The National Book Development Board (NBDB) is the book authority of the Philippines, the government's policy and development agency for the country's book publishing industry, dedicated to building a vibrant, diverse, and equitable book publishing ecosystem. Serving as a bridge to the country's creative community, the agency connects its full value chain—authors, illustrators, publishers, translators, and distributors—to a growing network of domestic opportunity and the global market.

The NBDB provides grants, subsidies, and incentives that support the production, promotion, and distribution of Philippine books, grounded in the policy work and industry research that keep it close to the pulse of the national reading culture and the wider book industry. This work is carried out in close collaboration with government agencies, the education sector, and international trade bodies to ensure quality Philippine books are in production and accessible to Filipino readers.

Confident that Philippine literature carries a strength the world is only beginning to recognize, the NBDB positions the country as the emerging content capital of Southeast Asia, home to a young, multicultural voice reclaiming its narratives from a colonial past. That voice is already finding readers, translators, and publishers abroad, proof that Filipino authors and publishers are ready to compete at the highest levels of the global market.

In 2021, under the leadership of Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade, the agency pivoted to solutions-based programming, streamlining how it develops the industry. That year also saw the launch of its two flagship initiatives, the Philippine Book Festival and the Book Nook Project. The Philippine Book Festival has grown into the country's largest all-Filipino book fair, and the Book Nook Project now brings storytelling spaces to communities with little to no access to libraries or bookstores. From neighborhood reading nooks to readers around the world, the NBDB is building the full pipeline behind Philippine publishing, cultivating the readers and writers who will define its exports for years to come.