Sharjah, June 10 (WAM) - The Sharjah Fund for Publishing Sustainability "Anshar" gains value and prominence by ensuring publishers access guidance, experts, and markets, transforming the relationship with the sector from an individual experience to a professional path within a well-defined community.

Economic reports indicate that career guidance increases the survival chances of small businesses in the business market. 70% of small companies that received guidance have lasted over five years, double the survival rate of other firms.

The importance of this guidance is magnified in a rapidly changing sector like publishing; building professional networks and sharing knowledge and expertise becomes more urgent when publishers face editorial, design, financing, distribution, translation rights, marketing, and sales data files from the initial stages of their work.

Launched by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, as part of a partnership involving the Authority, the Emirates Publishers Association, and the Sharjah Publishing City, the Sharjah Fund for Publishing Sustainability "Anshar" is structured around three tracks: "Launch" for new publishers, "Growth" for existing publishing houses, and "Innovation" for technology companies working with the publishing sector. The significance lies in addressing different stages of work, each requiring a distinct type of professional relationship, ranging from guidance at the beginning to partnership in growth and technological expertise in developing business models.

The Sharjah Publishing Sustainability Fund, "Anshar", follows the best global practices that have proven that new publishers need training and a network before they can make their debut. An example of this is the Frankfurt Fellowship program launched in 1998, which focused on information exchange, professional dialogue, and expanding the international publishing industry network. This model explains why "Anshar's" launch path should include guidance, resources, and institutional communication.

"Anshar's" Launch Path focuses on preparing new publishers to enter the market through professional mentoring, specialized training, and relationship-building within the publishing sector. It targets publishers still in their early stages by connecting them with expert professionals and institutions that help them develop publishing plans, understand rights management, distribution mechanisms, and the commercial aspects of the book industry. This also provides participants with access to professional events and exhibitions, opening up opportunities for networking with publishers, agents, and distributors from different markets.

"Anshar" in "Growth Path" focuses on qualifying existing publishers to deal with the rights market, distribution, and professional partnerships from a more prepared position by developing rights management, business-to-business operations, financial models, and digital technologies. This stage is important because it involves engaging participating publishers in meetings at the "Publishers Conference," organized by the Sharjah International Book Fair. Through this, Sharjah has maintained its position as the world's largest market for buying and selling copyright for five consecutive years in 2025.

The conference, held in 2025, brought together more than 1,599 publishers from 116 countries who conducted 3,321 professional meetings. This provided participants with direct networking opportunities with publishers, agents, and distributors from various markets, as well as insights into negotiation mechanisms, rights exchange, and the establishment of professional partnerships within the global publishing sector.

In the innovation track, "Publish" addresses the rapid transformation in the publishing industry, where books are transitioning to audio, visuals, animations, and interactive digital content. The focus is on connecting publishers with specialized technology companies that assist them in developing content, managing rights, and accessing new forms of production and distribution. This approach is also evident in the Sharjah Cartoon and Comics Conference organized by the Sharjah Book Authority, which aims to establish collaboration channels between publishers, animation studios, and visual content creators.

In this context, the innovation track at "Publish" attracted 94 applications from technology companies in 17 countries, offering solutions in artificial intelligence, editing, translation, audio content, animation technologies, and digital infrastructure. This reflects the expanding relationship between publishing and the creative industries associated with it.

Alongside training and mentoring, the fund launched a series of initiatives to support graduates of both the "Launch" and "Growth" tracks. These included professional participation opportunities in global publishing markets. Five winners from the "Launch" track received a one-year mentorship program, as well as full sponsorship for participation in up to three international book fairs, including those in London, Bologna, Beijing, Frankfurt, and Shanghai.

The Fund also allocated a collective wing for the graduates of the program at the 2025 Sharjah International Book Fair, with the participation of 11 publishers from the "Launch" track and one publisher from the "Growth" track who have published less than 50 titles. As part of its ongoing support programs after the completion of training, the Fund provided accounting and tax services to participants in order to help them manage the commercial and financial aspects related to their work in the publishing sector.