Published on 5/19/2026
DohaIn the corridors of the Doha International Book Fair, 520 houses from 37 countries are spread across 919 pavilions, amid a wide attendance of visitors and a program full of cultural events.
Through a tour of its pavilions, Al Jazeera Net surveyed the opinions of a number of participating publishers about the reality of the Arab publishing industry and its current challenges.
However, this broad participation does not obscure the challenges that publishers face at a time when competition is moving beyond publishing houses to digital tools that compete with writers for the reader’s attention. Ihab Muhammad, sales director of Dar Jadaul for Publishing, Translation and Distribution, told Al Jazeera Net that “the paper book is still resilient despite the expansion of digital alternatives, because a segment of readers do not replace the paper experience with any alternative,” noting that Arab book fairs remain a living witness to this continuous presence.
Artificial intelligence: between assistance and competition
The impact of technology extends beyond the concerns of the publisher to the habits of the reader himself. Algorithms are no longer just research tools, but have become a medium that reads the user’s inclinations and opens up knowledge horizons that were not of interest to him before.
The director of Dar Dawan Publishing and Distribution from Egypt, Mohamed Mustafa, says that social media and artificial intelligence have reshaped the interests of the Arab reader, explaining to Al Jazeera Net that the reader “has become more able to explore different areas of reading,” which he sees as more of an opportunity than a threat.
However, there is a deeper challenge that affects the essence of writing itself. As artificial intelligence’s writing capabilities grow, from imitating the styles of great writers to maintaining plot consistency across hundreds of pages, the distinction between some human and machine texts has become more complex.
Technology is still unable to emulate the writer’s full creative sense, as human writing remains the product of experience and imagination, not merely the result of digital commands.
Mahmoud Abdel Nabi, from Ibidi House in Egypt, admitted to Al Jazeera Net that some writers are now seeking his help, stressing that serious publishing houses have mechanisms to detect this. But he does not see technology as an existential threat, considering that it is still incapable of simulating the writer’s full creative sense, as human writing remains the product of experience and imagination, not merely the result of digital commands.
Taste transformations
On the other side of the scene, the Arab reader’s choices are changing on the shelves. For large sectors, reading is no longer a purely cognitive act as much as it has become a tool for keeping up, with generations searching for answers to the questions of the labor market and the challenges of the times, while social media platforms have opened windows to cultures that were not available before.
Ahmed Al-Radi, director of the Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyya from Iraq, pointed out to Al-Jazeera Net the increasing demand among Arab readers for translated books, especially on topics of management, skills and simplified sciences, stressing in return the decline in demand for some traditional religious and historical publications, in addition to direct education books, with the expansion of digital learning alternatives.
Production and marketing challenges
The industry’s problems do not end at the borders of technology and taste, but rather extend to the publishing kitchen itself. Publishing houses now find themselves facing a confusing equation between the quality of the text and the presence of its writer, in a time when the writer’s fame is no longer dependent on the quality of his texts alone, but is also linked to his presence on social media platforms and the relationship he creates with his followers.
When it comes to selecting manuscripts, Mohamed Al-Baali, director and founder of Dar Safsafa for Publishing and Distribution in Egypt, puts quality first, especially in creative works. As for the writer’s digital presence, it may constitute an added value in books that target a wide audience, before concluding that “the decisive factor in the end is the type of book.”
In addition to the challenges of production and changing tastes, the issue of marketing remains a challenge in itself. It now requires crossing a crowded digital environment in which hundreds of platforms compete for the reader’s attention before the book reaches him.
Dr. Naseer Al-Kaabi, Director of the Academic Research Center in Iraq, confirmed to Al Jazeera Net that the greatest burden in promoting the book falls on the publisher through its traditional channels in libraries and exhibitions. He points out that artificial intelligence tools now provide a more accurate understanding of the recipient’s interests and the timing of his interaction, stressing that the name of a well-known writer has an additional impact when he promotes his book through his audience.
Moreover, the publishing industry faces a challenge no less severe than its predecessors. Economic numbers have begun to dictate the rhythm of the industry as much as intellectual visions do, in light of successive disruptions in supply chains and a sharp rise in production and shipping costs, narrowing the publisher’s profit margin day after day.
Walid Mustafa, director of the National Center for Legal Publications in Egypt, told Al Jazeera Net that the publishing industry is facing compound pressure, as the costs of production inputs have jumped five-fold, and the cost of shipping has worsened due to regional tensions. He adds: “The cultural book remains less likely to be a priority, yet we continue to try.”
