Every year on 23 April, UNESCO invites the world to celebrate World Book and Copyright Day, a day dedicated to recognising the power of books and the essential role of authors in shaping cultural life. The day highlights the importance of reading, creativity and the protection of intellectual property as foundations for vibrant, diverse and inclusive societies.
For the IAF, this celebration is also an opportunity to amplify the voices of the organisations that support authors around the world. For this year’s campaign, IAF gathered reflections from a geographically diverse selection of member organisations, chosen to represent different regions of our global network. This approach enables us to highlight the breadth of perspectives within our community while maintaining a focused and coherent initiative.
To guide this exchange, we asked each participating organisation a single question:
“What does World Book Day highlight about the role of authors and the work your organisation does to support them?”
Their responses show the diversity of experiences within the global authors’ community, but also a shared conviction: authors are essential to cultural life, and their rights must be protected to ensure that creativity continues to thrive.
They also show how organisations across the world work every day to protect authors’ rights, strengthen their working conditions and ensure that creativity continues to flourish.
Below is a selection of reflections from our members.
Reflections from IAF Members
John Degen – IAF, The Writers Union of Canada, Canada
“This is a day to consider and celebrate the millions of hours of often hidden work and unrecognized labour that have gone into creating the books we treasure. Our contemporary book culture exists because we’ve granted authors ownership of their labour. What they gift back to the world is priceless.”
Anna Ganley – Society of Authors, United Kingdom
“World Book Day celebrates the joy of reading, whether for pleasure, reflection or expanding our horizons. It is a reminder to slow down and immerse ourselves in a good book, a lifelong habit that genuinely enriches our wellbeing. In today’s AI driven world, a human authored book, crafted with skill, care and imagination, allows us to connect with one another and explore experiences beyond our own. Happy World Book Day”
Lucy Hayward – Australian Authors Society, Australia
“Authors sit at the very heart of the publishing industry. Without them, we wouldn’t have the books that entertain, educate or inspire us. Nor would we have World Book Day. This day highlights the centrality of authors’ work and the need for organisations like the ASA to protect their rights, advocate for them and provide the assistance they need to keep creating the stories we know and love.”
Carlos Wynter – SEA, Panama
“World Book Day, established by UNESCO, celebrates books, reading and copyright every April 23. More than just a book author, I consider myself an avid reader. Without reading, I wouldn’t be able to view the world with the joy with which I do. Books prepare us to see the world in diverse ways, with freedom and an awakened consciousness. That is the magic of literature. SEA, the Association of Publishers and Authors of Panama, works to foster literary creation by promoting respect for copyright and helping authors understand their essential role in the cultural ecosystem. Happy World Book Day!”
Sihle Kumalo – ANFASA, South Africa
“World Book and Copyright Day highlights a dual truth at the heart of ANFASA’s mission: authors are the indispensable source of all literary culture, and their work is only sustainable when their rights, especially copyright, are protected. As an authors’ advocacy organisation in South Africa, ANFASA turns this global principle into practical action by ensuring writers are celebrated, equipped, protected and fairly compensated.”
Aristak Maro – TANFWA, Tanzania
“In Tanzania, World Book and Copyright Day highlights both the importance of authors and the persistent challenges they face. While COSOTA and the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act provide a legal framework for authors’ rights, many writers still experience limited financial returns due to piracy, weak enforcement and low public awareness. Strengthening copyright protection remains essential to supporting authors and their livelihoods.”
Ainura Yessendikova – KazaK, Kazakhstan
“World Book and Copyright Day reminds us that authors are not merely creators but the voice of culture, deserving of protection, dignity and recognition. In Kazakhstan, KAZAK works to strengthen collective rights management, advance fair licensing practices and support authors through advocacy, education and sustained engagement. In this shared endeavour, the IAF is a vital partner for Kazakhstani authors.”
Katie Webb – FUIS, Italy
“Happy World Book & Copyright Day! Italy has been producing great writers from Dante Alighieri to Donatella di Pietrantonio, who have had a vital impact not only on Italian culture, society and economy, but worldwide, just as Italian writers are influenced by the great works and success of authors from other cultures. The work of these famous writers, and the thousands of others who are not so famous, over the centuries, is a job, and must be supported by the upholding of their rights to ensure they have an income to continue these international cultural conversations through the production of great literature. This is the concern of national organisations such as FUIS, the Italian Writers Union, and awareness at a global level is helped enormously by organisations like WIPO, IAF and initiatives such as World Book and Copyright Day.”
Marcelo Guerrieri – Unión de Escritoras y Escritores, Argentina
Texto original en español: “Desde la Unión de Escritoras y Escritores entendemos que el Derecho de Autor es nuestra herramienta primera para avanzar hacia un mejor reconocimiento de nuestro trabajo, tanto desde lo simbólico como desde lo material. Porque los escritores somos autores trabajadores, en tanto producimos la materia prima, el contenido, principal generador de valor agregado, que luego cedemos a una editorial para que la transforme en un producto, un libro en el caso de los escritores, que ingresa al mercado con un precio de venta. La Unión de Escritoras y Escritores, en tanto organización de escritores, con carácter gremial, protagoniza debates en foros nacionales e internacionales para disputar, desde lo simbólico, el sentido común de este ser escritor trabajador; y desde lo material, propulsa la herramienta del Derecho de Autor para mejorar la posición negociadora a la hora de firmar contratos editoriales y generar políticas públicas de apoyo y fomento de nuestro trabajo. En ese sentido, también brindamos asesoramiento legal y llevamos adelante un tarifario de tareas rentadas que nuestros afiliados utilizan para mejorar sus condiciones de trabajo. ¡Felíz Día del Libro y de los Derechos de Autor, por una mejor remuneración de nuestro trabajo!”
English translation: “From the Writers’ Union, we understand that copyright is our primary tool for achieving better recognition of our work, both symbolically and materially. Writers are workers, as we produce the raw material, the content, which is the main source of added value and which we then pass on to a publisher to be turned into a product, a book in our case, that enters the market with a sale price. The Writers’ Union, as an organisation of writers with a trade union character, takes part in debates at national and international forums to challenge, on a symbolic level, the common understanding of what it means to be a working writer, and on a material level, it promotes copyright as a tool to improve our bargaining position when signing publishing contracts and to help develop public policies that support and encourage our work. In this sense, we also provide legal advice and maintain a schedule of fees for paid work, which our members use to improve their working conditions. Happy World Book and Copyright Day, towards better pay for our work!”
IAF is proud to stand alongside its members in advocating for fair treatment, strong copyright systems and the recognition of authors as cultural workers whose contributions enrich societies worldwide.
Happy World Book and Copyright Day.