Ricardo Costa (MVB Latin America, Brazil/Germany), MVB director and former FBM representative in South America, with extensive experience in digitization and publishing professionalization in the region; Ralf Biesemeier (Zebralution, Germany), CEO of one of Europe’s leading digital distributors and a reference in multi-format strategies and metadata management; Rob Clements (Ingram, Canada/USA), expert in print on demand and international development at Ingram Content Group; Boris Kraizel (Buscalibre, Chile), general director of one of Latin America’s most relevant book commerce platforms; Cristina Flores (Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Chile), a science communicator focused on transmedia narratives; David Peman (Nielsen BookScan, UK/Mexico), specialist in editorial data analysis and reader behavior in Latin America; and Chilean translator Pola Iriarte, expert in international circulation and diversity of voices, who will moderate discussion panels. Additionally, Marifé Boix García, FBM Vice President for Southern Europe and Latin America, will be present to share her vision on global publishing processes.

The Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage has convened a selection of strategic editors to participate in discussion panels and editorial matchmaking rounds. Among them are Simon Lörsch (Suhrkamp, Germany), specialized in fiction, essays, and non-fiction literature; Linus Guggenberger (Wagenbach, Germany), editor of Hispanic American and Italian literature; Maíra Nassif (Relicário, Brazil), founder of a publishing house focused on critical thinking; Guillermo Camacho (Aurora Boreal, Denmark), promoter of Hispanic American literature translated into Danish; Ranya Bakr (Al Arabi Publishing, Egypt), prominent Arab literary agent; Diven Nagpal (Seagull Books, India), editor at a leading global translation publisher; Silvia Naschenveng, editorial consultant in Brazil; and Amy Hundley, rights director at Grove Atlantic (USA).

CONTEC 2025 will unfold over three thematic days: Innovation and Digital Strategies; Internationalization and Collaboration Networks; and International Expectations for Chilean Literature. The first day will focus on book distribution in the digital age. The initial conversation will feature Alejandra Chacoff, head of Literature, Bibliographic Heritage and Translation Program at DIRAC, and literary agent Vivian Lavín discussing support for translation, publication, and production. Rob Clements will speak about print on demand as a tool for sustainability and international projection. Ralf Biesemeier will delve into multi-format digital strategies and artificial intelligence use. A roundtable moderated by Cristina Flores will bring together these experts with Boris Kraizel to discuss digital marketing and attracting new readers. The day will continue with Ricardo Costa presenting technological solutions and David Peman analyzing metadata impact in Latin American markets. The day will close with personalized consultations between experts and attendees.

On Thursday, May 29, the focus will be on internationalization and collaboration networks. The opening roundtable, moderated by Pola Iriarte, will address reader trends in various regions, featuring Simon Lörsch, Diven Nagpal, and Maíra Nassif. Later, the second matchmaking round will be held, where Chilean and international editors will present fiction narrative titles with potential for publication in other markets.

Friday, May 30, will begin with a roundtable on international reader trends, with participation from Linus Guggenberger, Carolina Orloff, Ranya Bakr, and Guillermo Camacho. The discussion will focus on reader interests in their respective countries, circulation of translated literature, and internationalization opportunities for Chilean narrative. The third matchmaking round will follow.

CONTEC is complemented by strategic actions aimed at strengthening the international projection of Chilean books on the road to Frankfurt 2027. In this context, various translation support lines have been activated, such as the Translating Chile program, driven by DIRAC, which opened its 2025 call for applications to fund translations into German, with a deadline of July 10. Meanwhile, ProChile launched a call to create a catalog of works with translation potential, from which a shortlist of strategic titles will be selected for international promotion at fairs and key publishers. Additionally, a complementary MINCAP line aims to fund translation of excerpts for rights sales purposes.

In the second half of 2025, a delegation of German editors is expected to visit Chile to learn about the local publishing ecosystem and build direct ties. Likewise, a new Chilean delegation will travel to the Frankfurt Book Fair in October, comprising at least 15 professionals to strengthen collaboration networks and prepare the country’s future presence as Guest of Honour.

This entire process is led by the Ministry of Cultures, in collaboration with ProChile and DIRAC, with bimonthly meetings alongside the Frankfurter Buchmesse team and representatives of the publishing sector, in a sustained effort to consolidate Chile’s presence on the global publishing stage.