April the 7th, 2023 – The Croatian publishing and book-selling industry is going very steadily, and many Croatian publishers are set to attend the world’s largest children’s book fair.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian publishing and book industry is operating stably with a 19 percent increase in revenue compared to last year. Several fairs and festivals organised with a number of partners have also strongly contributed to this growth. Croatian publishers have the umbrella of support of the Ministry of Culture and Media, as well as the cities of Osijek, Split, and a number of other cultural institutions with the aim of ensuring inclusive connection from authors to readers.
“This year’s activities cover eight projects, of which we ‘e now presenting to you the activities that will take place until the summer”, said Slavko Kozina, president of the Association of Publishers and Booksellers at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGL), in his introductory remarks on the state of matters for Croatian publishers and of the industry as a whole.
Of the spring events organised, the first is the Children’s Book Fair in Bologna, the world’s largest fair of children’s books, picture books and illustrations. This fair also includes multimedia content and new trends in publishing for children and young people. The large turnout of Croatian publishers for the upcoming Bologna book fair is a reward for the organisers, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and for ZNK HGK, who are returning to this important fair after 18 years.
Under the auspices of the Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media, from April the 8th til the 11th, Croatian publishers will showcase what they have. There will be 27 Croatian publishers present, and they’ll present comics, picture books and children’s novels. 20 illustrators will also be present on 32 metres squared. Croatian illustrators in Bologna will present themselves through the main visual created by Vendi Vernić, the winner of the prize for young illustrators at the Bologna fair back in 2018.
“The motif of the entire performance is the oak, a tree that is a symbol of continental Croatia, but also of Croatian and Slavic mythology. This fair is of a business nature, where rights to other countries are sold, thereby spreading rich Croatian culture and identity around the world”, said Saša Krnic from Ibis-grafika, who will be at the helm of the stand of Croatian publishers in Bologna.
