Organised by the Presidential Communications Directorate on 14-15 February 2025, the "Türkiye Publishing Summit: Opportunities and Challenges in 21st Century Publishing" programme held at the Rami Library Conference Hall brought together academics, authors, publishing houses, and representatives from the sector. During the two-day summit, 42 speakers in a total of 9 sessions extensively discussed the transformation of publishing in the world in the context of globalisation and digitalisation, as well as opinions and suggestions on the memory and future of publishing in Türkiye.
Presidency's Head of Communications, Fahrettin Altun, summarised the main mission of the summit by saying "In line with our Century of Türkiye vision, we continue working to make Türkiye one of the world's leading publishing hubs" in the opening remarks of the summit . Organised with a focus on improving Türkiye's attraction in the publishing sector, the summit promoted an environment of cooperation and dialogue between local and international actors.
Ideas and suggestions presented during the summit serve as a guide that will contribute not only to the publishing sector but also to the intellectual and cultural vision of Türkiye. By hosting discussions on significant suggestions for the creation of a publishing ecosystem at international standards, the Türkiye Publishing Summit has left an imprint on memories as a platform steering the publishing world in accordance with the goal of bringing Türkiye's rich cultural heritage to the world stage.
Within the context of the summit, the "Fragments from our Publishing History from the Ottoman Era to the Republic Exhibition", displaying Türkiye's rich publishing heritage through visual materials, attracted broad interest from visitors. Bringing together wide and rich historical materials ranging from typefaces to lithographs, first printed books, historical documents of first libraries, examples of rare newspapers and magazines documenting the transition to the Latin alphabet, first publication catalogues, and posters, the exhibition took the visitors on a journey of publishing history in Türkiye. Curated under the supervision of Fatih Ketancı, the exhibition featured the collections of Bibliopole Nedret İşli, Bibliopole Bahtiyar İstekli and Bookbinder Muhammed Furkan Ceylan.
The summit, where the historical transformation of publishing was revealed historically through an exhibition, also housed a workshop with a special focus on "artificial intelligence," which is thought to mark the future of publishing. At the "Writing Children's Stories with Artificial Intelligence Workshop," participants from relevant departments at universities had the opportunity to experience story writing, character design, and visual creation using artificial intelligence-assisted tools. At the end of the workshop, certificates were presented to the participants who created their own stories with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools.
Head of Communications Altun: "Publishing is an integral part of Türkiye's Communication Model"
The Türkiye Publishing Summit started with the "Fragments from our Publishing History from the Ottoman Era to the Republic Exhibition," followed by the opening remarks by the Presidency's Head of Communications Fahrettin Altun. Head of Communications Altun emphasised Türkiye's role in the global struggle for justice and truth and drew attention to the critical importance of publishing in information generation. Head of Communications Altun made the following remarks in his speech:
"Today, Türkiye is struggling for global justice and truth not only in our region but also worldwide. We are of the opinion that these two challenges must be pursued in tandem and that success can only be attained in this manner. Justice and truth are two fundamental values that are inextricably linked, and fighting together for truth and justice is an honourable stance.
Through the Türkiye Communication Model, which we are currently in the process of institutionalising, we strive to introduce unique practices. In this context, we also consider book and magazine publishing as an integral part of the Türkiye Communication Model Against the development of a domineering, top-down cultural hegemony that looks down on society, the nation, and the people, we advocate for a cultural pluralism and a democratic representation system that emerges from an authentic modernisation process—one that is in harmony with society, history, and culture."
Stating that the actors operating in the publishing realm are the main actors of the information generation system, Head of Communications Altun went on to say:
"Their primary objective is to generate accurate, unaltered information. However, the current flood of disinformation and the media structure that fuels it are increasingly making this endeavour more challenging. As the Directorate of Communications, through the works we publish, we strive to produce policy documents for the public sector, government, and administration with each book. Simultaneously, we endeavour to communicate Türkiye's justified stance, rightful theses, and the political vision of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to both national and international publics."
The Future of Global Publishing: Hegemony, Ethics and New Narratives
Following the speech of the Head of Communications, Altun, the programme continued with a Special Session featuring Prof. Salman Sayyid from the University of Leeds. In the session titled "The Future of Global Publishing: Hegemony, Ethics, and New Narratives," Professor Sayyid addressed a wide range of important topics, from the dominance of Western languages in global publishing networks to efforts to decolonise publishing and the development of ethical publishing standards. The session also extensively discussed the obstacles encountered by Muslim intellectuals in the globalising publishing industry and Türkiye's potential in this sector.
Publishing in the Context of Globalisation and Digitalisation
Following a special session on the first day of the summit, two additional sessions were conducted to delve into the opportunities and challenges that publishing faces in the context of globalisation and digitalisation.
The first session, titled "Digitalisation of Publishing and the Future of Reading Culture," addressed the impact of digitalisation on the publishing industry, the evolution of reading culture, and the novel opportunities that digital publishing presents. The speakers particularly underscored the changes in the processes of access to information and the challenges associated with access to accurate information.
The session included a detailed discussion of the advantages and challenges that technological innovations present to the publishing industry, the impact of new models such as influencer authorship and print-on-demand on the industry, and the significant evaluations made on how digitalisation has changed the process of authorship and the reader-writer relationship.
The second session of the summit focused on the role of publishing in cultural diplomacy and the position of Turkish publishing in the international arena. While the contributions of digitalisation to cultural publishing and the opportunities in the field were thoroughly examined, the discussion also included the necessary steps to further promote Turkish literature internationally. The role of copyrights and translation strategies in the transfer of Turkish culture and literature to the world was among the key topics of the panel.
The first day of the summit concluded with important idea exchanges on the world of publishing, offering participants the opportunity to discuss both the current state and the future of the industry.
The Memory and Future of Publishing in Türkiye
The second day of the summit featured sessions focusing on the journey of publishing in Türkiye. In the first session of the day, "From Bâbıâli to the Present: The Evolution of Türkiye’s Publishing Industry in Türkiye," speakers with deep-rooted experience in publishing discussed the transformation of the publishing world from the Ottoman period to the present day. The speakers discussed the transition from traditional to modern publishing and the impact of publishing on Türkiye's intellectual and social transformation.
The second session of the day, titled "The Past, Present, and Future of Public Sector Publishing," discussed the historical and current aspects of public sector publishing. The session highlighted the importance of public sector publishing in cultural diplomacy and accurate information delivery in the age of disinformation. Publishing strategies of different public institutions, the historical mission of academic publishing, and the contributions of municipalities to public sector publishing were discussed. Moreover, the opportunities and challenges brought upon public sector publishing by digitalisation were discussed in detail.
In the special session titled "Crossing Borders in Publishing: Accessible Publishing," the definition of accessible publishing, the impact of the European Accessibility Law on the sector, and cooperation between the public and private sectors were discussed. Drawing attention to the role of artificial intelligence in accessible publishing, the importance of collaborations in this field was emphasised. The session also discussed ways to make education platforms more accessible for people with disabilities.
In the session titled "Writing for the Children of the 21st Century: New Trends in Children's Publishing," the transfer of traditional values in children's literature, the transformation of children's literature in the digital age, and the handling of ethical and philosophical values for children were discussed. The speakers discussed the opportunities offered by digitalisation in modern children's literature and opined on how this process has shaped children's media consumption habits.
In the session titled "The Book Industry at the Centre of Digital Transformation," the impact of digitalisation on the book industry was discussed. T The speakers talked about important issues such as how to achieve a balance between physical stores and e-commerce platforms, the development of the audiobook market, and the future of traditional print publications. The impact on traditional bookstores in Anatolia was another important topic of the session.
The final session of the summit, titled "The Memory of Publishing in Türkiye: Testimonies," focused on the development of publishing as an idea production hub in Türkiye. The cultural and ideological pluralisation of the publishing field, especially since the 1960s, the rise of intellectual diversity, and the impact of translation activities on Türkiye's social and ideological transformation were discussed through personal testimonies.
Lasting two days, the Türkiye Publishing Summit enabled dialogue and experience sharing between public and private sector publishers, as well as providing a platform for discussion where authors, publishing houses, and readers collaboratively developed ideas about the publishing field. The Summit concluded with the vision of making Türkiye a "global centre of attraction" in publishing.