Digital Publishing Program
The Digital Publishing Program is an initiative launched by the Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission, affiliated with the Ministry of Culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on December 14, 2021. It aims to encourage publishing houses to transition to digital book publishing and enrich Arabic content in digital books. The program includes several tracks designed to enable various age groups to access cultural and knowledge resources.
The Digital Publishing Initiative is part of the Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission's efforts to develop the publishing sector, support its activities locally and regionally, and expand its reach to the global market through available platforms, foremost among them digital publishing.
Objectives of the Digital Publishing Program
The Digital Publishing Program seeks to provide technical and technological support to Saudi publishing houses and authors wishing to convert printed works into digital formats. This aims to increase the accessibility of digital books to beneficiaries, especially those who find it difficult to read printed books, live in remote areas far from points of sale, or have difficulty obtaining printed books. It also aims to diversify publishing formats, enrich Arabic content in digital books, and support and improve the business model of Saudi publishers.
Tracks of the Digital Publishing Program
The program operates in phases, beginning with the 'Book Digitization' track, which offers financial grants to Saudi publishing houses and authors to cover the costs of converting print books into digital formats, using legally compliant formats compatible with e-reading devices and global digital book platforms.
An electronic platform was established to receive applications according to criteria set by the Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission. The platform covers general provisions for digital publishing and standards for protecting intellectual property rights. The first track of the book digitization began in 2022 and is scheduled to end in 2025, focusing on digitizing text-only books without images or illustrations. The "Children's Book Digitization" track encourages and supports the production of electronic children's books by providing grants to cover the costs of digitizing printed children's books, aiming to facilitate access to illustrated stories for a wider audience.
The 'Audiobooks' track focuses on converting books into audio formats.