Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb ANNUAL REPORT 2016 ANNUAL REPORT 2016 First published in 2017 by the National Book Council Central Public Library, Prof. J. Mangion Str., Floriana FRN1800 www.ktieb.org.mt Printed: Bestprint Co Ltd Design: Fleur Sciortino Copyright text © Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb Copyright photos © Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb ISBN: 978-99957-889-6-4 All rights reseved by the National Book Council. This book is being disseminated free of charge and cannot be sold. It may not be borrowed, sold, donated, reproduced in part. It may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, without prior permission from the National Book Council. Contents MESSAGE BY THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN 7 THE NATIONAL BOOK PRIZE 10 MALTA BOOK FESTIVAL 14 LONDON BOOK FAIR 17 ISBN & ISMN 19 CAMPUS BOOK FESTIVAL 20 COLLABORATION WITH PBS 23 THE LITERARY CONTEST NOVELS FOR YOUTH 25 WORKING TRIPS AND INTERNATIONAL WORK 26 OTHER INITATIVES 29 FINANCIAL REPORT 2016 30 ISBN & ISMN LIST 31 5 About The National Book Council is the public entity which caters for the Maltese book industry with several important services whilst striving to encourage reading and promote the book as a medium of communication in all its formats. It organises the Malta Book Festival and the National Book Prize amongst other national as well as smaller scale events, administers Public Lending Rights, organises several literary contests and is also the local agent for ISBN and ISMN. The National Book Council’s markedly cultural mindset and multi-mediatic approach enables it to work directly with the book industry. However, as an entity, it falls under the remit of the Ministry of Education and Employment and has always been considered as part and parcel of the public educational infrastructure. Malta Libraries, the public entity responsible for all public libraries including the National Library, is a separate and distinguished entity which works in close collaboration with the National Book Council. The National Book Council is Address: composed of: National Book Council Central Public Executive Chairman: Library Prof. J. Mangion Street Mark Camilleri Floriana FRN 1800 Malta EU Deputy Chairman: Telephone: Charles Calleja +356 2713 1574 +356 2730 0672 Manager: John Grech E-mail: [email protected] Secretary: Joe Debattista [email protected] [email protected] Cultural Organiser Simona Cassano Website: www.ktieb.org.mt Assistant Secretaries: Michael Mercieca Council Members: Mark Joseph Zammit Clare Azzopardi Charles Mahoney Christine Vella Borda Emanuel Psaila Joseph Mizzi Joanne Scibberas 6 Message by the Executive Chairman 2016 was an exceptionally busy year for us. While we kept consolidating our work and starting new initiatives, the local book scene kept growing. Exciting things are happening in the local book and literature scene and the opportunities are ever growing. The contribution of the National increased the pro-capita public lending data. Our motto behind such projects, Book Council to the local book scene rights payments to authors, kept “we care, we share” might hopefully has never been so active, and we expanding the marketing campaign set a great example for all other public are confident our contribution will for the National Book Prize and have entities holding important public data. continue to become more and more considerably expanded our activity As a public entity offering institutional significant in the coming years. on the international scene. Our ISMN service was launched this year and services to the local book industry, We started 2016 on a positive note we have started promoting it to band the National Book Council is the with an increased budget, and ever clubs as a means of ensuring their main organisation engaged in public more exciting and daring plans, most work is archived in public institutions policy formation on the book industry. of which we have fulfilled. The Malta such as the National Library. On a We constantly push the interests Book Festival, widely considered as personal note, one of my favourite of authors and publishers when we the most important event for the 2016 achievements of the National engage with government, parliament local book industry, was yet again Book Council was the complete and other institutions. Currently, one of a bigger success than last year’s gathering and digitisation of the ISBN our main concerns is the incoming EU with an even bigger programme of data and its publication in an online copyright reforms which will introduce events, increased sales and a higher database, which is available free to a new copyright education exception. attendance rate by the public. We the public even as downloadable open After assessing the reforms and our local copyright situation at length, we have come to the conclusion this education exception will be of great detriment to the local publishing industry because it will exacerbate the existing widespread copyright infringements in the education system. We are currently working very hard with all stakeholders to ensure that such an exception is not introduced, but at the same time we have also started work to ensure that copyright law is enforced – this seems to be a great challenge currently and we will spare no effort to see it through. 2016 was also an exceptionally positive year for literature as Bill 113 was finally approved by parliament, 7 increasing the possibilities of what Annual General Meeting in Malta in One of the latest discussions held on a could be published legally. Thanks 2018 to coincide with the year when council level was the concern by some to the new reforms, literature may Valletta will carry the title of European authors that we need a new national no longer be legally described as Capital City of Culture. reading strategy. There is a strong pornographic since the definition of feeling among authors and publishers The prestige of being rewarded pornography has been restricted to that they are not yet given as much a national book prize cannot be imagery, and religious satire is no credit and support as they deserve overstated, ever. For an author and longer illegal since the vilification of and we have promised them we will a publisher there can be no greater religion law has been struck out of keep working on this. Even though we satisfaction than that of seeing one’s our law books. We hope that 2017 have never before been as successful work officially recognised as one will be the year when parliament will in supporting the local book industry of the best publications of the year. approve a new press act so as to keep as we do now, we know very well we However, one can hardly not notice increasing the possibility of what can still have a long way to go. A national the increasing prestige ascribed to be published legally. strategy for reading will be discussed the Lifetime Achievement Award, both in 2017 and we will keep working with Having completed the process of Bill among the community of writers and relevant entities such as the National 113, we started a wide consultation the general public. As of 2015 we Literacy Agency so as to ensure that process with publishers, authors and started dedicating a special event at the government promotes reading and other stakeholders for the drafting the Malta Book Festival for winners books in the best and most attractive of the National Book Council law. We of the award, but we are now also way possible. We believe strongly have even consulted with authors in planning to commemorate their in effective marketing, but we also Brussels who form a very important numerous achievements even further believe that marketing should serve part of our literary community and by archiving important items from a higher cause than that of serving built a strong connection with them. their life and their work. Hopefully, we itself. Furthermore, we are adamant One of the major concerns of authors would eventually assemble enough in our belief that we should promote and publishers which transpired from material to create a small museum high quality books and refrain from this lengthy consultation process was about our writers which could form promoting books of bad quality, even if the lack of enforcement of copyright part of a literary centre. popular. Books are the most important law. We believe that Maltese copyright A major challenge we are facing tool for the cultural, educational law is quite well written and provides right now in the book industry is the and intellectual development of a all the necessary guarantees. It is decreasing number of bookshops. society, which is why we have to be in the enforcement aspect that our The most popular bookshop chain careful which books to promote at country still lags behind. The National in Malta, the Agenda bookshop schools and educational institutions. Book Council law is currently being chain, which practically forms the Given the strong competition, local drafted and hopefully it will be finished backbone of the local book industry, publishers have made quantum leaps when this report goes to the press. is gradually reducing its shelving forward in ensuring the quality of their We have kept expanding our space as it is changing some of its publications, but as public entities we international work to export our local outlets into the WH Smith brand. This should be responsible and assertive books both in physical terms and also is a negative trend in the local book enough to stay away from children’s in terms of material for translation. industry, which is a considerable books which promote entertainment This is something we started working source of concern for us and for all in the form of excessive slapstick by on only a couple of years ago and, book lovers.