Sharjah Book Authority CEO Ahmed Bin Rakkad Al Ameri leads the 2025 trade show news conference, announcing details of the 2025 Sharjah International Book Fair, which will open about two-and-a-half weeks after the close of Frankfurter Buchmesse. Image: SBA
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
See also:
Sharjah Publishers Conference 2025: A Look at the Agenda
Sharjah Book Fair Awards 2025: Submissions Open
In the UAE, Sharjah’s ‘Onshur’ Cheers a ‘Scale Track’ of Publishers
The Next Big Show on Publishing’s Calendar
At its annual pre-show news conference, the Sharjah Book Authority on Thursday (October 9) announced that the 44th edition of Sharjah International Book Fair (November 5 to 16) expects to mount more than 1,200 events featuring at least 250 guests onstage from 66 countries.
This, as the Book Authority prepares this week to present its customary stand at Frankfurter Buchmesse (Hall 5.1, A13).
One of designer Weam Ibrahim’s most impressive stands for Sharjah, this year’s pavilion—in white and blond woods—will be among the largest on the floor.
Bodour Al Qasimi
The Book Authority, as Publishing Perspectives readers know, is chaired by the Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, and its CEO is Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri.
Sharjah’s huge public-facing fair is the next major such event on the international book-business calendar, having drawn a reported 1.82 million attendees in 2024 and again this year following the 15th Sharjah Publishers Conference on November 2.
According to the news conference’s announcements, the 2025 book fair at Sharjah is to host more than 2,350 publishers and other exhibitors.
Ten markets participating for the first time at the show include Iceland, Jamaica, Nigeria, Mali, Chad, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea, Senegal, and Vietnam.
Al Ameri: ‘A Global Hub for Knowledge and Creativity’
Khoula Al Mujaini, general coordinator of Sharjah International Book Fair, speaks at the news conference, at Sharjah Publishers City on October 9. Image: SBA
In his comments at the news conference, Al Ameri said, “Year after year, SIBF stands as a testament to the vision of Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi,” the emir of Sharjah, “who has always believed in the book as the most expansive space for dialogue between cultures and civilizations.
“This journey continues today under the leadership of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, chairperson of SBA, whose efforts are reinforcing Sharjah’s status as a global hub for knowledge and creativity, while advancing the presence of Arabic literature across the world.”
This year’s theme is Between You and a Book, and the Sharjah fair’s guest of honor is Greece—which hosted Sharjah at its own Thessaloniki fair.
Panagiotis Kougiou, chargé d’affaires for the Greek Embassy in the United Arab Emirates, was on-hand for the news conference in Sharjah on the 9th, as was Mohammed Hassan Khalaf, director-general of the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority; Khoula Al Mujaini, general coordinator of Sharjah fair; and Mansour Al Hassani, director of publishing services at Sharjah Book Authority.
As many as 1,224 Arab-world publishing houses are signed to showcase their work, with an additional 1,126 non-Arab international publishers on the show floor, as well.
The Greek national pavilion is planned to “echo the grandeur of Greek temples,” according to media messaging, designed to accommodate more than 600 titles from 58 publishers, “with a spotlight on GreekLit’s translation initiative as well as an exhibition titled “Greek Literature: The Long Journey.”
More than 70 Greek literary and cultural professionals are expected to share their expertise in talks and workshops and to provide musical performances, theatre inspired by Yannis Ritsos, children’s workshops on the Greek language, and Arabic renditions of literary works.
Collaborative sessions between Greek and Emirati creators will also facilitate lively dialogue, while a number of chefs including Alexandros Sperchos will treat guests to an authentic taste of Greece’s culinary heritage.
Running in conjunction with Sharjah International Book Fair, the 12th Sharjah International Library Conference will take place from November 8 to 10, organized by the Book Authority in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA).
The event is expected to bring together more than 400 participants from many parts of the world, including librarians and information professionals from academic, public, school, government, and private institutions.
More from Publishing Perspectives on international book fairs and trade shows is here, more on Sharjah Book Authority and its programs is here, and more on the Sharjah International Book Fair is here.
Wherever our international readers are in the world, they use our free daily email to be sure they don’t miss any news. Sign up now.