Abu Dhabi launches a $192,000 fund for local book publishers
To support local publishing houses that produce Arabic and English books, Abu Dhabi has launched a fund worth AED 700,000 (US$192,000).
Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), launched the fund as part of the UAE government’s strategy to promote knowledge and strengthen the publishing sector.
As part of the initiative, DCT Abu Dhabi and ALC purchased 10,927 books from 50 publishing houses participating in the 2022 Al Ain Book Festival, the latest in a series of projects to support publishers.
A total of 500 titles were purchased as part of the grant, 125 of which were in English.
Children and youth in the UAE will benefit from the distribution of the books, which aim to foster a love of reading among the country’s youth.
Social values, diversity of topics presented, and issue date (no earlier than 2020) were among the criteria used to select the new grant books.
A variety of topics are covered, including non-fiction, history, and fiction. In addition, books designed to build children’s knowledge and personalities were purchased.