The Istanbul Publishing Fellowship will bring publishing professionals from around the world to Istanbul in February as it hosts its 11th edition, reinforcing Türkiye’s ambition to position the city as a global hub for copyright exchange and content trade.

The three-day program, scheduled on Feb. 10-12 at the Taş Yapı Event and Congress Center, is expected to host 335 publishers from 73 countries. Participants include publishers, editors, copyright agents and media representatives working across fiction, nonfiction, children’s literature, academic publishing and religious texts.

Organized by the Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright and Licensing Society (TBYM), the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship has been running continuously since 2016 as a structured copyright marketplace rather than a conventional book fair. Its core model centers on pre-arranged, one-on-one professional meetings that allow publishers to negotiate rights directly and establish long-term international partnerships.

During a press briefing held in Istanbul on Jan. 27, project coordinator Sümeyra Inanç said the fellowship was designed to go beyond the logic of traditional publishing events.

"This is not simply a fair or a networking meeting,” Inanç said. "The Istanbul Publishing Fellowship is a professional platform where publishers can negotiate copyright directly and build qualified, long-term collaborations. It also enables stories and cultural experiences to circulate across borders.”

Unlike large-scale book fairs built around exhibition halls and open networking, the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship operates through a curated participation system. Publishers apply in advance and are selected based on professional criteria, after which bilateral meetings are scheduled ahead of the event.

According to information shared at the Jan. 27 press conference, the fellowship has facilitated more than 35,000 bilateral business meetings and over 25,000 preliminary copyright agreements since its launch. Organizers say these figures illustrate the project’s role in expanding the international circulation of Turkish-language works while also introducing foreign content to Türkiye’s publishing ecosystem.

This year’s edition attracted close to 1,000 applications from 104 countries. Following an evaluation process, 225 foreign publishers and 110 Turkish publishers were selected for professional participation.

Mehmet Burhan Genç, one of the program’s coordinators, described the fellowship as a content-driven marketplace rather than a showcase event.

"We see Istanbul Publishing Fellowship as an international content market,” Genç said. "Our primary goal is to ensure that Turkish works reach readers in different languages and to strengthen Istanbul’s position as a global copyright meeting point.”

The fellowship is supported by a wide range of public institutions and sectoral organizations, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Press and Broadcasting Union, the Istanbul Ticaret Odası, Anadolu Agency, Turkish Airlines, the Tourism Development and Education Foundation (TUGEV) and Board of Directors of the Professional Association of Copyright and Licensing for Educational and Cultural Book Publishers (DEKMEB).

Focus country: Indonesia

The fellowship continues its "focus country” concept, introduced in 2021, under which one country is selected each year to highlight its publishing sector, reader trends and structural challenges through panels, seminars and cultural programming.

Indonesia has been named the focus country for the 2026 edition. Ten Indonesian publishing houses are expected to attend, accompanied by sessions introducing the country’s publishing landscape as well as cultural elements such as cuisine, music and visual arts.

Halil Çelik said previous focus-country initiatives had produced concrete results for Turkish publishers.

"Our experience shows that when we focus on a specific market, the outcome is measurable,” Çelik said. "Hundreds of Turkish titles have been exported following meetings held with focus countries in previous years.”

Since the introduction of the focus country model, the fellowship has hosted Hungary, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Mexico and China. Organizers say targeted engagement with these markets has resulted in long-term professional relationships and sustained rights sales.

In addition to its core copyright meetings, the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship has expanded its scope to reflect broader changes in the global content industry. One of the key additions this year is the launch of the IPF+ VIP Publishers Meetings, which will bring senior executives from Türkiye’s leading publishing houses together with representatives of globally recognized publishing brands.

The program also includes the Istanbul Copyright Awards, which will be held for the fifth time during a gala cocktail event on Feb. 10, as well as the Media Match section, which connects publishers with representatives from digital platforms, production companies and content developers.

Writer Melike Günyüz said the fellowship offers an alternative to Europe-centered publishing structures.

"European publishing markets often present themselves as the center of the industry,” Günyüz said. "Here, we create a more democratic and accessible environment where publishers from different regions can meet on equal terms.”