Beyond the Sale of Book Rights
The Advantages and Challenges of Connecting Independent European Publishers
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What are your impressions from this year’s edition of the Encontro Internacional de Editores? Where do you see the added value of such international networking platforms?
What stood out the most was the organisers’ immense engagement, particularly that by Sara Machado of CED Portugal, who really worked hard to connect us efficiently with different stakeholders in the Portuguese literary market – from publishers’ associations and networks of independent bookstores to individual publishers, authors and institutions that support translations. The entire event was organised at an extremely high level, and the meeting allowed us to establish valuable professional contacts.
Additionally, such opportunities are meaningful because they enable the exchange of good practices. At the Lisbon meeting, I also came across projects that had seemed irrelevant at first, but I changed my opinion after talking to the publishers. In some cases, we even agreed to share experiences and working methods in a more structured way. Such exchanges are often more important for small publishers than simply selling rights because they help build efficient long-term models for collaboration and learning.
How do events such as the Lisbon Book Fair contribute to how we think about literary ecosystems? In your experience, what can small publishers in Europe learn from one another?
It’s interesting that selling rights was what we talked about the least at the meeting – we can also do that at larger book fairs. Events like this one in Lisbon provide in-depth conversations, reflections and analyses that are key to understanding the broader context. Additionally, they allow you to get to know the people better, their goals and how they work – which is essential if you want to establish long-term collaborations, such as cooperation projects under the Creative Europe programme or other forms of collaboration beyond the traditional book market.
One of the key themes that I notice with smaller European publishers is the complexity of internationalisation because the operations are fragmented. Cultural organisations often merge different business models within a single structure – from book production and residency programmes, to project work and event organising. This makes the scalability of their existing business processes more difficult as they’re constantly adding new activities rather than upgrading or deepening the ongoing ones. For this reason, at Goga, too, we have recently been choosing more carefully which projects to join – focusing on those that can contribute to the long-term stable development of the publishing house, not just to short-term gains.
In your opinion, how does Slovenia position itself in the European publishing space?
Slovenian publishers – like many from the Balkans – are extremely open to international collaboration. In this aspect, Slovenia stands out because it has, compared to the other countries in the region, an advantage due to its better-established cultural policy and more stable supporting mechanisms for literature and translations. This combination of openness and systemic support enables us to more easily integrate Slovenian literature into the European space.
Goga Publishing House is known for connecting the literary space of the Balkans. What is the main challenge in the internationalisation of your work?
Because Goga’s headquarters are in Novo Mesto, that is, halfway between Ljubljana and Zagreb, I’ve always wanted for Novo Mesto to be a place where we could create a cultural scene of our own, one that would intertwine the Slovenian and Croatian literary scenes, or even the entire Balkan region. From this idea came projects such as Reading Balkans, aimed at promoting authors from the Balkans. Actually, we’re once again preparing a draft for a new project with a slightly more regional orientation.
At the meeting, we connected with several publishers from the Balkans and started to discuss further collaborations. The initial contacts with some Portuguese and Armenian publishers, with whom we see a potential for carrying out joint projects or exchanging content, have also been very promising. The main challenge remains access to larger markets and visibility in the wider European space, where independent publishers often don’t have the same opportunities as larger players.
What were the concrete goals of your visit to Lisbon, and what results are you hoping for?
My main objective was to present Portuguese publishers with as much useful information as possible about participating in Creative Europe projects – after all, that was why I was invited. Of course, I am always open to other forms of collaboration, and there were quite a few good proposals this time. The best thing is when, in such a setting, you present an idea for a future project and immediately find people who want exactly that. With some, we’re already continuing our talks, and I hope that we’ll see the first concrete results as early as next year.
Goga has participated in several projects supported by the Creative Europe programme. Which ones were most groundbreaking for you, and why?
One of the key projects that I have to single out is Reading Balkans, which ended in 2021, but regional authors continue to contact us to this day, asking when we’ll continue. The project brought us immense international recognisability, as well as new insights into selling rights and representing authors. Another important project is Lit-Quest (LAP-CB), which is ongoing and provides an in-depth insight into the workings of different literary markets and the needs of both authors and publishers. And I must not forget CELA, which is now in its third edition and connects partners from 12 countries. A special value of this project is working with young authors, translators, agents and other actors who are entering the literary scene and bringing it new energy.
International projects are extremely important both for all the participants as well as for a publishing house as an organisation. They give us a unique opportunity to get to know new authors, similar organisations abroad, new business practices, etc. Due to the nature of the Slovenian literary market, participation in such projects is in fact essential, as it allows an organisation to secure funding that can be directed towards development rather than merely the annual implementation of predetermined projects.
Author bio
Nika Mušič has a background in comparative literature and many years of experience in publishing, where she worked as an editor in the field of contemporary and children’s literature, as well as a proofreader and literary critic. Since 2024, she has been employed at Motovila (CED Slovenia), fostering cooperation in the cultural and creative sectors.
The text was prepared in July 2025 in the framework of the public procurement "Development and upgrade of information portals of the Ministry of Culture for the transition to the eKultura platform" in which Motovila Institute collaborates as a partner with Ljudmila Art and Science Laboratory.