BEA to Focus on Russian Literature and Publishing Industry

Global Market Forum 2012 sheds light on principal emerging market in the fast globalization of the book

Norwalk, CT, March 28, 2012:  Russia, rich in literary tradition and known for being one of the most well-read societies, has a robust publishing industry and a growing digital audience.  Analysts estimate that the valuable Russian marketplace has consumer sales of $3.3 billion and is home to a diverse group of authors and dynamic publishing programs, offered by large, medium and independent publishing houses.  Russian publishers, authors and booksellers are finding new readers, new partnerships and they are creating an international buzz.

BEA’s Global Market Forum Read Russia – a one-day conference on Monday, June 4, 2012 - offers an exciting and broad publishing agenda that will introduce, inform and ignite interest in Russian publishing. Expert speakers, including the CEOs of the largest Russian publishers and distributors, will share their knowledge and insight on everything Russian, with sessions focused on writing and translation, educational and digital publishing, intellectual properties and copyright issues.

Each presentation and discussion will bring together key industry voices from both the Russian and US publishing communities. Sessions will be 50-minutes in length and allow time between for networking opportunities to build new business contacts! Agents, editors, publishers, booksellers and librarians, will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the many sessions, dialog and innovative directions of the Russian book and publishing community.

Under the headline of Read Russia, the professional program of the Global Market Forum will be further expanded by a rich cultural program between June 1^st to June 8^th, at leading cultural institutions and social venues across New York City.  Sponsored by the Russian Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communication under the direction of Vladimir Grigoriev, the far reaching festival offers audiences outside the BookExpo America community the opportunity to engage in a cross-cultural dialogue with the new generation of Russia’s literary leaders and newsmakers.  This cultural program will also be a part of New York Book & Media which embraces all literary activity in New York City during the week of BEA and celebrates authors and literature from around the world. 

In addition to making available new English translations of contemporary and classic Russian literature, Read Russia will present a major exhibition on children’s book illustrations, a travelling film series, a new documentary television project about Russian literature, as well as a comprehensive literary showcase that will serve as the focal point of the festival.

Over 25 contemporary Russian writers will be in New York during festival week, among them Dmitry Bykov, Sergei Lukyanenko, Vladimir Makanin, Edward Radzinsky, Master Chen, Olga Slavnikova and Mikhail Shishkin.