Sharjah International Book Fair, SIBF, a subsidiary of the Sharjah Book Authority, SBA, has so far approved a total of 815 publishing houses from all over the Arab region to participate in its 34th edition, which will take place from 4th-14th November at Expo Centre Sharjah.

SIBF is continuing to sort through and evaluate hundreds of applications received from local and regional Arab publishing houses over the past three months. The process is painstaking as the approval process includes ensuring the publishing houses comply with the terms and conditions for participation, and affirms their commitment to intellectual property rights.

Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of SBA, said, "Since we announced the opening of registration for the SIBF 2015, we received hundreds of applications, and we have so far approved the participation of 815 publishers from all over the Arab world, three months prior to the SIBF opening. This is an indication that we might break the record number of publishing houses that took part in the 33rd edition of SIBF, which saw participation from 1,256 publishers representing 59 countries, with over 1.4 million titles on offer to visitors."

According to preliminary statistics, the UAE is in the lead in terms of the number of publishing houses that will participate, followed by Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and finally Morocco.

Al Ameri pointed out that SIBF does not focus on the number, but rather seeks to broaden the scope of participation for publishing houses that enrich the global library with distinguished publications in terms form and content. Publishing houses are also required to be committed to intellectual property in line with the vision of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. The Sharjah Ruler continuously strives to transform the Emirate of Sharjah into a hub for intercultural communication and knowledge exchange by promoting intercultural dialogue and acquainting SIBF's visitors and lovers of literature with books, believing that cross cultural understanding through literature helps promote tolerance and peace among all peoples of the world.

Sharjah Book Authority supervises the Sharjah International Book Fair under the patronage of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi. The book fair has been organised annually since its launch in 1982, and aims to promote a love of reading, enrich access to culture and develop the capacity of publishers, as well as to support the movement of publishing and translation in the Arab region and the entire world. SIBF also networks between readers, authors and publishers, as well as all lovers of the written word.

Every year, SIBF attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world, and also introduces many activities for all segments of the community, citizens and residents. During the 11-day event, SIBF is open daily from early morning until late at night, with corridors crowded with visitors throughout the day.