Newsletter 
The French Institute’s Publication Assistance Programme, PAP (Programme d’aide à la publication), is addressed to Finnish publishers who wish to publish by French authors’ books through translation. This aid, granted by the French Institute in Paris, allows covering some or all of the costs related to the publication and translation of French books in Finland.
Since 1990, the Publication Assistance Programme has contributed to the translation and publication of more than 26,000 titles by French or French-speaking authors in 80 countries. Among the works that have benefited from this program in Finland are “Petit Pays” by Gaël Faye, “Verre Cassé” by Alain Mabanckou, “Chanson douce” by Leïla Slimani, and “L’Arabe du futur” by Riad Sattouf.
Aid to copyright transfer
The PAP allows to cover (in full or in part) the advance payment on copyright transfer rights negotiated between French and Finnish publishers. In this case, the aid granted by the French Institute (in Paris) upon the recommendation of French institute of Finland is paid directly to the French publishers, either as a substitute for or in addition to the payment from the Finnish publisher.
Selection Criteria
The PAP programme is open to all types of books (except textbooks, technical manuals and practical books). Translations from foreign languages into French are excluded from this program.
The projects presented must be in progress. The publication dates must fall within the 3 months after the selection committee meeting. The works submitted must have been published, in the first instance, by a publishing house headquartered in France.
The Finnish publishers must notify their French counterparts about their application for the financial aid so that the copyright transfer payment can be delayed until the selection committee’s decision. Submitting a title for which advance payments have already been paid to the French publisher is not possible in this programme.
In addition to the conditions mentioned above, the PAP selection will be guided by the following criteria:
- Intrinsic quality of the work and its significance within French creation and cultural thought
- The Finnish publisher’s adherence regarding the distributional and promotional engagements of the book
- Involvement of the Finnish publisher in developing a long-term policy for translating and publishing French authors
Application period
The Publication Assistance Programme receives proposals twice a year, around January and June. The exact dates will be published on this website a few weeks before the application period opens. In 2024, you can apply during the following periods:
Application deadline: August 26, 2024
Selection committee’s meeting: September 25, 2024
More information: sofia.aberg@france.fi
