Publishing House Officials Confirm, That Qatari Houses Succeeded In Registering Their Fingerprints In Publishing Industry

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) A number of officials of the Qatari public and private publishing houses confirmed that the houses were able, in just a few years, to register their fingerprints in the publishing industry and the world of culture, and contribute to the promotion of the continuous cultural movement in the country.
In exclusive statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), they stressed that the Qatari publishing houses have assumed a prominent position in this field, as a result of the selection of purposeful content, good directing, and luxurious printing of the publications, as well as the diversity of intellectual, scientific and literary content, leading to children's literature and other books to register a strong presence in Arab and international book fairs.
The Director of Katara Publishing House, Sheikha Shaikha bint Hamad Al-Thani, said in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the establishment of Katara Publishing House in 2018 embodied a pioneering step within the framework of the Katara Cultural Village Foundation's strategy to disseminate distinguished Qatari creations in culture, heritage, and arts, adding that the house was a qualitative addition to the printing and publishing movement in the State of Qatar, the Qatari cultural book industry, and the service of creators by adopting their books, research and creative texts, and publishing, distributing and introducing them through participation in international book fairs inside and outside Qatar.
She explained that the publications of the house received attention and demand due to its adoption of the highest quality standards, including production, printing, and distribution. It was also characterised by diversity in cultural production, as it included documentary and heritage works, fictional works, and critical studies, especially the winner of the Katara Prize for Arabic Fiction.
She added that Katara Publishing House, along with other publishing houses, contributed to enhancing the cultural scene, by adopting and publishing the production of creators and their valuable research and studies with the aim of enriching the movement of authoring, publishing, and the book industry, through consistent efforts with Katara's mission to support talents and encourage them to write, research, author and create, and enhance knowledge and intellectual production.
She noted the increase in the houses publications, in terms of literary works, documentary books, heritage and scientific works, novel works, and critical studies that won the Katara Prize for Arabic Fiction during its related sessions, and cultural magazines published in English that specialise in horses and children.
She noted that the house, through its continued participation in the Doha International Book Fair and Gulf and Arab book fairs, has strengthened its position in the Qatari and Arab cultural scene through its publications in Arabic, English, and French, which meet the desires of the culture audience.
For her part, the Director of Research Projects at Qatar University Press Reem Mohsen Al-Athba, said that the publishing house represents one of the most important strategic initiatives of Qatar University, embodies its mission, and is a scientific tributary for various national institutions, and a qualitative step in building a knowledge society, explaining that the publishing house since its establishment in 2018 adopts a policy based on the latest performance indicators and quality standards in the world of academic publishing.
She pointed out that the Qatar University Press highlighted, through a package of publications, the national identity and the country's tourist and environmental attractions, and was distinguished by its diversity and richness as it included Islamic studies, law, history, culture, heritage, politics, literature and linguistics, medicine and engineering, translation works, encyclopedic works, forum and conference proceedings, a series of textbooks, a series of country studies, and a series of scientific theses.
For his part, the Executive Director of Hamad Bin Khalifa University Publishing House Bashar Shabaro, spoke in an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) about the house's interest in publishing novels and biographies for adults, stories for adolescents and children, in addition to educational books for schools, academic books for universities and researchers, and information books.
He noted that the work of the house is not limited to the fields of literature and scientific research, but rather manages an electronic platform for content in an open-access manner, as the house has proven its presence in the field of collaborative electronic publishing, to allow easy access to advanced global research in the fields of medicine, biosciences, health care, social sciences, Islamic and engineering, and others.
The Executive Director of HBKU Publishing House indicated the house's interest in participating in the most prominent exhibitions held in Arab and European countries, as part of its continuous commitment to presenting the finest published works to the Arab and international audiences.
He noted its presence on the regional cultural scene, which attracts more interaction with local and Arab readers with each edition of book fairs, stressing at the same time the house's interest in encouraging Qatari writers, especially young people.
For her part, the CEO of Rosa Publishing House Dr. Aisha Jassim Al-Kuwari, said in a similar statement to (QNA) that the house, since its establishment in 2017, has worked to achieve a set of goals, the most important of which is encouraging Qatari authors, as new names have emerged in the world of writing and creativity with the establishment of the house, such as the writer Omar Al-Mir, whose publication at the Kuwait Fair won the best-selling book in 2019, the writer Mohamed Al-Marri, the writer Maitha Sultan, and others, and this is a success for the writer, publisher, and cultural scene in Qatar, in addition to introducing the world to the Qatari cultural product through participation in various Arab and international book fairs, and presenting community initiatives that contribute to the cultural movement in the country, such as the cultural salon, the narrators' house, and others.
For his part, Ibrahim Al-Buhashim Al-Sayed, founder and director of Dar Al-Watad for Books and Publications and Vice-President of the Arab Publishers Associations, said in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the house, which was established in 2017, sets its sights on serving writers and readers in Qatar, in addition to encouraging young authors. It aspires to present everything that interests the reader in terms of useful material and appropriate output. The house is also interested in building various relationships with regional and international publishing houses to benefit from copyrights or specifications for books and their quality, pointing out that this openness comes to keep pace with the rapid developments in the publishing industry, which coincide with modern technical developments, and to benefit from them in raising the standards of quality and mastery in everything related to books, authorship, distribution, and publishing.
He pointed out that the house, since its inception, has attracted many Qatari writers and authors, in addition to Arab authors, whether residing inside or outside the State of Qatar, from the countries of the Arab Maghreb, the Levant and India, where books were translated by the house into a number of languages.
He explained that the house publishing annually ranges between 35 and 45 new titles, pointing out that the house is not only interested in paper publishing, but also in electronic publishing, as the Qatari Publishers Forum has established a website that provides it with electronic books.
For her part, writer Asma Abdul-Latif Al-Kuwari, Director of Nabja Printing and Publishing specialising in children's literature, said in a statement to (QNA) that Nabja House is considered the first specialised house for children's literature in Qatar, emphasising the keenness of the house to distinguish the quality of the publications to be an addition to the world of the child and society, pointing out that the children's book presented by the house reflects the values that the child should be brought up on, taking from the Qatari environment and the Qatari heritage the real basis for presenting its products, as the publications target the age group from 3 years to 15 years.
Al-Kuwari affirmed the keenness of Nabja House to be present in Arab exhibitions to introduce Qatari publications specialised in children's literature, as well as the house's contribution to promoting cultural movement in this field.

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