To coincide with World Books Day, Economy Secretary, Ken Skates has announced more than £150,000 to support Wales’ publishing industry during the current financial year.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
The Economy Secretary, who also has responsibility for Culture and publishing in Wales, has confirmed that an additional £151k of capital funding will be allocated to the Welsh Books Council in 2016/17 to enable the Council to make improvements to its headquarters, further develop its IT systems and keep pace with digital developments.
The investment is in addition to the additional capital funding of £184k provided by the Welsh Government to the Welsh Books Council during 2015-16 and the additional revenue funding of £123k that the Council will receive during the 2017/18 .
It reflects the Economy Secretary’s ongoing commitment to supporting Wales’ publishing industry.
Ken Skates said:
“The Welsh Books Council plays a crucial role in promoting and supporting Wales’ publishing industry and ensuring the creation of a wide range of Welsh language and English language publications.
“In recent years, we have been encouraging publishers in Wales to embrace digital developments such as e-books. This is something they have embraced and there are now approximately 1600 e-books available.
“As we celebrate World Books Day I am pleased to confirm this additional funding which will help the Welsh Books Council to update its IT infrastructure and ensure it has the business-friendly and accessible platforms in place to support the industry . It will provide a significant boost to both the Welsh Books Council and help to strengthen Wales’ publishing industry more widely.”
Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Welsh Books Council said:
“We are delighted to receive this additional funding, especially as it allows us to invest further in our distribution centre to the benefit of not only publishers but also booksellers and libraries. Government support such as this is central to sustaining an efficient service to the publishing industry in Wales offered during times of rapid technological change.”