The Professional Programme organised by Sharjah Book Authority on the side-lines of SIBF 2016 has resulted in 1,239 copyright deals between publishers and rights professionals. The number of concluded agreements has exceeded the figures of each of the former five editions of the Professional Programme since its inception in 2010.
The deals struck over the two-day programme encompassed an array of fields, covering the cultural, intellectual, literary and artistic spheres. There was a particular focus on the purchasing and selling of rights for publishing, printing and distributing of books in demand by readers, as well as for award-winning titles. The deals also included 145 transactions to translate Arabic books into other languages.