The Emirates Literature Foundation has announced that ELF Publishing, a new independent publishing house will be launched.
The publishing house will focus on fiction and will begin accepting submissions during the Month of Reading in March.
Manuscripts will be published in both English and Arabic and will also be released in translation.
The first authors signed to the publishing house are Ebtisam Al Beiti and Julia Johnson and they will be participating at the 2022 Emirate Airline Festival of Literature.
Julia Johnson, a children’s writer is also partnering with Maitha Al Khayat, to create the illustrations for the new book, under ELF Publishing.
Stories from Emiratis and expats about the region will also be encouraged and will help preserve history through the written word.
Isobel Abulhoul, CEO and trustee of the Emirates Literature Foundation said, "ELF Publishing is the next piece of the jigsaw puzzle of the entire ecosystem of literature. It continues a proud tradition of literary endeavour. It is amazing to see what has been achieved in the last 50 years in the UAE in terms of literature and for a young country, we have certainly been punching above our weight."