Support of the book and press industry is one of the priorities of the state cultural policy in the Republic of Azerbaijan. It is sufficient to note that, following the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan On the implementation of mass publications in the Azerbaijani language with Latin script (No.56 of January 12, 2004), more than 10 million books have been published in the country. The Law On Publishing (No.887-IQ of May 30, 2000) and other legislative acts supporting the publishing industry are in force in the country. An essential measure in this direction was the Decision of the Cabinet of Ministers On approval of the “List of mass media products and books (except e-books), as well as textbook sets and paper in rolls or sheets related to the production (publication) of these goods (products), the import and sale of which is exempt from value-added tax (No.184 of May 13, 2022).
About 70 publishing and printing enterprises operate in Azerbaijan, and among them are “Azernashr”, “Qanun”, “Tehsil”, “TEAS Press”, “Hadaf Naşhrleri”, “Sharq-Garb”, “Elm”, “Altun Kitab”, “Qelem”, “Alatoran Yayınları”, “Parlaq imzalar”, “Khan”, “Qedim Qala”, “Chashıoglu”, “Aghıllı bala”, “Chapar”, “Mayak”, “Mimta”, “Mujru”, “Elm ve Tehsil”, “Letterpress”, “Everest”, “Libra Kitab”, “Strauss Press”, “Ting”, “Maxofset” and others. In 2023, 4,697 titles and 4,435,800 copies of books were published across the country (for comparison, in 2019, 3,697 titles and 3,435,800 copies of books were published). Data for 2023 includes 1,355 titles of scientific literature, 1,033 titles of educational literature, 1,866 titles of fiction, 443 titles of children’s literature, and other publications.
The role of the book trade in developing the book business in Azerbaijan is undeniable. Approximately 40 enterprises, including big book trade companies, operate in the country. Among them are Ali and Nino, Libraff, Baku Book Centre, KitabevimAz, Bookzone Group, Kitabchı, and others.
The Ministry of Culture holds an annual Publication Purchase Competition to enrich public library funds, in which publishers, authors, and bookstores participate; this work has been carried out especially actively in recent years. Thus, from 2023 to 2024, 90,203 copies of 1,118 books were purchased for a total value of 927,622 manats, which is comparable to the total similar data for 2011-2022: 104,747 copies of 1,868 names with a value of 953,522 manats.
Regular book fairs are another serious government support mechanism for the book industry. Organized regularly for 15 years by the Ministry of Culture, the Baku Book Fair has proven to be a reliable platform for engaging with consumers, increasing brand awareness, sharing local and international experiences, and generating ideas for developing the book business in the digital age. In this regard, the statistical indices of the 10th Baku International Book Fair (October 2-8, 2024), dedicated to the 530th anniversary of the great 16th-century Azerbaijani poet Muhammad Fuzuli, are worth considering: 18 participating countries, 112 local participating organisations, 55 foreign participating organisations, 173 local authors, 24 foreign authors, 327 events, and over 55 thousand visitors.
The Ministry of Culture also actively participates in international book fairs to promote Azerbaijani books, publishers, authors, and the entire national book industry. For instance, in 2024, the Ministry of Culture ensured the participation of 19 publishing houses and 22 authors at international book fairs in Cairo, London, Doha, Rabat, Beijing, Moscow, Frankfurt, and Istanbul
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