Rafah Crossing 'never been closed for one day' from Egypt: PM    Egypt will keep pushing for Gaza peace, aid: PM    Remittances from Egyptians abroad surge 70% YoY in July–May: CBE    Sudan's ambassador to Egypt holds reconstruction talks on with Arab League    Egypt's current account gap narrows, but overall BoP records deficit    Al-Sisi urges accelerated oil, gas discoveries, lower import bill    SCZONE signs $52.6m textile industry deals during China investment tour    Egypt hosts international neurosurgery conference to drive medical innovation    Egypt's EDA discusses Johnson & Johnson's plans to expand investment in local pharmaceutical sector    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Sisi calls for boosting oil & gas investment to ease import burden    EGX to close Thursday for July 23 Revolution holiday    Egypt, Senegal sign pharma MoU to unify regulatory standards    Famine kills more Gaza children as Israel tightens siege amid global outrage    Kuwait's Crown Prince, Egyptian minister discuss strengthening cooperation    Egyptian Drug Authority discusses plans for joint pharmaceutical plant in Zambia    Egypt's FM seeks deeper economic, security ties on five-nation West Africa tour    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt, Somalia discuss closer environmental cooperation    Egypt foils terrorist plot, kills two militants linked to Hasm group    Giza Pyramids' interior lighting updated with new LED system    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Activists accuse Shorouk on high book prices
Egypt publishing house Dar Al-Shorouk attacked for 'high prices'; company says prices lowest in Egypt, industry suffering from piracy, copyright violations
Published in Ahram Online on 25 - 03 - 2012

A group of Facebook activists and readers have protested what they say are excessively high book prices in Egypt, especially those published by Dar Al-Shorouk Publishing House, one of the country's largest.
Activists called on Shorouk to lower its prices or offer lower quality editions to make books available to a wider readership.
Shorouk was chosen because it is the largest in Egypt and publishes many of the most prominent writers in Egypt and Arab world, including the Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz, Alaa Al-Aswany, economist and writer Galal Amin, Belal Fadl, Mohammed Al-Maghzangy and head of Tunisia's Al-Nahda Party Rashid Al-Ghannushi.
Ahmed Zayady, publishing manager at Shorouk, told Ahram Online that he totally understood the activists' demands, but the company's prices were already the lowest in the Egyptian market.
Economic circumstances have forced many other publishing houses to raise their prices, he added.
Some activists have called for a protest in front of Shorouk bookstore on Talaat Harb Street (400 metres from Tahrir Square) during World Book Day on 23 April to demand lower prices.
In addition, activists criticised “the capitalistic trend” at the publishing house,referring to Shorouk'srepublishing ofold and out of print books, such as the complete works of Naguib Mahfouz, at high prices.
“Book pricing is controlled by many factors, such as the quality and number of pages, author and retail revenues, the writer's reputation and readership, and the book's turnover cycle. The first edition of some books goes out of print within three months, some take five years, Zayady explained.
Zayady also said many titles get pirated, scanned and downloaded from the internet because anti-piracy and copyright laws are weak. "The law is absent from the book market," he said, since most legislation concerning books and publishing is old and incapable of combating electronic piracy and illegal copying.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/37462.aspx


Clic here to read the story from its source.