"Turkey exploited to the full the opportunities offered by appearing on the biggest world stage for literature. Not just the public, but the international publishing world also reacted very positively to the Turkish authors", was how Frankfurt Book Fair Director Juergen Boos summed up Turkey's Guest of Honour appearance in Frankfurt. The Istanbul Book Fair was held only a few days later (1 to 9 November 2008). Over 130 publishing companies from Germany exhibited a total of around 500 titles there, many publishers took the chance in person to follow up on contacts made with Turkish partners. We asked the fair's Director Deniz Kavukçuoglu how the Turkish publishing scene itself had assessed the Guest of Honour appearance in Frankfurt.

Frankfurt Book Fair: Has the Guest of Honour appearance had an impact on the Istanbul Book Fair?

Deniz Kavukçuoglu: Yes, one of the important topics in talks between publishers and authors at the Istanbul Book Fair was Turkey's appearance at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Both publishers and authors spoke in general of success. The Turkish publishing world has received a motivational push on international terrain.

What other steps must now be taken in your view to consolidate the link between the Turkish and international publishing scene?

The designation of Turkey as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair set things in motion in the Turkish publishing world. This impetus should be exploited by fair organisers outside Turkey and by the Turkish publishers' association. There needs to be a better organised platform for communication between international book fairs and Turkish publishers, Turkish publishers must be better informed about international projects. In this connection, I would like to underline the successful work of the Frankfurt Book Fair team.

What role does the presence of internationa/German publishing company representatives play for the Istanbul Book Fair?

Of course that's very important for us. I must admit - apart from getting-to-know-you cocktails and conferences - we haven't yet put forward a concept for this. But if we look at the increase in international trade visitors at the 26th and at this year's 27th Istanbul Book Fair, we do see the necessity of preparing a well thought-out concept. I firmly believe that we will be able to receive our international publishers very differently next year.

The biggest and most important book fair in Turkey is held regularly in October and November and is jointly organised by TÜYAP and the Turkish publishers' association. Since 2002, the fair has been held in Beylikdüzü, a suburb of Istanbul. Its move from the city centre met with considerable criticism from exhibitors and visitors, as it is no longer as easy to get to the fair. Nevertheless, it has repeatedly achieved new visitor and exhibitor records since 2004, an indication of the flourishing book market in Turkey. 67.5 per cent of visitors at the fair are under the age of 30.

Book market Turkey