Arabic publishers seeking overseas translation deals must first persuade foreign buyers to give their books a look, said Sherif Bakr, general manager of Cairo's Al Arabi Publishing and Distributing, at the Frankfurt International Book Fair. “They don't know what to expect. They don't know what we have. This is why we as an industry needed to extend the variety,” he told The National.
Building a catalogue
Bakr wants contemporary Arabic literature to reach more foreign publishers. His Arab Voices website presents books from across the Arab world. The initiative started in 2020 with a printed catalogue of 32 Egyptian books, then moved online in 2026. The EU-funded platform launched in July.
The catalogue has 200 titles from 22 countries. They include Palestinian author Bassem Khandaqji's “A Mask, the Colour of the Sky,” winner of the 2024 International Prize for Arabic Fiction. Egyptian novelist Adel Esmat's “At the End of Time” and Nora Nagi's “The Fuel House” also appear.
“We now have fantasy, crime, women writing crime novels, women's literature, chick lit, literary fiction and award-winning books,” Bakr said. “We've also expanded across the Arab world, with 200 titles from 22 countries. We need to give more exposure to writers from across the region, not just the known ones or the famous ones.”
Finding publishers and readers
Arab Voices is one of several efforts to find readers abroad. It joins Leila, an EU-funded European project launched in 2021 to promote contemporary Arabic literature. Based in France, Leila offers a curated catalogue and resources for publishers and translators, focusing on Arabic-to-French translation.
On Thursday, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre marked the first anniversary of its From Kalima to the World initiative at the book fair. It announced 14 new translation and international co-publishing partnerships.
Foreign publishers need curated lists to spot books that might suit their markets, Bakr said. “Publishers need a selected, curated list. Something that they know is going to work with them. You can't just put anything,” he said. Prize shortlists and winners can provide a starting point, though Bakr also weighs books that haven't won such recognition. Local success doesn't promise international appeal: “Maybe it's very good locally, but it doesn't travel, or maybe it travels.”
The cost of reaching overseas markets
Bakr urged Arab publishers to play a more active part at international book fairs. There, networking, rights negotiations and presenting titles matter more than consumer sales, which dominate many regional fairs. He acknowledged that international participation costs money, but said it can pay off. “You have to talk to the publishers and convince them that this book stands up with the others,” he said.
At a separate Frankfurt discussion about publishing challenges, Bakr said regional publishers can feel foreign counterparts ignore them. “We would feel publishers don't reply to us, don't think of us as important,” he said. He also described logistical expenses that can make contractual requirements hard to meet in some markets. Sending free copies to authors, agents and rights holders in several countries can cost Egyptian publishers more in shipping than the books cost to produce. Bakr recalled carrying suitcases full of copies to fairs and asking colleagues who were travelling to deliver them.
A $100 advance he agreed to pay a Nordic literary agency also proved hard to transfer. Egyptian bank officials at the time didn't understand the purchase of publishing rights. Bakr eventually paid in cash at a book fair. Restrictions have eased, he said, but a $100 transfer can still bring about $40 in fees. “We don't have the same banking system,” he said. “We have to be flexible and understanding.”
After Frankfurt, Bakr plans to expand Arab Voices' international outreach and turn the platform into a hub for publishing news and links to other initiatives. He wouldn't measure progress only by the number of translation deals: “It's not that we have to have a KPI of how many translated books. You're building something. It's like soft power. It's about expanding the visibility of what's out there in Arabic literature.” The Frankfurt International Book Fair ends October 11, 2026.