Book publishers boycott conference over 'existential threats' to industry
Publishing houses call for 'urgent' government intervention to secure industry's future
A group of Malta’s leading book publishers are refusing to participate in the first Annual Book Conference as they call on the government to urgently address “existential threats” facing the industry.
Publishers representing 80 per cent of Malta’s annual book production have formally announced their refusal to participate in the event which is scheduled for May 8, dismissing it as a “hollow public relations exercise and a tactical waste of resources that fails to address” the industry’s real challenges.
They are insisting on “direct negotiations” with the government as the only way to secure the future of Maltese publishing and address the "critical challenges" they claim the National Book Council has failed to resolve.
In a joint statement signed by BDL, Horizons, Kite Publishing, Merlin Publishers, Midsea Books and Klabb Kotba Maltin, the publishers said the collective decision follows years of “systemic neglect”, arguing that the publishing sector has been “consistently sidelined” in favour of other cultural industries that benefit from stable funding and strategic support.
They claimed that repeated formal proposals and lobbying efforts had been “ignored”, and reached a “breaking point” in 2024 when a detailed industry report on current hardships was met with “total silence” from the Ministry for National Heritage, the Education Ministry and the National Book Council.
The group of publishers also highlighted a “significant breach of trust” regarding the National Book Council’s book strategy which is led by KPMG.
They claimed their professional contributions were omitted from both the consultation process and the final published report, rendering the strategy unrepresentative of the industry’s actual needs.
“The National Book Council has failed in its mandate and lacks the necessary insight to support this industry,” the publishers said.
“Maltese publishing now deserves and expects concrete action and a genuine commitment to the sector’s survival.”