Pakistani, Uzbek publishers seek rights to Iranian children’s books
Publishers from Pakistan and Uzbekistan have sought rights to publish Iranian children’s books following talks at the 12th Baku International Book Fair in Azerbaijan.
Pakistan’s National Book Foundation (NBF), a government body under the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, has formally requested permission to publish five Iranian children’s titles, according to Iran’s Book and Literature House.
The titles are ‘A New Friend’, ‘The Little Key’, ‘Look at This Way’, ‘The Rose on the Rug’ and ‘Once Upon a Time’. They were published by Iran’s Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults and Beh-Nashr Publishing House.
The NBF wants to publish the books in Urdu or English. It has offered to cover translation, printing, publication, promotion and distribution costs.
The Pakistani foundation also says the published editions will identify the Iranian publishers and include intellectual property information.
An Uzbek publisher has separately expressed interest in acquiring rights to two Iranian books: ‘The Golden Wheat Stalk’ and ‘The Ancient Promise of Tomorrow’ published by Beh-Nashr.
The requests followed discussions between the manager of Iran’s booth at the fair, a representative of Iran’s Book and Literature House and participating publishers.
Initial contacts have been established, and talks are continuing on the terms for transferring publication rights, the report said. The requests could help introduce Iranian children’s and young adult literature to readers abroad through translation and international publishing partnerships.