National Book Council

The National Book Council (Maltese: Il-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb), is a Maltese public entity dedicated to the promotion of the book industry in Malta.^[1]

National Book Council

Abbreviation	NBC
Established	2001 (24 years ago)
Types	cultural institution, ISBN registration agency, public enterprise
Headquarters	Floriana
Country	Malta
Chairpersons	Mark Camilleri
Website	ktieb.org.mt

The council organises the Malta Book Festival (Maltese: Il-Festival Nazzjonali Tal-Ktieb), The Literary Contest of Novels for Youth (Maltese: Konkors ta' Kitba Letteratura għaż-Żgħażagħ)^[2] and other national and regional events, workshops, seminars and contests. It also confers the National Book Prize (Maltese: Premju Nazzjonali Tal-Ktieb), administers Public Lending Rights, and is Malta's registration agent for ISBN^[3] and ISMN.^[4][5]

History

The National Book Council (NBC) was established by the Government of Malta in 2001 through subsidiary Legislation 605.12, operating under the remit of the Ministry for Education.^[6]

Since its inception, the NBC has played a pivotal role in nurturing and developing the Maltese book industry, and in fostering Malta's literary culture by supporting authors, publishers, and readers through various initiatives, contests, and events.^[4] The NBC, therefore, acts as both a regulatory and promotional body, offering direct support to stakeholders in the book industry while also advocating for reading and writing as a cultural priority.

The council's flagship initiatives are the National Book Prize, the Malta Book Fund,^[7] and the Malta Book Festival.^[8] Additionally, the NBC administers a Public Lending Rights (PLR) scheme, ensuring Maltese authors receive fair compensation when their books are borrowed from public libraries in Malta.^[9]

In 2025, the NBC published its Five-Year Strategic Vision. The strategy aims  to map out the trajectory of the NBC for the period 2025–2030, setting long-term goals and improvements that are responsive to both stakeholder needs and market realities.^[10]

Purpose

The NBC plays an official role in shaping the literary and book publishing landscape in Malta, ensuring the development and sustainability of the sector while also enhancing public engagement with Maltese Literature.^[6] As established by law, its main tasks related to policy, regulation, and advocacy, by supporting publishing professionals, organizing national events, prizes, and contests. Other tasks include cultural export and international outreach.^[4]

National Book Prize

In 1971, the Literary Prize for books in Maltese was set up with the aim to encourage Maltese literature. Notable authors who were awarded this Prize include Anton Buttigieg, Francis Ebejer, Oliver Friggieri, Joe Friggieri, and Trevor Zahra. The organization of the Prize was passed to the National Book Council upon its formation in 2001. There are nowadays several categories within the Prize, including novels, short stories, poetry, translation, nonfiction, and research. Notable winners since 2001 include Trevor Zahra, Guido Lanfranco, Giovanni Bonello, Joe Friggieri, and Albert Ganado.^[11]