Recently, Saâd Bouri, President of the Board of Directors (CA) of the globally renowned French independent publishers association L’Autre Livre, sent an official email to all member publishing houses announcing the permanent closure and inventory liquidation of its self-operated physical bookstore in September 2026. At the same time, Saâd Bouri emphasized that the association will fully concentrate its resources and efforts on deepening its signature initiatives: the biannual (Spring and Autumn) International Independent Publishers Book Fairs in Paris and its multilingual international copyright collaboration network.
Farewell to the Physical Bookstore: A Rational Adjustment Facing Europe’s Brick-and-Mortar Retail Challenges
Confronted with industry-wide challenges across Europe in recent years—including rising physical retail costs, surging rent, and heavy overhead expenses—the Board of Directors of L’Autre Livre decided, after careful evaluation, to terminate the physical store that had run at an operating deficit for years.
As an industry alliance that resists corporate conglomerate monopolies and is managed entirely by independent publishers, this strategic move aims to relieve the association of heavy traditional brick-and-mortar retail property burdens, safeguarding the long-term financial health and operational independence of its funds to better serve its approximately 200 member publishing houses.
Core Functions Unaffected: Full Steam Ahead for the Autumn 2026 Paris International Book Fair
The highly anticipated Autumn 2026 International Independent Publishers Book Fair (Salon international des éditeurs indépendants) organized by L’Autre Livre will open grandly as scheduled on November 7–8, 2026, at the iconic Parisian cultural landmark, Palais de la Femme. As a landmark cultural event in the Paris independent publishing scene, this edition will continue to gather independent publishing pioneers, authors, translators, and scholars from across France and dozens of countries worldwide, with booth scales and public literary salon programs progressing strictly as planned.
Innovation Era Press (IEP): Embracing Pragmatic Transformation to Deepen Cross-Border Dialogue
As an official member of L’Autre Livre, IEP (Innovation Era Press) fully supports and understands this pragmatic transition by European independent cultural institutions during the current economic cycle. We believe that the true vitality of independent publishing lies in intellectual connectivity and dynamic exhibition platforms. By focusing its strategic center on major international book fairs, L’Autre Livre will foster a purer and more efficient space for transnational publishing collaborations.
During the Paris Autumn Book Fair, Desolate Isle, founder of IEP and author, will host a live book signing for Us in a Disordered World: China, the United States, and the Reshaping of the Global Order, meeting readers on-site and engaging in collaborative exchanges with industry peers from around the world.
