The 20 graduates of Sharjah’s Onshur incubator program for aspiring publishers at their graduation ceremony during the 2024 Sharjah Publishers Conference. The Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi is at the center, flanked by Emirates Publishers Association executive director Rashid Al Kous on the left, and Book Authority CEO Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri on the right. Image: Publishing Perspectives, Porter Anderson
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
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A Three-Part Accelerator for Emirati Publishing
Regular trade visitors to the Sharjah International Book Fair—which continues its run through Sunday (November 17)—and the Sharjah Publishers Conference frequently comment on how welcoming the emirate’s hosts are, making attendees feel like “part of a family,” as you often hear delegates put it.
A moment of just such warmth arrived during the program last week when the first 20 aspiring publishers graduated from a six-week training program of the Sharjah Publishing Sustainability Fund. Called Onshur, the fund is a project of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) and Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) with support from the Sharjah Publishing City free zone.
The 20 graduates of this inaugural “launch track” training program were selected from more than 140 applicants.” The program is open to new publishers registered in the UAE. Iman Ben Chaibah, the director of strategic initiatives and global markets at the Sharjah Book Authority, spoke to Publishing Perspectives about what some of the training curriculum involved.
Iman Ben Chaibah
“First, the point was to understand what it means to publish, why to publish,” said Ben Chaibah, herself the CEO of the 14-year-old Sail Publishing. (Our interview with Ben Chaibah is here.) “How do you choose your genre? How do you use your imprint?—these are the first steps that you actually work with.
“The second part,” she said, “was a focus on copyright—understanding legal aspects, how do you have an entire contract with the author, with the illustrator. The third focus was on design and marketing, how to build their brand. We then had a financial lecture for them, how to manage their books and their publishing house, because a lot of times they have to have an accountant later on, when it’s already messy.”
The graduates of the program also met book-fair leaders, Ben Chaibah said, learned about the logistics of exhibiting in trade shows, and elements of the printing business, which included a visit to the Ingram Content Group’s Lightning Source print-on-demand installation at Sharjah Publishing City.
And in Monday morning’s graduation ceremony (November 4), the invitational audience saw the 20 graduates—16 women and four men—individually honored by a particularly highly placed recognition, each presented with a trophy by the Book Authority chair and president of the American University at Sharjah, the Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, and the Book Authority CEO Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri.
The Onshur incubator actually has three tracks, the “launch track” celebrated with the program’s first graduates, being the initial phase. In addition, Onshur has a “scale track” for established publishers ready to expand their reach, impact, and operations, and a “disrupt track,” designed to nurture innovation and “introduce new models into the publishing ecosystem.”
Al Qasimi: ‘The Torch of Hope and Inspiration’
The Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi is handed an Onshur incubator award to present to one of the program’s first 20 graduates. Image: Publishing Perspectives, Porter Anderson
One of the distinguishing elements of this event was an unusually personal reflection by Al Qasimi on her own 17-year experience in publishing, starting with “the early days, when I launched Kalimat Publishing Group. What she detailed helped make it clear why the development of a training program like Onshur was important to her stewardship of the reading and publishing culture helmed by Sheikh Sultan.
“I started with a clear vision,” she told the gathering, “to produce high-quality Arabic children’s books to inspire young readers and help them explore stories in their mother tongue—a language that preserves the identity of our future generations. This vision was always clear, but the path was never easy.”
Among the “numerous obstacles” Al Qasimi described facing, she said that the first was “my own lack of experience in this complex field—a field that demands extensive technical expertise”—clearly an impetus from her own experience in leading the creation of the Onshur incubator.
“When confronted by these challenges,” she said, “I chose to learn and grow, pursuing academic study, enrolling in a university publishing course, and traveling across the globe, from Europe to Africa and Asia, to learn the best practices and latest publishing techniques. This personal effort was essential to gain a deeper understanding of the publishing industry and to build a robust network of regional and international contacts that contributed to the growth of Kalimat Group and the UAE publishing landscape as a whole.
“The second challenge,” Al Qasimi said, “was the absence of a structured support ecosystem or incubator for publishing, which, at the time, was limited to only a handful of publishers in the UAE. There was no association or organization to support us, to formally represent us or be our voice at industry events and conferences, locally, regionally, or internationally. This prompted my decision to establish the Emirates Publishers Association, driven by my deep belief that no new publisher should have to navigate this journey alone.
“Following the launch of the Emirates Publishers Association, we recognized the importance of learning from more mature markets. We embarked on a new phase of building bridges and forming connections within the publishing world, both regionally and globally,” referring to the stage in which many trade visitors to book-fair professional programs have encountered the EPA’s and Sharjah’s stands and frequent guest-of-honor presentations.
“There is always a path for growth and progress on the other side of every challenge. What truly counts is a clear vision, relentless perseverance, and continuous learning.“Bodour Al Qasimi
“In this phase,” Al Qasimi said,” I encountered one of the most significant challenges of my journey: I often found myself to be the only woman at major industry meetings and events. This realization made me determined to change this unusual reality, launching initiatives and dialogues to support women in publishing, ensuring they have equal opportunities to succeed and contribute to the advancement of the industry.”
This, of course, includes the PublisHer international network of professional publishing women, which Al Qasimi founded in 2019 during London Book Fair.
In closing her quiet, thoughtful remarks, Al Qasimi said that one lesson had been impressed on her time and again during her career: “There is always a path for growth and progress on the other side of every challenge. The size of the obstacles does not matter,” she told her audience. “What truly counts is a clear vision, relentless perseverance, and continuous learning.”
Al Qasimi noted that many colleagues had “graciously contributed their time, effort, and boundless dedication to bring UAE publishing to where it stands today.”
And then she spoke to the graduates, saying, “Now, it’s your turn. Each of you is called to carry the torch of hope and inspiration for this industry, to be the generation that continues on this path, leaving your unique marks and crafting new chapters that complete the story of Emirati publishing and amplify its presence on the global stage. I congratulate you on completing this important training journey, and I wish you—and the publishing industry in the UAE—continued success and growth.”
Al Ameri: ‘A Future-Oriented Community Awareness’
As Al Ameri said at the ceremony, the newly inaugurated Onshur incubator answers Sheikh Sultan’s concept of “elevating books as essential pillars in building the knowledge-based society.”
And this is the heart of what has made the United Arab Emirates’ third emirate such a robust player in the world publishing industry. “His Highness,” Al Ameri said, “has perceived culture and reading as the foundation for fostering a future-oriented community awareness.”
And Rashid Al Kous, executive director of the Emirates Publishers Association, congratulated the new graduates, saying, “We take great pride in the continuous growth and resilience of the publishing sector in the UAE.
“It’s a pleasure to congratulate the graduates of the inaugural ‘launch’ track within the ‘Onshur’ initiative. We’re confident that this new generation will significantly enrich the publishing landscape in Sharjah and across the UAE, positioning it as a hub for creative talent in the field.”
A graduate of the first class in Sharjah’s new Onshur incubator receives her award from the Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi. Image: SBA, Nabs Ahmedi
More from Publishing Perspectives on international book fairs and trade shows is here, more on Sharjah Book Authority and its programs is here, more on the Sharjah International Book Fair is here, and more on international book and publishing awards is here.