i Annual Report 2019 Annual Report 2019 Annual Report 2019 Contents 2 3 Annual Report The Chairman’s Message 5 First published in 2020 by the National Book Council of Malta The National Writers’ Congress 8 2019 Central Public Library, Prof. J. Mangion Str., Floriana FRN 1800 The National Book Prize 10 ktieb.org.mt The Malta Book Festival 14 Printing: Gutenberg Press Foreign Work & Literary Exports 18 Design: Steven Scicluna Copyright text © Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb The Campus Book Festival 22 Copyright photos © Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb The Malta Book Fund 24 ISBN: 978-99957-939-1-3: Annual Report 2019 (Digital format) Audiovisual Productions 26 Other Contests 28 All rights reserved by the National Book Council This book is being disseminated free of charge and cannot be sold. It may be Other Initiatives 30 borrowed, donated and 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 Financial Report 32 National Book Council. ISBN & ISMN 36 Public Lending Rights Payments 68 About the National Book Council The Chairman’s message 4 The National Book Council is a public entity Staff and contact details 2019 was an eventful and challenging year in is progressing very well thanks to sustained 5 that caters for the Maltese book industry which the Council kept growing, receiving as public funding support. Admittedly, I had Annual Report with several important services for authors Executive Chairman much as an 80 per cent increase in its public strong qualms about some decisions made by and publishers whilst striving to encourage Mark Camilleri reading and promote the book as a medium of funding for its recurrent expenditure over newly-appointed bureaucrats in the finance Deputy Chairman communication in all its formats. It represents the previous year totalling €910,000, and an department of the Ministry of Education. Norbert Bugeja additional €600,000 in capital funds for the My qualms were made public in order to writers and publishers in public fora and 2019 institutions in order to promote the interests Secretary restoration of its newly acquired government strengthen the autonomous position of the of the book industry’s stakeholders; organizes Joe Debattista premises in 8, Old Mint Street, Valletta. National Book Council. I can confirm that the [email protected] the Malta Book Festival and the National Book disagreements have since been resolved. Prize among other national as well as smaller- Council Members We closed the year with a national crisis of scale events; administers Public Lending Rights; Antoinette Borg historic proportions, which has deeply affected organizes several literary contests; and is the local Jean Paul Borg all aspects of the Maltese society, including its agent for ISBN and ISMN. Maria Brown economy – and the book industry. The National Leanne Ellul The National Book Council’s markedly cultural Book Council cancelled its National Book Prize Executive Chairman mindset and multimedia approach enables it Aleks Farrugia Audrey Friggieri ceremony at the Auberge de Castille, the seat Mark Camilleri to work with different partners to achieve its Chris Gruppetta of the Prime Minister, where the ceremony goals. As an entity, it falls under the remit of the has been traditionally held. The decision was Ministry of Education and Employment and Senior Manager has always been considered as part and parcel made after officials in the Office of the Prime Simona Cassano Minister were implicated in the investigations of the public educational infrastructure. Malta [email protected] Libraries, which is the public entity responsible of the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The for all public libraries including the National Manager (Events and Foreign Rights) decision by the Book Council was unanimously Library, is a separate and distinguished entity, Matthew Borg supported by the book industry stakeholders, [email protected] which works in close collaboration with the despite its potential negative economic National Book Council. Manager (Funds and Content) repercussions. The National Book Council Andrew Ricca www.ktieb.org.mt [email protected] was also the first public entity to formally celebrate the legacy of Daphne Caruana Galizia ISBN Officer in an event at the 2018 Malta Book Festival. Michael Mercieca Address [email protected] National Book Council One of our main aims is to increase the c/o Central Public Library In-House Translator (Arabic): industry stakeholders’ revenue, mainly when Prof. J Mangion Street Walid Nabhan it comes to publishers and authors. Last year’s Floriana FRN 1800 substantial increase in funding allowed us to Malta (EU) further invest in marketing and audiovisual Telephone productions, as well as to increase the value of +356 27131574 / +356 21222654 / 27300672 the National Book Prize prize money – which will have been disbursed by the time this report is published. The execution of our strategy For a few years now, the book industry has weeks of November, during which the Malta the book industry, and it is in our interest to strong team of employees and associates who been struggling with a drop in sales in brick- Book Festival has traditionally taken place. ensure that the transposition of the Directive are highly skilled and can guarantee continuity and-mortar stores. The increasing sales at The Malta Book Festival is an event of national is beneficial to our industry. There is already and growth. Further investment in human the Malta Book Festival along with purchases importance and the government should an informal agreement between publishers resources will be made in 2020 so as to keep of books for schools made by the Literacy support it further by enacting a subsidiary and the Ministry of Education over the consolidating and developing our team. Agency have been offsetting these losses. legislation to allow for these dates to be Education Exception, as brokered by the Looking back from 2013, I am incredibly permanently booked on an exclusive basis. National Book Council, and the agreement The Malta Book Festival has sustained an proud we have come this far. The National These particular dates – right after the mid-term between both parties and the National exponential increase in book sales ever since Book Council has grown from a minuscule school holidays – have been set following many Book Council is set to be signed in 2020. 2014. Sales during the 2019 Malta Book Festival entity with hardly any funds, into a strong years of market analysis. Our aim is to keep matched those in 2018, partly due to reduced In 2019 the National Book Council has also and influential organization which sustains them secure on a permanent basis. We also have exhibition space in Sacra Infermeria Hall received the first capital allocation to restore its the book industry, and protects the interests informal agreement with Żigużajg, in order not as a result of emergency restoration works. newly acquired premises in Valletta, the 16th of publishers and authors. We will keep to clash with their shows on the same dates. Restrictions notwithstanding, we adjusted century baroque building. We have successfully implementing our vision by expanding our by utilizing the MCC Republic Hall (that 2019 was increasingly busy for us in terms of prevented the further deterioration of the stakeholders’ revenue opportunities through has a capacity of about 1,200 people) for our legislative and policy work. For the first building (the timber beams supporting our public projects, and by ensuring that the the main school shows. We also organized time ever, we have convened a National Writers’ the upper roof were giving way and as a book industry keeps growing and sustaining shorter visits as compared to previous years. Congress and presented a charter of authors’ consequence stone slabs were collapsing on itself. We look forward to 2020. We will be rights which was unanimously approved by the building). The restoration of the roof is working on the required and significant legal The Malta Book Festival may face further 6 at the congress. During the writers’ congress progressing quickly and is due be completed by reforms, to keep sustaining growth for the 7 challenges in the next few years. The Republic we have promised publishers to introduce early 2020. One of our biggest constraints with book industry despite the challenges we face. Annual Report Hall, which usually hosts big theatrical shows, tax-incentives so as to incentivize royalty the project is a bureaucratic lag in the Contracts will be taken up by Cirque de Soleil - an event payments. Our promise is in the process of Department and the Procurement Department publicly subsidised by the former Ministry being fulfilled: the legislation for the tax- of the Ministry. We are also challenged by the for Tourism, under the direction of the now incentives has been drafted and we are awaiting fact that two small basement level rooms of 2019 disgraced Minister Konrad Mizzi. Our position its publication by the Ministry of Finance. the building are still to be transferred to the is very clear on this matter. The National Ministry of Education. The Lands Department Book Council has been the most regular and The National Book Council has also been and the Housing Authority are currently The National Book consistent client to the MCC along the years, trusted by the government to redraft Malta’s coordinating this process (an old lady lives even during times of severe recession. For this copyright laws to bring them into line with the Council has been in one of those rooms is to be provided with reason, we expect the MCC to remain loyal to recent European Union Directive on copyright alternative accommodation). We hope that grown from a the National Book Council and provide access and related rights in the Digital Single Market.