amidst challenges, as any reader can request a printed copy and receive it via mail or distribution points in their country.
Shabaro also emphasized in press statements at the 34th Doha International Book Fair the need for unified websites containing a wealth of book content, with branches in Arab countries, to facilitate easy access to printed books.
He said that the crisis of distributing printed books in the Arab world remains the most prominent challenge to the publishing industry.
Shabaro pointed out that the absence of major distribution companies at the regional level has forced publishers to rely on exhibitions as platforms for direct sales to readers, which has weakened the market for libraries and exhibitions.
Shabaro said that despite the crowding and high demand for book fairs, the function of fairs is absent, as their primary purpose is not sales but rather the introduction of new publications. However, the lack of unified Arab distribution has made fairs a primary sales vehicle.
He emphasized that the future of publishing is not limited to paper books, but rather to "content," explaining that books must be treated as content that can be transformed into multiple forms: paper, digital, audio, interactive, and perhaps even a play or film.
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