Abu Dhabi: After a seven-day run that captivated book enthusiasts and included major deals to elevate the Arabic written word, the 30th edition of Abu Dhabi International Book Fair has come to a close.
Thousands of visitors attended the event, which included workshops, forums and performances centred around the world of reading. For the first time, the event was carried out in a hybrid manner, with the organisation of both virtual sessions and onsite activations.
The event was organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the emirate’s culture sector regulator, and its Arabic preservation and modernisation wing, Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC).
Abu Dhabi: The COVID-19 pandemic may have created a dent in sales, but publishing houses have seen a doubling in the number of people submitting works for publication.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2021 (ADIBF), publishers said this trend indicates that more people are willing to set aside the time to explore their creativity and share their knowledge.
“Of course, not every book that is submitted can be published, and there are still many challenges in the publishing world. But we have seen a 100 per cent increase in the number of works submitted to us in 2020, especially by authors who are not necessarily seeking a profit. Instead, they want to get their work out there to readers,” Abdullah Al Kaabi, co-founder of Abu Dhabi-based publishing house, Dragon Publishing, told