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| Ukrainian Priority Publishing's warehouse after the attack. | |
The International Publishers Association has reaffirmed its solidarity with Ukraine's book sector after Russian attacks on Kyiv in mid-June destroyed the Ukrainian Priority Publishing House office and warehouse, and on July 3 reduced the warehouse of Ukrainian PEN to rubble. Since February 2022, Ukraine's creative sector infrastructure has been a target of the war.
"Our Ukrainian colleagues have been so brave for so long," IPA president Gvantsa Jobava said. "Despite the bombing and the day to day challenges they are still publishing books for Ukrainian readers. We continue to stand with our Ukrainian colleagues and remain available to support them however we can."
Kristenn Einarsson, chair of the IPA's Freedom to Publish Committee, added: "As our 2024 IPA Prix Voltaire laureates and other shortlisted publishers have demonstrated, war includes attacking the freedom to publish, silencing the voices of the victims and their means to be heard. These attacks on publishing are also attacks on culture and language. What must happen for all of this to stop and what stories will we tell when it does?"
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The number of new novels set to be published in France during the next rentrée littéraire, the period between mid-August and the end of October, will rise by 5.45%, to 484 from 459 last year, according Livres Hebdo and figures from Electre Data Services. The Bookseller reported that this reverses a trend in recent years that saw the number of new titles declining, noting that the "trade had long complained of too many arrivals, and pressure on display space."
The increase for this year's rentrée litteraire is particularly strong for French novels, which are rising 10.6%, from 311 in 2024 to 344; and for debuts (up 7.35%, from 68 to 73). The number of foreign titles in translation, however, will fall by 5.4%, from 148 to 140.
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The Bucharest Tribunal has ruled that Blor Retail, which operates the Diverta bookstore chain, fulfilled the conditions for bankruptcy. Romania Insider reported that the company had been struggling since June 2022, when it became insolvent during the pandemic, adding: "As per bankruptcy regulations, the court revoked the company's right of administration and ordered its dissolution. It also sealed Diverta's assets for the liquidator."
The majority shareholder of Blor Retail is Diverta Activ Business SRL, headed by Augustin Drăgan. Citing Termene.rom, Romania Insider noted that in August 2022, Drăgan said "he had no plans to close any more stores and instead aimed to expand the network, which consisted of 17 bookstores at the time, but only after market prices stabilized, particularly those related to rent." --Robert Gray