Vom 4. bis 19. Oktober 2008 besuchen 16 Fellows auf Einladung der Frankfurter Buchmesse die Verlagsbranche in Frankfurt, München und Berlin. buchmarkt.de stellt Ihnen täglich einen der Teilnehmer vor.
Clara Capitão ist Lektorin beim Verlag Presença in Barcarena, Portugal www.presenca.pt. In ihrem Land hat sich die Verlagslandschaft vor kurzem dramatisch verändert.
buchmarkt.de: Bitte beschreiben Sie uns Ihren Verlag …
Presença is one of Portugal’s largest independent publishing houses, and launches about 180 new titles every year in virtually every field. We are particularly strong in: commercial and literary fiction, and children and YA books, in the fiction field; and current affairs, economics, management, social sciences, health, self-help and spirituality, in the non-fiction field.
Mit welchen Schwierigkeiten haben Sie auf dem portugiesischen Buchmarkt zu tun?
The publishing scenario in Portugal has changed dramatically in the past year. An investment fund acquired several medium and large publishing houses, and formed the biggest Portuguese publishing group. This is something unheard of in Portugal, and is causing considerable apprehension among publishing professionals, as it will undoubtedly change the publishing landscape in the country. Personally, it doesn’t scare me much, as I believe that there is always room for competitive and professional independent houses.
Nevertheless, the Portuguese market suffers from several constraints that affect the industry’s performance. Sadly, Portugal displays one of Europe’s lowest rates of frequent readers (less than half the rate of Scandinavian countries, according to recent studies), which constitutes a limitation and hindrance to growth for the publishing industry.
I like to see this, instead, as a difficult but important challenge. The publishing industry alone cannot change this situation, as this is the result of a combination of various socio-economic factors, but it can significantly contribute by developing strategies to bring books and people closer.
Welche Erwartungen haben Sie an das Fellowship-Programm und die Frankfurter Buchmesse 2008?
The Frankfurt Fellowship Programme is reputed as the best of its kind, and I have great expectations. On the one hand, I expect to derive important insights on the industry by gaining a deeper knowledge of the German book market. Germany has a reputation for excellence in business overall, and I trust that German publishing houses operate according to the country’s high standards. It will be interesting to hear about different methods, strategies and perspectives.
On the other hand, I very much look forward to sharing impressions and ideas on the industry with the other Fellows, and thus gain a more global outlook on the publishing sector. On a personal level, I am sure it will be great fun, as well!
As to the Frankfurt Book Fair, it is by far the most important worldwide publishing event. It is a fundamental source of information on all the latest deals and acquisitions, and an excellent networking platform. In our era of impersonal email interactions, book fairs are a unique opportunity to be face to face with your business partners – that is, if the person you’re meeting with is not frantically punching the keys of their Blackberry!
On the whole, I do believe that both experiences will contribute to my being more knowledgeable, resourceful and creative in my job. People are a great source of inspiration to me and I always look forward to learning from others.
Das Fellowship Programm wurde anlässlich des 50. Jubiläums der Frankfurter Buchmesse 1998 ins Leben gerufen. In den vergangenen zehn Jahren hat sich ein enges Netz innerhalb der internationalen Verlagsbranche gebildet. Über 165 Teilnehmer aus 45 Ländern konnten bereits von diesem Programm profitieren. In diesem Jahr wird es von Martina Stemann von der Frankfurter Buchmesse organisiert und vom ehemaligen Fellow Laurenz Bolliger vom Berlin Verlag begleitet.
