On 22 April 2009 the winners of the British Council’s UK and International Young Publishing Entrepreneur Awards were announced at the London Book Fair. The awards were presented by Ian Hudson, Random House Deputy CEO and President of the Publishers Association.

Davy Nougarede, the director of Heavy Entertainment - the UK’s largest producer of audiobooks - won the prestigious UK Young Publishing Entrepreneur of the Year (UKYPE), whilst Columbian Andrés Barragán, CEO of Puntoaparte Editores, took the international award (IYPE).

Nougarede was chosen from a shortlist of finalists who all took part in a 10-day study tour of the Indian publishing sector in early 2009. They attended the Jaipur Literary Festival, Kolkata Book Fair, and met with Indian publishers in Delhi.  Upon their return, the finalists were interviewed about their experience by a panel of eight judges, chaired by Anthony Cheetham, who chose the winner based on their understanding of both the UK and the Indian market, and their abilities to spot new opportunities in the latter.

Nougarede said of the publishing tour: ‘Being part of the British Council’s delegation has been a unique opportunity to meet leaders of India’s publishing industry and discuss audiobooks as a new product for their market. India has a long tradition of storytelling and here the growth in demand for new technologies (MP3 players, games consoles, mobile phones) is second only to China’s. In a country where literacy falls below the UNESCO threshold of 75%, audioboooks will enable literature to be enjoyed by children and adults, even if they have never felt confident enough to read a book for themselves.  I hope I have been able in some small way to introduce and encourage the concept of the spoken-word recording – and its carriers – as a publishing and a retail opportunity.’

Commenting on Nougarede’s work, the judges said: 'Davy embodies everything that a young publishing entrepreneur should be.  He has passion, confidence, expertise and business acumen.  The judges were impressed with his polished presentation, where all aspects were thoroughly researched and all eventualities were thought through.”  

The winner of the international award (IYPE) was Andrés Barragán, CEO of Puntoaparte Editores, a Colombian publishing firm that has succeeded in reaching new audiences in innovative ways despite a complex and challenging market. By turning books into successful marketing and business tools, Puntoaparte have so far helped socio-cultural non-profit organisations gain notoriety, and find new sources of income. It has aided new and large businesses develop their marketing strategies, documented the legacies of artistic enterprises, and given visibility to marginalised populations such as prostitutes and former combatants by telling their life stories.  Barragán combines his work with a part-time MBA programme, and gives lectures on entrepreneurship at conferences at the Colombian Chamber of Commerce and universities.  His company features in MBA programmes and will be the subject of a major documentary film.

A panel of five judges, chaired by Literary Agent Clare Alexander, chose the winner from a shortlist of finalists representing small–to–medium sized publishers from Argentina, Colombia, India, Lebanon, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey and UAE. The award was presented by Ian Hudson, Random House Deputy CEO and President of the Publishers Association.

The judges said of the winner: “Andrés is a true example of a young and innovative creative entrepreneur.  An excellent communicator, he’s an out-of-the-box thinker working in an extremely challenging cultural context.  What he’s managed to do with his business model should be exemplary for other practitioners, especially in developing markets where it could be easily applied.  Third generation of booklovers, Andrés exhibits the ideal articulation of cultural interest and commercial awareness that every publishing entrepreneur should have.’

Special commendations were given by the judges to runners up Arthur Attwell, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Electric Book Works, South Africa, for his ‘openness to embrace new challenges and opportunities’; and to Shashi Martynova of Russia (Director and Editorial Manager of Livebook Publishing) for her ‘vision, dynamism and individuality’.

About the awards:

Launched in 2007, the UKYPE award seeks to further stimulate the development of the UK publishing industry in an international business context. The aim is to find the most talented young entrepreneurs working in the UK’s publishing industry and give them the chance to become part of the British Council’s international network of young creative entrepreneurs.

The UKYPE prize accredits Nougarede with £5,000 to be spent on a project that links with the Indian publishing industry.

In partnership with the British Council and the London Book Fair, the International Young Publishing Entrepreneur of the Year Award (IYPE) was launched six years ago to champion and celebrate the importance of creative entrepreneurs working in the international publishing sector, showcasing individual achievement and potential.  Since then, 45 young publishers from 20 countries have taken part in the programme, building an active alumni network in the process.

The IYPE award includes £5,000 prize money to be spent on a British-linked publishing initiative, and a free stand at London Book Fair 2010.