- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
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- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
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- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
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- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Two elephants die in flash flooding in northern Thailand
Novel crisis: Iran's books shrink as US sanctions bite
For literature lovers in sanction-hit Iran, a new novel has long provided a brief respite from a grinding economic crisis triggered by international pressure imposed over Tehran's contested nuclear programme.
But now losing yourself in a good book is becoming harder, as cash-strapped publishers struggle because the price of paper is soaring.
"If a 200-page novel sold for 400,000 rials ($1.60) last year, its price today is 1,000,000 rials ($4.10), most of which is the cost of production", said Reza Hasheminejad, who runs the Ofoq publishing house.
Iran does not produce its own paper pulp for publishing so relies on imports, and while those are not under sanctions, they must be paid for in foreign currency. That means the price of a book depends directly on the fluctuation of Iran's rial.
So publishers are not only slashing the number of titles published, but also cutting the number of pages of those they do print by shrinking the font size.
"Publishing has suffered a major crisis -- which could become existential," said Emily Amrai, collection director at the Houpa publishing house.
While publishers worldwide face growing challenges to the way people read and consume literature, Iran is facing an extra problem.
The United States, under former president Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from a landmark accord to prevent Iran from acquiring an atomic bomb -- a goal Tehran has always denied pursuing -- with Washington then reimposing tough economic sanctions.
"As soon as the US sanctions were reinstated in 2018, the price of paper rose," Amrai said.
- 'A miracle' -
Long-running negotiations to revive a deal with Iran continue in Austria, but until an international agreement turns the page, the impact of sanctions grows worse.
"The devaluation of our currency against the greenback, the global rise in the price of paper paid in dollars and the increase in the cost of transport -- also paid in foreign currency -- has plunged publishing into the doldrums," said Hossein Motevali, owner of Houpa, which specialises in children's books.
Because book prices are fixed in Iran, profits are pegged to the rapidly fluctuating price of paper.
"Between receiving the manuscript, laying it out, and setting the price of the book, I can lose everything if the price of paper has gone up suddenly," Hasheminejad said.
"That happens because I'm at the mercy of the fluctuation of the currencies."
As for the authors, they are paid by the number of the pages in the book, whether they are famous or not.
"Selling books is a miracle today, because the majority of customers belong to the middle class -- and given the economic conditions, their priority is to obtain essential goods such as food," said Hasheminejad. "I really wonder how people still buy books at these prices."
Bookstores in Iran look similar to shops anywhere in the world. As well as shelves of Iranian writers, popular sellers include translations of foreign works -- from 20th century European classics to self-help and psychology books.
Farsi translations of Mary Trump's tell-all on her uncle Donald Trump, as well as the memoir of former US first lady Michelle Obama, have been recent hits.
- 'Shock' -
But as the crisis deepens, several small publishing houses have been driven out of business.
"Today, many independent publishers, who have published excellent works, have been eliminated from the market", said Amrai.
Larger publishing houses have had to adapt to survive.
"We have reduced our profits by as much as possible in order to keep our customers, we have reduced printing and pagination, and publish digital books to avoid paper and reduce costs," said Hasheminejad.
"But that will only last a year or two, for even the most solid companies."
So far, books printed before recent spikes in paper costs provided a buffer, but those stocks are running low.
"In a few months, when the books stored in the depots are exhausted, it will be a shock for the customer when they see the new prices," Hasheminejad warned.
On Enghelab Street, Tehran's main book market, retired teacher Behjat Mazloumi, 60, already struggles to afford second-hand books.
"I haven't been able to buy a book for years," said Mazloumi. "Even street vendors sell books at a very high price."
The cost rise will have wider impacts too, experts say.
Children in poorer areas where access to literature is already limited will soon find themselves priced out completely, Hasheminejad said.
"Today, we see people in some disadvantaged areas who cannot even communicate properly in Farsi," he said. "They will certainly experience difficulties."
O.Norris--AMWN