Author-Publisher Dialogues

The Author-Publisher Dialogues is an event which seeks to foster a better understanding of the unique and important role of the author-publisher relationship so that, together, we can continue to support a culturally rich and diverse Europe.

Ursula Mackenzie, Val McDermid, Jacques Tubon, Marielle Gallo, rafael Seligmann, Rene Strien

For our first edition, in September 2011, we invited authors and their publishers to the European Parliament to discuss the challenges facing the publishing sector, and the mutual opportunities and benefits brought by the author-publisher relationship, including the way in which this helps to nurture new talent, encourage creativity and ensure quality.

Val McDermid and her publisher Ursula Mackenzie , the award-winning French author Daniel Pennac and his publishers Editions Gallimard, represented by Antoine Gallimard, plus German writer, commentator and historian Rafael Seligmann with his publisher Aufbau, represented by director René Strien covered a range of issues and demonstrated MEPs the need for:

• A fiscal regime favouring a wide book dissemination: the reduced VAT applied in most MS on books in printed format should also be applied to digital formats;
• A copyright regime which protects investments and the rights of authors: the current regime currently applied must not be overly questioned, voluntary solutions to provide access are or will be in place. What is also needed is a solution to fight piracy on the internet;
• A fair competition which ensures a wide and diverse choice within a wide network of booksellers: abuses of dominant position must be avoided: the more booksellers, both in the high streets and online, the more books will be available to all European citizens.

Dialogues - September 2011