Thinking Literature in Translation brought together publishing professionals and marketing specialists to examine contemporary approaches to promoting books in translation.
The panel Marketing and Promotion of Books in Translation explored what effective book marketing had looked like in 2025, questioning how tailored marketing strategies had been developed for individual titles and whether every book had required its own distinct promotional approach. The discussion also addressed the role of readers as active advocates, the impact of social media algorithms on discoverability, and the changing dynamics of audience engagement in a digital publishing environment.
Drawing on practical experience from different European markets, the speakers reflected on the interplay between publishers, marketers, authors, and cultural intermediaries. The panel examined how creative and strategic marketing practices had been combined to build communities around translated literature and to successfully reach new readerships across linguistic and territorial borders.
Speakers:
— Aurora Payá Sánchez, Tandem Collective (United Kingdom)
— Ivana Stipić Lah, Goga (Slovenia)
— Tedy Rafailova, BookMark (Bulgaria)
— Valentina Bozhichkova, Egmont (Bulgaria)
Moderator:
— Violeta Radkova, Elizabeth Kostova Foundation (Bulgaria)
Video: Ivan Nikolov
The conference was organised by the Next Page Foundation in partnership with the Cultural Center of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, the Department of English and American Studies at Sofia University, and the Bulgarian Book Association. It formed part of ThinkPub — Thinking Publishing, a project co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union and the National Culture Fund of Bulgaria.
