If you are associated with the business of publishing in any capacity, you will know that literary agencies and agents are critical to the life cycle of a book. In fact, the industry as a whole and book readers worldwide owe a big thank you to literary agents, who for decades have been responsible for the birth of bestsellers, making the right connections between publishers and writers.
Looking at the non-literary side of content creation, their efforts to protect the rights of authors, their work and their craft are equally critical to the overall wellbeing and sustainability of the publishing sector.
The Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has been hard at work since 2014 promoting and supporting local, regional and global publishing, creating pioneering and groundbreaking initiatives like the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), Publishers Conference, the SIBF Translation Grant, the Sharjah International Library Conference in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA), and most recently, the Booksellers Conference, in order to ensure all publishing ecosystem stakeholders have the right resources, connections and opportunities to continue making new advancements for themselves as well as the world of the written word.
In the same spirit SBA launched the Sharjah International Literary Agency (SILA) a couple of years ago, having identified a gap that needed to be filled. Historically our region has displayed the need for a robust machinery of professional literary agencies and agents who will be able to help the craft of innumerable talents in the UAE and beyond see the light of day by facilitating the right connections between them and publishers and, in the process, safeguarding their interests as well as their professional and intellectual rights.
Since SILA’s establishment the agency has worked with our passionate co-agents from around the world to create new opportunities for the acquisition of literary rights in the Middle East and beyond. This firstof- its-kind literary agency in the UAE and the region has successfully liaised between publishers, authors, translators and creatives to connect them to new business prospects, and regulated their operations in line with the established local and regional legal and professional frameworks.
SILA’s list of clients includes a host of publishers and industry professionals from Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait and the UAE, and as happy customers in publishing circles spread the word about their fruitful collaborations with us, our influence continues to grow. Today it has reached as far as Ukraine, and we expect to continue expanding further.
Through our work, we seek to not only protect the rights of publishers and writers, but also stimulate more vibrant activity in the Arab world’s book industry through promoting Arabic literary and cultural content globally. We do this by selling publication rights of the works of Arab authors to not just regional and global publishers, but also to multimedia companies, including those in film, television and gaming verticals.
As Sharjah’s cultural role and influence under the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, continues to gain more prominence, initiatives like SILA ensures that SBA continues to stay ahead of the changes in the global publishing ecosystem, transforming challenges into opportunities for both local and international players.
If you are looking for a foray into the Middle East’s flourishing publishing scene, make lasting connections and do great business, call us!
