The circulation of books in the country is decreasing and bookstores are going bankrupt or changing their profession. Newspapers and written media in Iran have also been struggling to survive for several years. Sometimes they have not published one or two issues for various reasons, or have reduced the number of pages. At times, they have not been able to resist and have been forced to shut down.

The purpose of written media in Iran has been to strive for “surviving and enduring in difficult times” in order to prevent the “death of media”. However, sometimes these efforts have not been successful.

The critical reasons for the crisis in publishing conditions in Iran are diverse and numerous, but the most prominent issue is the economy. The return of sanctions has multiplied the price of paper and printing costs, causing an unstable economy and putting more pressure on newspapers and magazines, resulting in fewer and fewer advertisement pages every day.

To further examine this topic and generally analyze the publishing industry, we sat down for a conversation with Hassan Kiaeean, a reputable publisher, the managing director of Cheshmeh Publishing, and a former spokesperson for the National Publishers Union.

According to various reports, economic pressures are pushing publishers and especially book sellers towards bankruptcy or changing careers. What are the critical reasons for the crisis in the publishing industry in Iran?

The reasons for the critical conditions of media and publications in Iran are diverse. Perhaps the most important factor is the shortage and high cost of paper, which has been exacerbated since 1997 and the intensification of US sanctions, creating difficult conditions for media, books, and publishing. The impact of political and international developments is such that events like the US sanctions on the Revolutionary Guards and the increase in currency and dollar prices have led to the suspension of paper trading on some days.

Today, as I speak with you, the government allocation that our institution received for printing 600 titles of books in a year was only 18 reams of paper, while this amount of paper is enough to produce several books. In the paper market, the price of one kilogram has reached close to 5,000 tomans in 2018, but today it has reached 51,000 tomans, which means a 10-fold increase in price over the past five years. As a result, a 32-page newspaper has been reduced to 16 pages and the number of editorial members has also been halved.

However, such a situation only exists for independent media and true private sector, as some newspapers affiliated with institutions and individuals close to centers of power and military institutions still have access to financial resources and material and spiritual support, and changes in conditions do not create significant changes in their situation.

Of course, these prices are only applicable when paper is available in the market. In many cases, due to lack of supervision over the distribution system and paper hoarding, media managers are unable to purchase paper and as a result, some media outlets have been forced to stop publishing their productions due to the unavailability of the most important element in media production, paper.

Apart from the issue with paper, the increase in zinc and compound prices has also affected the costs significantly. The traditional distribution system has also added to the problems. The price of a 4.5 zinc sheet for colored newspapers reached 520,000 tomans last year. The price of compound also reached 380,000 tomans per kilogram for buying and selling.

This sudden jump in prices after the start of US sanctions has had a direct impact on the printing and publishing industry. In addition, printing machines have also become old and outdated due to the sanctions and the dual use of these parts in military industries, making it impossible to replace them.

No matter how severe the economic conditions have become, the volume of media advertisements has also decreased. The banking system and car companies have always been major advertisers in the media. However, in recent years, due to a decrease in advertising budgets, they no longer order advertisements to be published in the media. The survival of many private newspapers depends on the publication of advertisements, and now the removal of this section from the media has dealt a major blow to one of their main sources of income.

Although paper and advertisements have become one of the most dangerous factors in the crisis of written media, they are not the only ones to blame. Since the rise of social networks, the audience of print media has also decreased.

However, newspapers in Iran have not been successful in compensating for the decrease in audience by producing content and planning on social networks as a new media tool.

“With the current conditions, the book market and publishing industry in Iran are on the brink of bankruptcy. The economic situation justifies government aid, but is this approach beneficial for the publishing industry?”

The economy of publishing is generally a greenhouse economy. Its main aspect is not necessarily absolute. This means that the large volume of publishers, contrary to global standards and the lack of facilities for distribution and sales of books, forces publishers to pressure the government to buy their books or hold exhibitions. As long as the economic situation allows and the government does this, it moves forward, but as soon as the government faces economic problems, this issue inevitably declines.

In order to get out of this situation, we must adopt an approach that promotes independent and self-sufficient publishing industry. We should think about our audience and produce works that cater to them. This means that our audience should come and buy our books, rather than waiting for the government to do so.

This bankruptcy, in my opinion, is not a bankruptcy of the publishing industry, but a bankruptcy of relying on the government and having a greenhouse economy in the publishing sector. I actually don’t see this as a bad thing. It can cause those who entered this field with the intention of producing and selling books to the government, and those who did not think about the audience, to leave this field. However, it creates a suitable platform for professional publishers and real publishers, who can use the experiences gained from within the country and other countries, to move towards a self-sufficient publishing industry.

This includes mainly the field of public books; books that have an impact on the culture of a society and create concerns. Part of this is that we do not produce proper literature and we need to move towards producing books that can attract readers; creating a demand for books in the public sphere. We need to create a need for books in the country and promote reading.

The government can enter such places and be a helper; that is, facilitate the business environment for publishers and the publishing economy. In television programs, movies, and cinemas, advertising billboards, creating libraries in banks and hospitals can help. The issue of respecting copyright is important, which unfortunately, despite the approved law of 1348, there has been no cultural education for its implementation in the country and writers themselves violate these rights and publish each other’s works in the form of PDF or any other thing in the virtual space. It is the government’s duty to support copyright and generally regulate and stabilize the publishing and media space in the country.

The sale of books is gradually leaving the hands of small bookstores. Online sales and chain stores like City of Books are thriving, which may lead to the elimination of local and small bookstores. How do you evaluate this situation?

Large bookstores started with the book cities. The municipality rented large spaces at cheap prices to individuals. At that time, there were not enough books to fill the shelves and running a large bookstore was not economical. Therefore, these bookstores turned to selling accessories and small items.

One part was stationery and the other part was various toys, and later on Chinese goods were added which had high profits in their sales. Gradually, a café was also added to them which also has high profits. These large bookstores, which do not consider book sales as important, constantly offer 20-30% discounts for various reasons, which excludes independent bookstores that only sell books. This issue is particularly noticeable in small towns.

Large stores where everything can be found, including books, also offer books in the entertainment section. However, small bookstores that only sell books, especially in rural areas, are the main promoters of culture.

There are many large bookstores in Tehran, and in contrast, independent bookstores in other neighborhoods are gradually closing down. There are also professional bookstores that are successful and have thriving businesses, such as Mohammadi Bookstore in Shiraz and Pardis Bookstore and Imam Bookstore in Mashhad. Bookstores that only sell books are cultural influencers.

Holding consecutive exhibitions with special discounts and subsidies eliminates small bookstores from afar. Once a year, an international book fair was held. Although this exhibition had a negative impact on the book market for a few months, it was still a special cultural event and attracted the attention of a large population. Overall, this exhibition had a positive impact on the book market. If this exhibition is held permanently, it will lose its effectiveness and become a problem for private cultural sectors.

A bookstore that sells or rents locked books must pay its staff salaries and cover the costs of water, electricity, and taxes. How much profit does it make on a book that it can afford to give discounts?

When the total cost and profit of a bookstore is 25% on each book, how can the high discounts offered at consecutive virtual and physical exhibitions benefit the buyer? Buyers usually do not know this and assume that the bookstore should offer discounts on each book.

What direction is the publishing industry heading towards and what prospects does it have, with the description of the economy in the country?

In general, in the two and a half years that have passed from the current government’s term, we do not see any positive policies. Clearly, now the focus is not on bookstores in the agenda of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and what is important is to first see how they can help or pursue policies that allow existing bookstores to continue and not melt away like ice in front of the sun.

In the second phase, the distance between the center and the periphery in terms of publishing activity should be reduced by initiating programs to establish and create new bookstores in less developed areas. I believe that these issues, and of course discussions such as reducing bookstore expenses and putting tax exemptions for bookstores on the agenda, can bring hope for improvement.

Our research is about as a class and union that the government does not have to pay anything, they should not charge us fees or taxes until we are able to meet our needs and stay in this field. And of course, the thing that gives hope is the correct diagnosis. When you have a serious illness, the most important thing is to diagnose the disease. My assumption is that this diagnosis has been made and it is clear where the flaws are and this itself creates the platform for us to look hopefully towards our future.

Many books were not published before, but now they are and can be, however, they need more introduction, discussion, conversation, and advertising so that people are more inclined towards reading and I wish every school in our country had a library.

The government is not aware that the publishing market in Iran does not need any subsidies or exhibitions. If the government intends to support the publishing market and engage in long-term and short-term activities, it must first remove its hand from the pockets of publishing organizations and unions. This means giving the decision-making power about the publishing market to the publishers’ union and the union should first gather exhibitions in many parts of Iran and use the exhibition costs to provide facilities for the development of bookstores and distribution in Iran. In addition, the postal service in Iran must be improved. Another part of the costs should be spent on supporting the production of quality works in the country.

Simultaneous support in the form of purchasing books and paying book purchase subsidies by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance should be discontinued or significantly reduced. This is because the mechanism and purchasing process in the Ministry of Culture and support in the Ministry of Culture are in a way that these types of support and subsidies not only do not help the publishing market in Iran, but also create inflation.

If the government wants to save this market, it must cut the policy of paying subsidies and provide facilities to unions so that they can distribute according to principles and indicators that are a performance indicator in the market.

The Ministry of Guidance did not have supportive tools, meaning they did not have money, but they tried to increase the control and personal taste tools that were used in book reviews. This caused many authors, although not all, who had their books sleeping in the Ministry of Guidance for years, to not be able to obtain a license. This list should also include the issuance of restrictive circulars for media and the determination of multiple red lines, along with numerous complaints against publications by the judicial system, which has taken the breath of independent media.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has not had the opportunity, patience, or long-term planning conditions for the publishing market so far. We hope that this mutual trust between the government and publishers will be established so that each can contribute to the advancement of book culture and the publishing industry in their own place.

Thank you for the opportunity you have given us to use the peace line.