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Turkey is to be the Market Focus partner of London Book Fair 2013.
The announcement was made last night (19th September) at an official signing event attended by Turkish Ministry Of Culture and Tourism general director of libraries and publications, Onur Bilge Kula, and coordinator of the Turkish Organising Committee for International Book Fairs, Ümit Yasar Gözüm.
The Market Focus programme, in partnership with the British Council, will be supported by a series of public events across the UK featuring visiting Turkish authors.
Onur Bilge Kula said: “The London Book Fair will be a good stage [on] which Turkish literature and publishing sector show their strength, creativity and dynamism to help increase their market share in the English speaking world, and particularly in the United Kingdom.
"LBF 2013 Market Focus Turkey and its accompanying Cultural Program will strengthen both cultural relations between Turkey and the United Kingdom, as well as business relations between publishers. Furthermore, LBF 2013 Market Focus Turkey will be a good instrument to increase awareness of TEDA Project [Translation Subvention Project of Turkish Literature].
"TEDA has subsidised almost 1,000 publishers, including some British publishers, around the world. We hope that more British publishers will apply to be part of the TEDA Project in the run-up and during LBF 2013 Market Focus Turkey."
Alistair Burtenshaw, director of books and publishing at Reed Exhibitions and LBF director, said: "Market Focus is an ever more important part of The London Book Fair and we're delighted that Turkey has been chosen for 2013."
Richard Mollet, Publishers Association chief executive said: "The PA is delighted to support the London Book Fair's Market Focus Programme and looks forward to welcoming Turkey in 2013. Links between the UK and Turkey's publishing industries are strengthening year on year. UK book sales to Turkey have grown 31% over the past five years, and more British writers are appearing in Turkish than ever before."
Turkey's publishing industry was worth approximately $1.5bn (£955.0m) in 2010, according to LBF. The country has more than 6,000 bookstores, 150 distribution companies and over 6,400 publishers registered with ISBNs since the system came into place in 2007. Turkish author Orhan Pamuk won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2006.
This year's market focus at LBF was Russia, with China lined up for 2012.