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International Authors Forum

FIL Professionals
International Authors Forum
What do authors live on?

The question may seem unnecessary in light of a historical reality in which the majority of writers who become authors do not make a living from their work—work that, like any other, should be their primary occupation.

The reality shows that only a small number of authors can sustain themselves through their writing, a situation rooted both in societal perceptions of writers and in the lack of regulations protecting them as workers.

This panel will discuss the labor conditions and social security challenges faced by literary creators, as well as potential actions to ensure that their intellectual work can be carried out under fair and dignified conditions.

Participants: John Degen, Paula Casal, Carlos Wynter Melo

Moderator: Jorge Comensal

John Degen

Poeta y novelista, es director ejecutivo de The Writers’ Union of Canada (Unión de Escritores de Canadá, TWUC) y presidente
del International Authors Forum (Foro Internacional de Autores, IAF) que, en conjunto, representan a más de 650 000 autores
de todo el mundo. Ha trabajado durante muchos años como administrador de las Artes, financiador y defensor de políticas en
materia de asuntos culturales. Ha formado parte de numerosos consejos y comités asesores del sector literario y artístico,
entre ellos el Book & Periodical Council, THIS Magazine y la Canadian Creators' Coalition, de los que ha sido presidente. Es
maestro en Literatura por la Universidad de Toronto. Su primera novela, The Uninvited Guest, fue finalista del premio
Amazon.ca First Novel Award en 2006.

Other activities involving the participant:
Public Lending Right for translators: opportunities and challenges

Paula Casal

Escritora y Secretaria de la Unión de Escritores y Escritoras de Argentina.

Carlos Wynter Melo

He questions gender, racial and identity norms with the psychological exploration of his characters. His stories usually narrate everyday events that, suddenly, are disrupted and reveal a commonly unknown reality. For this he uses parody, absurdity, Magic Realism, the fantastic, mirrors, doubles and similar mechanisms. He has received recognition from organizations such as the Hay Festival in London, the Guadalajara Book Fair, the Secretariat of Culture of Bogotá, the Ministry of Culture of Panama, the Technological University of Panama and the National University of Panama. His most recent books are Literatura olvidada (Octavio Méndez Pereira Award; Sudaquia Editores), Sueño con Tokio en el Darién (IPEL Awards; Editorial Uruk) and Los grandes dientes de Caperucita (Ricardo Miró Award, 2024). He has been translated into English, Tagalog, Hungarian, Italian and German. In addition to being an author, he is a university professor and editorial consultant.

Other activities involving the participant:
Edit the map: Central America from the blank page

Jorge Comensal

Escritor y Director de la Revista UNAM.

Monday, December 01
10:00 to 11:50
Sal�n H, �rea Internacional, Expo Guadalajara

FIL Professionals
International Authors Forum
Is self-publishing a viable option for authors?

Editing is a complex process involving a variety of activities carried out by professionals in fields such as editorial management, copyediting, typography and design, and proofreading—just to name a few tasks required to produce and publish a book. Yet the work does not end there; printing, distribution, and marketing are also necessary to reach the intended audience.

Today, however, more people are writing than ever before, and the dialogue seems so vast, particular, and diverse that publishers cannot keep up, nor does a large enough readership exist to absorb it all. This abundance and variety of texts appear to find an outlet on digital platforms, which offer a range of services and make any text available to a diverse audience.

But do these options answer the initial question? Does selling through platforms—which is often presented as a universal solution—allow writers to reach their audiences while retaining control over the use and exploitation of their work? Who performs the tasks traditionally handled by publishers, distributors, and bookstores? Digital platforms? Is editing the same as publishing? How much does it cost? Who benefits in this circuit? And now, with the advent of generative artificial intelligence, is this tool a support for authors or a competitor?

This talk seeks to probe the reality of those who write, their relationship with digital platforms, and with AI.

Participants: Roc�o Mart�nez Vel�zquez, Carmen Rodr�guez, Ana Mar�a Cabanellas

Moderator: Carlos Anaya Rosique

Carmen Rodr�guez

Autora chilena e integrante de la Unión de escritores de Canadá.

Ana Mar�a Cabanellas

Editora y Vicepresidenta del Centro de Administración de Derechos Reprográficos de Argentina (CADRA).

Monday, December 01
12:00 to 13:50
Sal�n H, �rea Internacional, Expo Guadalajara

FIL Professionals
International Authors Forum
Are generative artificial intelligences tools or competition for creative individuals?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has entered every stage of the book production chain, and perceptions of it vary depending on the type of activity performed, according to a study conducted by CERLALC.

What is the reality faced by sectors focused on creative work—such as writers, translators, and illustrators—when it comes to the use of AI, compared to other actors whose activities are more related to the dissemination, distribution, promotion, and marketing of books?

Building on the CERLALC study, this session will bring together representatives from these sectors to share their perspectives and discuss the measures they are taking to protect their professional work.

Participants: Jos� Diego Gonz�lez, Vivian Lav�n, Myrian Bahntje, Alejandra Ram�rez Olvera

Moderator: Mar�a Fernanda Mendoza Ochoa

Jos� Diego Gonz�lez

José Diego González M. currently serves as the Technical Director of the Editorial Ecosystem area at Cerlalc, where he has been working since 2023. He holds a Master’s degree in Publishing from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona and a degree in Literature from the University of the Andes, Bogotá. He is a cultural manager, editor, and researcher specializing in the study of the publishing market. Since 2020, he has represented Cerlalc on the Governing Board of the International ISBN Agency.

Other activities involving the participant:
Children�s Book Routes: circulation, connections, and opportunities in Iberoamerica
Ethics, transparency, and oversight in the use of AI

Vivian Lav�n

(Santiago de Chile, 1967) is a journalist with extensive experience in the cultural field. Since 2001, she has hosted the radio program Vuelan las Plumas on Radio Universidad de Chile. She is the author of three books of interviews with Chilean and Latin American writers and intellectuals, and co-author of the illustrated book on botany Viaje Natural. An Encounter Between Art and Science (VLP Ediciones, 2021). In Spain, she published the essay Pisaremos las calles nuevamente (Cuatro Lunas, 2023), based on the testimonies of three former political prisoners from the Chilean dictatorship.

In 2018, she founded the literary agency VLP Agency, representing authors and publishers from Latin America and Spain, becoming a pioneer in the internationalization of Chilean books in the Asia-Pacific region, with a focus on Korea and China. She is a member of the Observatory of Books and Reading and served as president of the Society of Literary Rights (SADEL) from 2021 to 2025.

She has been recognized by the Society of Chilean Writers, the Chilean Book Chamber, awarded the Journalistic Excellence Prize for Pobre el que no cambia de mirada, and the Alejandro Silva de la Fuente Prize from the Chilean Academy of Language, among other distinctions.

Other activities involving the participant:
Latin America Viva
From manuscript to readers: the role of literary agents in children�s and young adult literature

Myrian Bahntje

She was born and lives in Bahía Blanca, where she studied Visual Arts Teaching and worked as an art educator for many years. Today, she is a freelance illustrator who collaborates with various national and international publishers, creating works aimed at children and young audiences.

She is the President of the Association of Illustrators of Argentina (ADA), an organization through which she coordinates and takes part in exhibitions, fairs, and other activities related to illustration.

Other activities involving the participant:
Collective strength: Illustrators associations and networks

Alejandra Ram�rez Olvera

Presidenta de la Asociación Mexicana de Traductores Literarios.Traductora y promotora de las lenguas y las literaturas escandinavas. En 2025, fue traductora residente del Oversetterhotell, en Oslo, Noruega, y fue seleccionada para participar en la escuela de verano de Traducción Literaria del British Centre for Literary Translation (BCLT) en Norwich, Reino Unido. El ángel de lo extraño, en el que participa con una traducción de la obra de H. C. Andersen, fue galardonado por el Banco del Libro de Venezuela en la categoría Traducciones.

Alejandra R. Olvera és presidenta de l'Asociación Mexicana de Traductores Literarios, així com traductora i promotora de les llengües i les literatures escandinaves. L’any 2025 va ser traductora resident de l’Oversetterhotell, a Oslo, Noruega, i va ser seleccionada per participar a l’escola d’estiu de Traducció Literària del British Centre for Literary Translation (BCLT) a Norwich, Regne Unit. El ángel de lo extraño, en què participa amb una traducció de l’obra de H. C. Andersen, va ser guardonat pel Banco del Libro de Venezuela en la categoria de Traduccions.

Other activities involving the participant:
Inauguration
Workshop: Drafting and reviewing publishing contracts for translators: How to include AI clauses
Among colleagues: translators commented on by their peers
Side by side: human translation and collaboration in the age of AI
Copyright law in Mexico: current challenges and perspectives

Mar�a Fernanda Mendoza Ochoa

Egresada con Mención Honorífica de la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Hasta 2009 fue
directora general CemPro, sociedad de gestión colectiva. Imparte cursos y talleres sobre la materia en diversas universidades
del país; instructora para actividades de formación de CERLALC, sociedades de derechos reprográficos, bibliotecarios, editores
y autores en países latinoamericanos. Consultora del International Authors Forum para México y América Latina.

Llicenciada amb Menció Honorífica per la Facultat de Dret de la Universitat Nacional Autònoma de Mèxic. Fins al 2009 va ser directora general de CemPro, societat de gestió col·lectiva. Imparteix cursos i tallers sobre aquesta matèria en diverses universitats del país; instructora en activitats de formació del CERLALC, de societats de drets reprogràfics, bibliotecaris, editors i autors en països llatinoamericans. Consultora de l’International Authors Forum per a Mèxic i Amèrica Llatina.

Other activities involving the participant:
Workshop: Drafting and reviewing publishing contracts for translators: How to include AI clauses
Copyright law in Mexico: current challenges and perspectives

Monday, December 01
18:00 to 19:50
Foro de Industria, �rea Internacional, Expo Guadalajara

FIL Professionals
International Authors Forum
Managing the use of images within literary works

Images are often present as part of literary works, sometimes supporting the text and other times carrying the main weight of the book.

When they are created as part of the publishing project, rights management is a familiar process for publishers. However, when the interest lies in using existing pictorial, photographic, architectural, design, or drawing works that may not have been previously published, many publishers are unsure or find it difficult to obtain the necessary permissions.

This talk will cover when authorization is required for use and the proper channels to obtain it, both for national works and those by foreign authors.

Participants: Elizabeth Ambriz, Quetzalli de la Concha Pichardo

Moderator: Grisel Vistrain

Elizabeth Ambriz

Artista plástica mexicana y Presidenta de la Sociedad Mexicana de Autores de las Artes Plásticas (SOMAAP).

Quetzalli de la Concha Pichardo

Vicepresidenta del Centro Mexicano de Protección y Fomento de los Derechos de Autor, licenciada en Derecho con especialización en Propiedad Intelectual por la UNAM y Maestra en Propiedad Intelectual por FLACSO, Argentina. Fue la primera mujer en presidir el Centro Mexicano de Protección y Fomento de los Derechos de Autor (CeMPro S.G.C.), donde actualmente funge como asesora jurídica y vicepresidenta.

Primera mujer presidenta del Centro Mexicano de Protección y Fomento de los Derechos de Autor, S.G.C.

Es miembro de la Asociación Nacional del Colegio de Abogados y de la AMPPI, donde preside el Comité de Derecho de Autor y Derechos Conexos. De 2021 a 2023, presidió el Consejo de Administración de la CALC. También integra el grupo Contra la piratería en línea del IMPI y participó en el Comité de Redacción para la reforma de la Ley Federal de Derechos de Autor.

Other activities involving the participant:
Intellectual property: new dilemmas in the age of AI and social networks

Grisel Vistrain

Presidenta de la Sociedad de Autores de las Obras Visuales (SAOV).

Wednesday, December 03
12:00 to 13:25
Foro de Industria, �rea Internacional, Expo Guadalajara

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