The 11th edition of the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship (IPF) officially opened Tuesday at the Taş Yapı Event and Congress Center in Istanbul, signaling a robust expansion of Türkiye’s role as a primary bridge in the global intellectual property and content market.
The three-day program, running Feb.10 through Feb. 12, has convened 335 selected publishers from 73 countries to facilitate direct copyright negotiations and establish long-term international partnerships. Organized by the Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright and Licensing Society (TBYM) and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the event distinguishes itself from traditional book fairs by operating as a curated, professional-only marketplace.
Bilal Erdoğan, chairperson of the Ilim Yayma Society, framed the fellowship as a vital safeguard for human values in an increasingly automated world.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Erdoğan urged attendees to treat publishing as an instrument of cultural diplomacy while warning against forces that erode human values. "This international publishing gathering confirms Istanbul’s important place on the world’s cultural map," he said, adding that the event helps present Türkiye’s culture rightly to the world and build fruitful, cultural and strong relations with friendly and brotherly geographies.
Erdoğan used his remarks to draw a wider social theme into the festival’s remit by citing anxieties about technological change and what he described as a capitalist paradigm that risks turning people into less humane beings. "When everyone worries whether artificial intelligence robots will take over the world, my more tangible fear is that people will lose their humanity, their tenderness, and their ability to love," he said, urging publishers to preserve the values that make us human and to carry Türkiye’s message abroad.
Culture and Tourism Deputy Minister Gökhan Yazgı described the fellowship as a strategic platform where cultural diplomacy, copyright exports and creative industries converge. Quoting late Turkish thinker Cemil Meriç, Yazgı reminded participants that "books are the memory of civilization," emphasizing the state's role in carrying this shared memory into the future.
"Since 2016, the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship has evolved into a result-oriented, institutionalized cooperation model," Yazgı said, highlighting the success of public-private partnerships. He revealed that the state has aggressively scaled its support, with the budget for purchasing books for national libraries rising from TL 21.9 million ($500,000) in 2020 to TL 226 million in 2025. Yazgı also delivered a keynote "good news" for the sector, announcing that the 2026 budget will see an additional 50% increase.
"Our projects, such as the Translation and Publication Support Program (TEDA), have supported 4,599 works in 66 languages across 99 countries," Yazgı added. He further positioned Türkiye as a regional trendsetter by announcing that Ankara will host the Turkic World Publishing Council in March 2026 to foster "sustainable cooperation" across the Turkic world.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Sabah on Tuesday, Mehmet Burhan Genç, president of TBYM, explained the functional differences between large-scale public fairs and the fellowship model. While fairs like Frankfurt or London focus on massive public exhibitions, the Istanbul Fellowship is designed specifically for professionals to conduct high-stakes bilateral meetings.
"This is an event type that contains only professional one-on-one meetings and consists of specifically selected publishers," Genç said. "Copyright acquisitions and trade are conducted much more effectively through this model."
Genç highlighted that while the publishing market represents a relatively small financial slice of the national economy, roughly 0.25% with a $2.5 billion volume, its multiplier effect is massive. He noted that literary interest often follows the success of other cultural exports, such as Turkish television dramas, which have led to increased demand for Turkish history and literature in regions as distant as Mexico.
The 2026 edition features Indonesia as the "Focus Country," continuing a tradition of deepening ties with specific global markets. Erdoğan emphasized that Indonesia is a vital nation for the Islamic world and the global community, expressing hope that the fellowship would bridge the gap in cultural recognition between the two nations.
Ten Indonesian publishing houses are in attendance, participating in sessions that explore the country’s reading trends and structural challenges while showcasing Indonesian cuisine, music and visual arts.
Since its launch in 2016, the IPF has facilitated more than 35,000 bilateral business meetings and over 25,000 preliminary copyright agreements. This year’s event saw nearly 1,000 applications from 104 countries, with 225 foreign and 110 Turkish publishers ultimately selected for the professional sessions.
The program has also expanded into the digital and cinematic realms through the Media Match section, which connects publishers with digital platforms and production companies to adapt literary works for the screen.
