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Bakur Sulakauri started out as a small business in the troubled Georgia of the early 1990s, but it is now the nation’s leading publisher—and it has far-reaching ambitions. We spoke to chief executive Tina Mamulashvili about its beginnings and plans for the future.
Can you tell us about the beginnings of Sulakauri, and how it has developed?
Would you start a publishing business in a country which has just gone through numerous political crises, including armed conflicts? A country facing economic collapse, with wide-spread corruption? A country with undeveloped infrastructure, where power cuts occur on a daily basis? Most people probably would not. But that was everyday life in post-Soviet Georgia.
Although a start-up in a country going through a transformation period has many threats, it has opportunities, too. Unlike today, to start a business in the 1990s would mean overcoming lots of barriers and bureaucracy. It would require less investment, but much more courage and determination to survive in such a risky environment.
We started in 1998 as a small, family business—just [founder] Bakur Sulakauri and me, plus our accountant. A few years ago Bakur moved into the education business, but the publishing house kept his name and today it’s a well-established brand in Georgia, known for quality fiction, non-fiction, children’s books and textbooks. We have more than 70 employees, two sq km of warehouses, a distribution system, a chain of bookshops and huge ambitions to grow.
What areas are you strongest in? What is the balance of your list?
In 1998 we published six paperbacks by six contemporary Georgian authors, three of whom are our bestselling authors today: Dato Turashvili (above left), Aka Morchiladze (above right) and Lasha Bugadze. All three are well known in Georgia today and abroad. Their books have been translated into German and some other languages. Our bestselling novel, The Flight from the USSR by Dato Turashvili, was translated in 16 languages—quite a record!
Although we have a strong list of contemporary Georgian fiction—around 20% of the list—we translate a lot from other languages too. We usually publish around 300 titles a year, but this year we planned up to 500 titles, including reprints.
We have a fine list of children’s books, both classical and contemporary kids’ fiction, as well as non-fiction and educational titles. The jewel of our children’s list is, of course, the Harry Potter series and we are proud to be its Georgian publisher. Although some years ago it had negative feedback from the very influential Orthodox church, which affected our sales dramatically.
How do you see Sulakauri developing over the next decade?
We plan to place more stress on educational titles, try to expand into the continent, and hopefully sell coeditions worldwide. We have ambitious plans and, with an energetic team of dedicated young professionals, I think we can overcome mountains.
How will the Guest of Honour scheme affect Georgia’s industry, both in practical business terms and in terms of soft power?
I am a frequent Frankfurter—I’ve visited the fair almost every year since 1999, so believe me, I can tell the difference. In my first years at the fair I was mostly concentrated on buying rights: we prepared a small rights catalogue and approached publishers from other countries, trying to attract their attention to our books... often in vain. Almost nobody had heard about Georgia—the only thing catching their eye was our beautiful, exotic alphabet.
It’s hard to tell exactly how it will affect the overall industry, but for Sulakauri it has been very fruitful. We have sold the rights of around 40 books to German publishers, and more titles are still under consideration. Fifteen of our authors are attending the fair, partaking in numerous events, from book launches to discussions. We have appointments with editors from other countries as well, but as German publishers are known as trend- setters, we believe the sales of our rights there will increase our trading in other countries, too.
Intangible effects, such as increased tourism and exports, will be more visible in the coming months. The most important outcome for us would be the spread abroad of the perception of Georgia as a country of long literary and cultural traditions; as a dynamic country full of creativity, innovation and energy; a tiny country which, in spite of its difficulties and troubles, is able to return to Europe, where it belongs.
Finally, which of Sulakauri’s books and authors do you think would appeal to readers of The Bookseller?
Alongside the established trio of Dato Turashvili, Aka Morchiladze and Lasha Bugadze, we try to attract the authors of the new generation. Zura Jishkariani, with his crazy cyberpunk novel Chewing Dawns: Sugar Free, was one of the most impressive newcomers in 2017. In 2016, the novel attracting much attention and admiration was The Southern Elephant by Archil Kikodze, winner of two literary prizes for the year’s best Georgian novel.
A hit this year has been the semi-biographical début novel by Georgian movie director Temur Babluani. The Sun, the Moon and the Wheat Field tells of a young man in the jungles of Soviet prison camps in Siberia, and it’s been a number-one bestseller since its publication in March.
We publish non-fiction too, and have two photographic guides in English: Untamed, a book about 8,000 vintages of Georgian wine, and Be My Guest, a book of culinary recipes from famous Georgians, such as George Balanchine.