This development highlights Sharjah’s emergence as a post-Frankfurt networking hub for Global South publishers.

Strategic Expansion into the Arab Market

Grupo Editorial Triz has announced a landmark expansion into Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, becoming the first Brazilian publishing house to establish a permanent operational base in the Gulf region.

Following three years of negotiations, the São Paulo-based group has launched Soul Next, operating under the Al Ruh (The Soul) imprint, with its first Arabic-language title scheduled for release by August 2026.

The move represents a significant development in South-South publishing relations, positioning Triz to capitalise on the UAE’s billion-dollar book market and Sharjah’s status as UNESCO World Book Capital.

The new venture will operate from Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone, the world’s first publishing-dedicated free zone, which offers strategic access to 17 Arab countries alongside established distribution infrastructure including Lightning Source’s regional print-on-demand facility.

Market Context and Commercial Rationale

The expansion arrives as Brazilian publishers achieve record international growth. The Brazilian Publishers project – an initiative of the Brazilian Book Chamber (CBL) and ApexBrasil – generated USD 14.4 million in export business during the first half of 2025 alone, a 7% increase over the entire previous year.

This follows sustained presence at the Sharjah International Book Fair, where Brazilian publishers have participated annually through official trade promotion channels.

Aldrey Queiroz, Triz’s executive director, identifies a critical market asymmetry: whilst Arab-to-Brazilian literary exchange exists, Brazilian authors remain largely absent from Arab markets. The UAE presents particular opportunity given its robust educational investment under Vision 2030 and a book paper market projected to reach USD 134 million by 2032.

Operational Structure and Publishing Strategy

Al Ruh will adopt a multilingual publishing model, releasing titles in Arabic, English, and Hindi to serve the Emirates’ diverse readership. The imprint plans bilingual editions and will target both the substantial children’s literature segment – where English-language titles dominate – and the educational sector.

The venture maintains Triz’s established international model: whilst integrated culturally, overseas operations function as separate legal entities, following precedents set by Estandarte Portugal and Garabato Argentina.

The Sharjah-based team comprises Arab editorial and management professionals, ensuring authentic cultural positioning.

The View From The Beach

This development highlights Sharjah’s emergence as a post-Frankfurt networking hub for Global South publishers. The 44th Sharjah International Book Fair (November 2025) welcomed 2,350 exhibitors from 118 countries, with dedicated programming for African and Latin American publishers.

Triz’s permanent presence enables sustained rights trading and author promotion rather than episodic fair participation.

The initiative aligns with broader industry trends: the Middle East and Africa publishing market continues expanding, with the UAE serving as a regional distribution gateway.

For rights professionals, Triz’s establishment of local Arabic-language capacity offers a new pathway for Brazilian literary exports into previously underpenetrated markets.

And of course the Hindi translations give Triz an immediate inroad to the lucrative India book market.

This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.