Round-table discussion #1 « ’Challenges for a diversified and committed book ecosystem in the face of current issues » with John B. Thompson (sociologist, United Kingdom), Julien Lefort-Favreau (professor of Contemporary Literature and Critical Theory, Québec/Canada), Kenza Sefrioui (publisher, En toutes lettres, Morocco), Esther Merino (publisher, éditions les Monédières and chair of the Association des Éditeurs de Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France), moderated by Alfonso Serrano, (publisher, La Oveja Roja, Madrid, Spain).
For several years now, the notions of independence and bibliodiversity permeate almost all discourses on the publishing sector. However, there is a strong network of interdependencies at different levels of society, which are not always easy to identify. Yet, their identification is necessary for the theoretical framework constructed from these notions to go beyond mere sloganeering and lead to a meaningful reflection on the place of the publishing activity of independent publishers within society.
Round-table discussion #2 « Ecology of the book » with Anaïs Massola (bookseller, Le Rideau rouge and co-founder of the Association pour l’écologie du livre, Paris, France), José Bellver, (economist and researcher, Madrid), Susan Hawthorne (publisher, Spinifex Press, Australia) moderated by Corinne Fleury (publisher, Atelier des nomades, Mauritius/France).
A quick look at the national budgets of most states shows that publishing is classified as an industrial activity. This is logical for a business that uses a significant amount of labour and raw materials, which once transformed into marketable products, are transported, and traded around the world. At a time of inevitable reflection on the ecological sustainability of human activity on the planet, nothing should prevent us from calmly analysing the responsibilities arising from the choices made by independent publishers. And in a context of increasing digital visibility, it is also appropriate to question what lies behind the apparent intangibility of this ‘cloud’.
International Conference of Independent Publishers, Pamplona-Iruñea, November 23, 2021