Owner of "Laguna" confirms no participation at Belgrade Book Fair

Dejan Papić, owner and director of the publishing house "Laguna," confirmed that his company, along with several other prominent Serbian publishers, will boycott this year's Belgrade Book Fair. The decision affects major players in the Serbian literary market, including "Delfi," "Kreativni centar," "Čarobna knjiga," and others, as reported by N1.

The collective withdrawal is a result of a protracted dispute between a segment of the publishing industry, represented by the Association of Publishers and Booksellers of Serbia (UIKS), and the organizers of the book fair. Key points of contention include the organizational methods of the event and the composition of the fair's new committee, which publishers feel does not adequately represent their interests.

Publishers associated with UIKS have expressed dissatisfaction with their exclusion from decision-making roles within the committee. This follows a similar announcement in March by the Association of Professional Publishers of Serbia (UPIS), whose members, including "Clio," "Arhipelag," and "Geopoetika," also opted out of participating under the current conditions.

UIKS had previously indicated that their correspondence with the organizers remained unanswered, and they were invited to committee meetings only as observers without voting rights. The Belgrade Book Fair is scheduled from October 23 to 31, with the exhibitor registration deadline on August 20. Last year's fair saw a significant drop in attendance, from over 203,000 visitors in 2024 to 134,750 in 2025.