On 22 January the National Book Council held its Annual Consultation Meeting for authors and publishers in which it announced important dates for its main initiatives in 2022, including the strategic revision of dates for the Malta Book Festival and the National Book Prize. The Council informed stakeholders of the amendments to the Malta Book Fund and the barcode (ISBN/ISMN) application procedures, and communicated the Council鈥檚 vision for the next twelve months.
The National Book Council鈥檚 development plan for the upcoming years 2022-2024 continues to aim for growth for all stakeholders and raise the status of Maltese books, locally and beyond our shores. The Council鈥檚 objective is to improve on transparency and sharing of information relating to the administration of our contests and prizes, and in all services offered to stakeholders. In this context, the 2021 Publishing Entities Survey will be launched in collaboration with NSO in the coming weeks.
In process of renewal for our major events, in 2022 the Malta Book Festival will be held nearer to the festivities, between 23-27 November 2022, thus aiding the industry to capitalise on Christmas sales. The National Book Prize ceremony will take place on 4 November 2022 in a revamped ceremony awarding both the Terramaxka Prize and National Book Prize on the same night. This will increase the status of the National Book Prize and allow for better promotion of the winning titles during the Malta Book Festival later in the month. Informed by an analysis of the publishing market, the Council will be adding two much needed additional categories to the Malta Book Fund, which are aimed at supporting the republication of Maltese classics and the translation of book excerpts intended to be pitched to local or international publishers.
Promotional and marketing multimedia campaigns and initiatives for the promotion of books are also in the pipeline, including an audio-visual book trailer campaign, a best Maltese books initiative and a literary podcast.
Literary exports are a vital aspect for the Maltese book industry and the National Book Council continuously strives to liaise with and help local authors network with foreign publishers. The Council鈥檚 commitment for 2022 and 2023 is to strengthen foreign ties and set up a dedicated literary agency initiative, and an infrastructure to support authors and publishers to enter the foreign publishing market.
Save the dates
National Book prize: The call opens on 8 March - 26 April, 2022 and the ceremony will be on 4 November 2022.
- 8 prizes between literature and research categories, and 6 Terramaxka Prize categories (books for children and adolescents)
- Competitive contest
- Independent adjudication
Campus Book Festival: 23-25 March, 2022 and application for exhibitors will open on 27 January - 3 February, 2022.
London Book Fair: 5-7 April, 2022. The National Book Council will represent Maltese authors and publishers during the London Book Fair.
Malta Book Fund: Call will open 12 April - 30 June, 2022 and close on 30 June, 2022.
Doreen Micallef Poetry Contest: Call opens on 14 June until 19 August 2022.
Malta Book Festival 2022: 23-27 November 2022 and application for exhibitors opens on 24 May until 24 June 2022.
Public Lending Rights (PLR): Applications accepted all year round.
Public Lending Rights (PLR): Applications accepted all year round.
- For authors; co-authors; illustrators and photographers (50% or more of the publication鈥檚 content); editors
- Remuneration issued every 3 months
- Extended to University of Malta library books (ISBN numbers) - issued every year
- Allocated funds for every period are divided percentage-wise according to lending statistics
ISBN and ISMN: Applications accepted all year round.
