The Minister of Culture and Information, Maja Gojković, has sent a letter to the director of the Belgrade Fair, Danka Selic, calling the Fair to consider the publishers’ proposal and reconsider the decision to hold the International Book Fair in Belgrade from 11 to 19 September.
Gojković listened to the proposals of the Association of Publishers and Bookshops of Serbia, the Association of Professional Publishers of Serbia and a group of independent publishers, saying that it is necessary to take into account the publishers’ arguments that they would not be able to prepare all the books for the exhibition by the scheduled date and that that could lead to a situation where there are not enough new titles.
“Publishers are concerned that the Fair may take place in September without sufficient attendance, and therefore without financial justification for them. These facts must be taken into consideration seriously, especially bearing in mind that the previous year was particularly difficult for all cultural institutions due to the pandemic,” Gojkovic said.
For all these reasons, and in the firm belief that the common goal is to make the event, which is something that both Belgrade and Serbia are recognized in the region, Gojković invited the Belgrade Fair to listen to the publishers’ proposals.
As previously reported in the media, the three largest publisher associations proposed to postpone the event to October next year.
(Danas, 16.07.2021)
https://www.danas.rs/kultura/gojkovic-razmotriti-novi-termin-za-sajam-knjiga/
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