By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL- The Tasyapi Events and Congress Center in Istanbul is the site this week for the 11thInternational Istanbul Publishing Fellowship whose aim is to “bring works written in Turkish into world languages and to make Istanbul a copyright market, a center and a focal point,” Turkish Printing and Publishing Professional Union (TBYM) President Mehmet Burhan Genc said. The event brings 335 publishers from 73 countries to further expand and develop the over 35,000 bilateral meetings held since 2016. Genc told the press that Istanbul Publishing Fellowship is Turkiye’s first content market, and that no other content marketplace initiative was ever launched in the cultural field. The event meeting from February 10-12 is supported by the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry while Genc underscored that over 25,000 preliminary agreements were signed so far, related to this event. Genc added that in 2026, 225 foreign and 110 domestic publishers are participating in the fellowship program that also includes prestigious publishing houses closely followed by the global publishing industry. There are also numerous publishers from emerging and developing markets attending.
Genc pointed out that a major function of the program is to offer a level of accessibility and equality in publishing that isn’t usually provided by international book fairs. Press and Publishing Union President Halil Celik described the fellowship program as a valuable international project that operates through strong cooperation and shared understanding at every stage. Celik said: “Through this project, we aim to make the Turkish publishing sector a globally followed, curiosity-provoking, agenda-setting and influential actor in the industry.” Celik said each year a focus country is selected to assist Turkish publishers to establish direct and sustainable commercial relations with that country. The focus country for 2026 is Indonesia and Celik lauded the country for its “dynamic population” and “growing publishing market and cultural diversity.” As Celik commented: “With a population of around 280 million and a single official language, Indonesian, it offers a broad and cohesive domestic publishing market. These features make Indonesia a strategic country for international publishing projects.” He added that Indonesia has a “strong production and consumption structure, particularly in educational, children and youth, and religious publishing. As home to the publishing houses and develops long-term partnerships.”
Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) Board Member Munir Ustun said the purpose of the fellowship is “To identify written works that can be adapted for the screen, bring producers together with rights holders, and create new platforms for books, stories and literature, we established an additional sub-brand.” Ustun added that the Media Match section of the event, launched in 2025, brings together publishers with digital platforms, producers and production companies. He emphasized: “Our aim is once again to represent Turkish literature in the best possible way and to ensure it reaches many people from different countries.” Meanwhile, Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Coordination Board Member Melike Gunyuz said publishers “are the ones who determine which words, concepts and stories will belong to the future. Thanks to us, ideas first enter the public sphere and then spread to the world.” She added: “Therefore, publishers must be visionary and able to read the future. They need to see where the world has come from and where it is going”
