Putting Cymru on the Map: Internationalising Children’s Publishing from Wales

This thesis examines how Welsh children’s and YA publishing can develop sustainable international engagement within a bilingual, small-nation context. As the first comprehensive study of internationalisation strategies in this sector, it investigates conditions enabling Welsh publishers to access global markets. The research traces the historical development of Welsh- and English-language children’s publishing since the 1970s, situating internationalisation efforts within Wales’s bilingual ecology and cultural policy framework. Drawing on Bourdieu’s field theory and Sapiro’s sociology of translation, supplemented by minor literature theory, the study employs a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative analysis of publishing output and qualitative data from 46 stakeholder interviews. Eight case studies of children’s and YA titles published between 2018 and 2023 examine three internationalisation pathways: import, export, and co-production. Comparative analysis with Catalonia, Ireland, Scotland, and New Zealand contextualises the Welsh experience within broader small-nation publishing models. Findings demonstrate improvements in the visibility, professionalisation, and cultural value of Welsh children’s literature, supported by public investment from the Books Council of Wales. Individual international successes, notably the multiple translations of Llyfr Glas Nebo (Y Lolfa, 2018), illustrate the sector’s potential. However, international engagement remains uneven and structurally constrained. Key barriers include fragmented institutional coordination insufficiently aligned with publishers’ commercial needs, limited rights management expertise, restricted translation capacity, and inadequate access to global distribution networks. The thesis contributes theoretically by applying an integrated Bourdieu–Sapiro framework to small-nation children’s publishing. It offers evidence-based recommendations including improved alignment between literature promotion agencies and publisher commercial strategies, enhanced rights management support, expanded translation expertise, and sustained international network development. These findings inform cultural policy debates on strengthening diversity and resilience in bilingual small-nation publishing

Name dc:type.qualificationname

phd

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Farr, Megan

• HF Masnach
• HM Cymdeithaseg
• PB Ieithoedd Ewropeaidd Modern
• PE Saesneg
• PN Llenyddiaeth (Cyffredinol)
• PN0441 Hanes Llenyddiaeth
• PZ Llenyddiaeth plant
• Z004 Llyfrau. Ysgrifen. Paleograffeg

Dc Identifier Grantnumber

UWTSD

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.uwtsd.ac.uk:4170