High Expectations in Jerusalem

by Daisy Maryles, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 2/22/2007

At the ceremonial opening of the Jerusalem International Book Fair, Shimon Peres, Israeli vice prime minister, shared some statistics. "Two-thirds of Jerusalemites read at least a book a week. Every fifth person tries writing poetry or prose. And every second person dreams of becoming an author," he said. All are ingredients for a bustling fair that is open to the public and includes some unique opportunities for international editors and agents.

Expectation for traffic was upwards of 150,000 visitors, and judging from the better than usual traffic in the first two days of the five-day event, the numbers may prove to be higher. This year, there were about 800 publishers and writers from 40 countries exhibiting. For the first time ever, one of the fair exhibitors, Samech Dandis, was a Palestinian. At his booth, he was representing Arab and English books from Palestine publishers and printers.

For the international book community, the core of JIBF is the editorial and agent fellow program, this year with 53 editor and agent representatives from 13 countries. Add to that about 20 alumni fellow and about 20 additional editors, agents and scouts, and the international coterie is over 90—more than enough to make JIBF the perfect place for networking and doing business. There were even a few editors concerned that the fair may be getting too big, thus impinging on the intimacy that makes it easy for all to get to know one another and their books.

Maggie Doyle, a 2003 fellow who is foreign acquisitions director at Robert Laffont in Paris, noted that she keeps in "close contact" with her group of fellows and they havesome projects together. Tim Bartlett worked at Oxford University Press when he was a 2003 fellow and has since moved over to Random House as a senior editor. He credits some of that move to being a Jerusalem fellow.

Israeli agent Deborah Harris organized a day at the hilltop of Tantur, an ecumenical Christian retreat near Bethlehem. The morning was devoted to authors/filmmakers—both Israelis and Arabs—who showed clips of films based on their books. Provocative and edgy, the films offered sometimes uncomfortable glimpses of how the two sides view each other. The afternoon session included a panel of Arab and Israeli authors talking about the face of "The Other" in literature. Scattered throughout the day were more authors reading from their novels, essays and poetry. Even before leaving Tantur, some fellows were already inquiring about available rights.

There were also two editorial buzz panels—one featuring Israeli authors, the other international editors—on new and forthcoming books. 2007 editorial fellows and alumni had positive comments on the books, and a few began inquiries about rights availability. Many more were eager to read some of the books buzzed.

There was an amusing presentation by Martin Levin, an intellectual property lawyer and former head of Time Mirror Book Group, on his 10 biggest publishing mistakes (including calling Nat Wartels at Crown to take pesky Martha Stewart's first book off his hands). Larry Kirshbaum, former CEO of the Time Warner Book Group and now literary agent, was the keynoter for the JIBF Alumni Lecture Series. Erudite, eloquent and effusive, his main message was the importance of publishing passion. "What I love about publishing is the fact that it combines the high-mindedness of literature—or at least literary intent—with the cold-shock-to-the-system reality of the marketplace. It keeps everyone honest, or at least reduces mendacity."

More details on the fair and its programs in PW's March 5 issue.