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'Guest of Honour' Country at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2006
The Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) 2006 which is to be held from 4 to 8 October 2006 has a special significance, as the FBF Authorities announced that India would be the 'Guest of Honour' Country at this Fair. With over 6700 exhibitors from around 110 countries, the Fair is one of the largest book fairs in the world. India is the only country to be accorded this honour twice, having earlier won this distinction in 1986. It is a tribute to India, and to Indian Publishing which has now made its mark on the international publishing scene.
The National Book Trust, India (NBT) has been designated as the nodal agency for coordinating the activities relating to the Frankfurt Book Fair 2006, and they have been working out/finalizing the details of the programme in connection with the GHP Celebrations.
The Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India, set up a Steering Committee to review and monitor various activities related to India as Guest of Honour at FBF 2006, with Secretary (S&HE), Ministry of HRD as Chairman.
With a view to strengthening the Indian presence and making it more meaningful and attractive, the NBT, India has planned a number of programmes during the Frankfurt Book Fair 2006. It includes the setting up of a specially designed India Pavilion, "Books from India", in which federations and associations of private publishers are also joining NBT in a joint stand. The NBT will also be representing the Indian publishing industry at Frankfurt by showcasing a collective exhibit of recent titles brought out by various Indian publishers. (more →FBF2006 website)
In addition, there are going to be extensive readings every day by more than 40 eminent Indian authors at the presentation area of the main 'Forum', the India National Pavilion at Book Fair and many other venues in and around the city.
(September 2006, S. C. Sethi, APPREB Correspondent)
Paperback Publishing and Marketing (special contribution)
Paperback publishing was started in India in 1946 by one of the leading publishing houses of the day. What is the difference between publishing paperback and hardbound books? In the West, first the hardbound edition of a book is released in the market and after a gap of some time, the paperback edition is launched. The difference between the paperback and hardbound editions is in the 'price'. A paperback is much cheaper and because of its affordability caters to the mass market. Now, in India as well, most of the companies are launching paperback editions of text books as well as general books… Read more (pdf)
(May 2006, S. C. Sethi, APPREB Correspondent)
Committees for the Frankfurt Book Fair 2006
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), Govt. of India, set up in February 2005 a Steering Committee to review and monitor various activities related to India as 'Guest of Honour' in the 58th Frankfurt Book Fair 2006. The Members on the committee include representatives of CAPEXIL, National Book Trust, India, Indian Council of Cultural Relations, National Museum, The Federation of Publishers' & Booksellers' Associations in India, Federation of Indian Publishers, etc.
The first meeting of the Steering Committee was held in June 2005 to discuss the progress made so far and the future course of action in connection with the preparation for the celebrations at the Fair. The discussions held and suggestions made at the meeting related to lot of programmes involving artists, dancers, etc.
The Ministry of HRD has also set up, at the highest level, the National Organising Committee for the various activities relating to the participation of India at the Fair. The Committee comprises Minister of HRD as Chairman. Ministers and secretaries of various Ministries concerned and heads of several related organizations are members on this Committee. The National Book Trust, India (NBT) will be the nodal agency for coordinating the activities relating to the Fair.
The NBT has also constituted a committee to advise in respect of Guest-of-Honour Presentation (GHP) at the Fair including the publication of translated Indian books in German and other European languages by European publishers, under the chairmanship of Prof. Bipan Chandra, and with members from different organizations.
The NBT are finalizing the activities to be undertaken during the GHP, which include the participation of Indian publishers with a view to booking of space well in advance.
Considering that in the world market India has so far been able to tap only a fraction of the total potential market, and that the Fair offers an opportunity to introduce ways and means to penetrate the world market, a website to be referred to as 'Indian Books' or 'Books from India' is being worked out for launching during the Fair.
(October 2005, S. C. Sethi, APPREB Correspondent)
India as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2006
India has been chosen as the Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair to be held in October 2006. It is noteworthy that India is the only country to be conferred this honour twice in a span of 20 years, the first time being in 1986.
India has truly arrived on the world publishing stage. There are around 16,000 publishers in the country producing an estimated 70,000 titles every year. The annual turnover of the industry is estimated at Rs. 70,000 million. About 40% of the titles are in English, making India the largest producer of books in the English language after the UK and the USA.
India has a colonial past, and a bird's eye view of the publishing scene over the years is called for. Acquisition of skills in English, growth of the nationalist movement, and the rise in literacy levels added to the demand for books in the English language. However, book publishing in India in English began in earnest after the formal entry of the three main English imprints into the country - Longman Green and Macmillan in the 19th century and Oxford University Press in 1912. In the course of time, many publishers, like Macmillan, Kegan Paul and John Murray, established a colonial library - a list of books to be shipped only to India.
An indigenous publishing industry developed with growth in educational opportunities and increased investment in school and college education. Political independence spurred these efforts. Today, both Indian and foreign publishers compete and collaborate in the Indian market.
While India continues to be a major market for English, and now American, publishers, perceptions about the Indian market are changing. Publishing has now become more globalized and integrated. Furthermore, the growth of publishing conglomerates has been accompanied by a more global view of markets. Business is outsourced in order to reduce costs. Economic reforms have led these conglomerates to look favourably at India. The presence of a dependable and modern printing and publishing infrastructure in the country has not only led to a number of collaborative and joint venture projects in publishing, but has also enabled India to successfully quote for global jobs that are outsourced in both pre-press and printing work.
The government permits up to 74% foreign investment in the publishing business and 100% in trading companies engaged in the export of books. It is noteworthy that book exports grew from Rs. 330 million in 1991 to Rs. 3,600 million in 2003. Also during the same period, export of print jobs grew phenomenally from Rs. 123 million to Rs. 942 million.
Frankfurt 2006 gives us an opportunity to showcase the best of Indian publishing in all categories and languages. It will also give us an opportunity to project India as a destination point for world publishing. The Ministry of Human Resource Development in the Government of India along with the concerned organisations are seized of this opportunity and making all-out efforts to ensure that publishers and printers do their best to promote India's image as the best quality printing and publishing provider in the world.
(May 2005, S. C. Sethi, APPREB Correspondent)
50th Annual General Meeting of FPBAI
The Federation of Publishers' & Booksellers' Associationsin India (FPBAI) held its 50th Annual General Meeting (Golden Jubilee Year) on 25 September 2004 in New Delhi. Mr. Arjun Singh, Hon'ble Minister of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India was the chief guest and delivered the inaugural address. He also assured those present that the problems concerning the Federation and the book industry brought to his notice would be duly looked into and necessary action taken. At the elections for the year 2004-05 held at the meeting, the office bearers elected unanimously were: Mr. S.C. Sethi (President); Mr. A.S. Chowdhry, Mr. Balram Sadhwani, Mr. K.M. Varghese (Vice Presidents); Mr. Baldev Verma (Hony. Secretary); Mr. Rajender Kumar Arya (Hony. Joint Secretary); and Mr. J.L. Kumar (Hony. Treasurer).
(January 2005, S. C. Sethi, APPREB Correspondent)
Paperback Publishing in India (special contribution)
The market for paperbacks is a fast growing one the world over. In India, most leading publishing houses bring out books both in hardback and paperback. Unlike in the West, we do not have houses that focus only on paperbacks although the demand for paperbacks is increasing, especially because these books are priced much lower than hardback editions. Along with this increase in numbers has come an improvement in the quality of books published, both editorially and in terms of production. In the early days of paperback publishing in India, the price and quality of books did not matter very much because there was not so much competition, and a mere handful of publishers occupied the paperback market.
The market for such books has also expanded because of the entry of multinational companies. Another major change has been that today’s customer has become quite discriminating, and book buyers also know they have many options as there are a number of books on the same subject available in the market. It is because of this that it becomes particularly important to pay attention to the marketing of books. Paperback publishers are therefore increasingly paying attention to window displays, special exhibits and so on. Advertising and reviews in the major newspapers and magazines are also crucial to the marketing of paperbacks. These help to make the customer aware of the presence of the book in the market, something which is an essential prerequisite to selling the book.
The younger generation today is very different from in the early days of paperback publishing, and if such publishing is to grow, it must cater to the needs of this generation. Today, there is a good demand for books on self-improvement and health, but this may change with time, and it is important that publishers study the market and accordingly change, diversify or adapt their subject areas. This of course means staying in touch with the market and with trends that influence it.
Paperback publishers in India have not yet been able to create brand names which ensure customer loyalty to their books.Those houses who do have such a brand identity are well aware that customers feel confident of quality when they purchase their books. This is a desirable thing for any publisher, and one way of acquiring a brand identity, apart from paying attention to quality, is to get as much public exposure for your books as possible.Unfortunately, in India, this is not easy as most of the book review pages tend to pay attention only to certain publishers, while ignoring many others.
The international market is also important for paperback publishing. Indian exports have reached a figure of Rs.3.23 billion (from a figure of Rs.330 million) during the last decade.This shows that there is a growing market for Indian books abroad, and if attention is paid to quality and to an interesting range of subjects, there is no reason why Indian books should not be able to complete successfully in the world market.
(January 2005, special contribution of S. C. Sethi)
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New Delhi World Book Fair
The First New Delhi World Book Fair was held from 18 March to 4 April 1972 at Windsor Place, which now houses the Ashok Yatri Niwas. 152 publishers/booksellers from India and overseas, including some foreign missions in India, participated in the First New Delhi World Book Fair, spread over an area of 6,790 sq. m.
The Second New Delhi World Book Fair was held in February 1976 at Pragati Madidan which has since become synymous with the New Delhi World Book Fair.
Over the years, the World Book Fair has grown considerably, both in terms of size and the number of participants. Each World Book Fair is better organized than the previous one.
The 15th New Delhi World Book Fair, held from 28th January to 4th February 2002, had 1,065 participants from 23 countries, including India, and occupied over 15,500 sq. m. An estimated 600,000 book lovers visited the Fair.
The 16th New Delhi World Book Fair, held from 14 to 22 February 2004 witnessed a record participation of 1,240 publishers/booksellers from 17 countries, including India. A number of foreign participants were represented by their Indian franchises. The overseas countries that participated directly were: France, Germany, Israel, Iran, Japan, Kuwait, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, UK, USA and Zimbabwe. The Fair was covered an area of 32,546 sq. m., through Hall nos.8 to 14 and 18 of Pragati Maidan.
A special Theme Pavilion in Hall No.9 showcased around 400 rare titles in English and an equal number in Hindi and the other Indian languages on a fascinating range of subjects from Vedic Mathematics to Indian Artificial Satellites. Illustrative panels showing the major achievements of Indian science enlivened the pavilion. Besides, there were multi-media presentations and talks by noted scientists.
Another major attraction at the Fair was an exclusive Children's Pavilion in Hall No.8 where activities for and by children were held every day. Apart from the display of around 1,500 recently published books for children in major Indian languages, there was a special display of activity-based books. A special attraction was the Reading Corner where children were free to read the books in their own way, comment on them, write reviews, reproduce drawings and speak about them.
The 16th New Delhi World Book Fair was different from the earlier book fairs in that wide circulating areas were provided in each Hall, where the visitors could relax, and browse through books. For the first time in the WBF 2002, the octonorm system was used for the display. This year too, the system with a new carpet throughout was used. The architectural design, coupled with the display system, gave the Fair a professional look.
An estimated 700,000 book lovers, including Ministers, MPs, other VIPs, authors and scholars, visited the 16th New Delhi World Book Fair--an indication that, despite the invasion of the audio-visual and electronic media, the love and hunger for books remains unsatiated.
(February 2004, S. C. Sethi, ABD Correspondent)
Launch of Certificate Course in Publishing in India
Keeping in view the fast-changing global scenario in publishing which is becoming increasingly more competitive, the Federation of Publishers' & Booksellers' Associations in India (FPBAI) has introduced for the first time in India a full-fledged professional, structured and comprehensive course in publishing. The Certificate Course in Publishing that will commence from June 2, 2003 under the auspices of FPBAI School of Publishing Science is a significant step towards making the Indian publishing industry more professional and competitive by attracting young talents to the profession.
The Certificate Course, spreading over a period of 3 months, will consist of 3 main models-editorial, production and marketing. To give the students a thorough understanding and in-depth knowledge, the course comprises lectures, practical assignments, workshops and interactive sessions. Ample care has been taken to ensure that students get practical exposure along with theoretical institutions. The course also covers communication, finance, organisation structure, legal framework, distribution and customer service, rights management and international marketing, apart from the three main modules.
Stalwarts of the publishing industry like David Davidar of Penguin, Ritu Menon of Kali for Women, Tajeshwar Singh of Sage, etc. will share their valuable experiences with the students. Dr N. Subrahmanyam of Tata McGraw-Hill is the Chairman of the Academic Council, and Sridhar Balan of Oxford University Press will act as the Course Director, while Joseph Mathai of Macmillan is the Module Coordinator for Marketing. Prabudha Sircar is the Module Coordinator for Production and Urvashi Butalia of Kali for Women is the Module Coordinator for Editorial.
E-mail:info@fpbaindia.org, URL: http://www.fpbai.org
(May 2003, Sukumar Das, ABD Correspondent)
Delhi Declared World Book Capital
After Madrid (2001) and Alexandria (2002), New Delhi declared the World Book Capital for the year 2003-2004.
The decision has been taken by UNESCO, the International Publishers' Association and a number of other book-related agencies. The National Book Trust has been designated by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development as the nodal agency for all promotional ventures to mark the occasion.
In India, over 70,000 titles are published with the help of 16,000 publishers every year, of which, 40% are English language alone.
The celebrations started 23 April, which was the birthday of Shakespeare and is observed annually as World Book and Copyright Day all over the globe.
(May 2003, Sukumar Das, ABD Correspondent)
28th Kolkata (Calcutta) Book Fair
Louis Toledo Sande, the Cuban National award-winning writer, inaugurated the 28th Kolkata Book Fair on 28th February 2003. The Fair, which had Cuba as its focal theme, attracted 2.5 million people in 12 days. 600 leading publishers participated.
The Cuban pavilion displayed 300 titles, most of which included writings by Jose Martine, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and Antonio Marco.
The Fair authorities organised a number of Seminars on topics which included "Changing reading habits in children", "Role of women in creating reading habits", "Demand for improvisation in production of books for better qualities", "Anti-piracy programmes", etc.
With the exception of the World Book Fair, organised by the National Book Trust in New Delhi, the Kolkata Book Fair is undoubtedly not only the largest but also the most popular of all the book fairs in the country. Mainly a buyers' book fair, it is actually a bazaar, faithfully incorporating the Indian concept of emelas' sans giant wheels or merry-go-rounds, where people storm to buy books. Besides books, one can also find hawkers and sellers of financial institutions, banks, postal departments etc., predictably supported by the long line of people waiting to gather information. Another unique feature of the Fair was the 200-odd stands devoted to eLittle Magazines'. Little magazines, mostly irregular publications, are an important part of the Bangla literary landscape. There is even a little magazine for the visually handicapped, in Braille.
Besides the strong presence of France and Britain, the international pavilions included those of Sweden, Australia, Spain, Columbia, Panama, Argentina, the European Union and interestingly, the World Bank.
(March 2003, Sukumar Das, ABD Correspondent)
100 Years of Spiritual Journey
The first inaugural centenary celebration of Motilal Banarsidass, a reputed Indological publishing house in Delhi, began at their place in Naraina on 5 January 2003. It will continue in phases the entire year at its branches all over the country. The first session of the celebration was held in the presence of Hon'ble Shri T. N. Chaturvedi, governor of Karnataka. He spoke about the services of Motilal Banarsidass in sowing seeds of Indian culture and ancient wisdom all over the world. Motilal Banarsidass was the oldest and first ever in India to publish valuable Vedic and Sanskrit Literature. Mr. Chaturvedi himself was associated with its architects, Lala Sunderlal Jain and Padmashri Shantilal Jain, who brought much reputation and goodwill to the company. He himself was fond of collecting and reading books from Motilal Banarsidass Bookstores.
Shri N. P. Jain, the Director of the Motilal Banarsidass, gave a brief history of the firm and described how the work of publication and distribution was faced with several problems, especially during the partition of the country in 1947. In the communal frenzy the family home and the Motilal Banarsidass Bookshop were reduced to ashes, but rose like a phoenix against all odds. It took 11 years to re-establish the publishing house in Varanasi.
It is worth mentioning that Mr. Chaturvedi presented gifts to the old and present staff members for their honest and sincere contribution to the firm. Five of the old workers received special honours and awards. The inauguration concluded with great joy.
(February 2003, Sukumar Das, ABD Correspondent)
X-Pressions 2003 Quiz 'o' Books Carnival
The Federation of Publishers' & Booksellers' Association in India (FPBAI) along with Salwan Public School (SPS) has organized a unique Quiz 'o' Book Carnival on 8 and 9 February 2003 in New Delhi to promote reading habits among schoolchildren. Approximately 10,000 schoolchildren participated in the two-day book carnival.
Sukumar Das, President, FPBAI, said that the Carnival was neither a Book Fair nor a commercial enterprise but that its sole objective was to bring children to books, and stressed the need for developing in children a passion for reading books. Sushil Dutt Salwan, Chairman, SPS expressed his anguish at the decline of reading habits and also failure to recognize important authors. He rued that today students can identify Bollywood & Cricket stars but hardly anyone can identify a Ruskin Bond in the crowd. Vandana Puri, Principal, SPS, said that the Quiz 'o' Book Carnival was to make children associate excitement and joy with books and to let them have a feel of books through different book stalls, quizzes, competitions, attraction, prizes, etc. She firmly believes that love for reading can be induced through innovative strategies by which children can be lured towards books. She also expressed hopes that all parents would try to take advantage of this unique "mega-event".
Terry O'Brien, the Quiz Master, was asked how quizzing is related to books, he answered that just as the fundamentals of education are the 3 Rs, Reading, Recording and Recalling are the ingredients of Quizzing. It is through quizzing that a child is able to understand the importance of reading and how interesting reading can be. A number of publishers and many eminent writers participated in the Book Carnival.
(February 2003, Sukumar Das, ABD Correspondent)
Book Fair at Jaipur
A national book fair organised by Rajasthan's (one of the northern Indian States) largest newspaper group, Rajasthan Patrika, in the first week of December 2002 at Jaipur (Capital of the State of Rajasthan) proved to be a runaway success. It exceeded all expectations as people in thousands came every day not only to see the fair but to buy books. What impressed the people was the fact that there were rich literary dishes for all - from the toddler trying to inch his way to the erudite scholar and even the housewife, who found books that could whet her appetite for knowledge. What added a touch of uniqueness was the congregation of writers and intellectuals like poet Baldev Bansi, Mridula Garg, and Rajendra Awathi, who all gave their own special touch of literary finesse which really helped to inculcate in the mind of the large variegated cavalcade of new book lovers a new interest in the magic of print.
Poonam Mehra, a housewife of Jaipur, was so impressed that she could not help but say, "I purchased story books for my kids and a cookery book for myself". It was beyond her expectation that a book fair could be arranged on such a grand scale. Sudhanshu Saini, an engineering student, said that there was everything one could ask for; books from cookery to astrology, vastu engineering and that perennial delight of readers, salacious fiction. Many publishers got the opportunity to display their books for the first time, thanks to the fair. An enterprising Hindi language publisher had on display novel laureate Amartya Sen's magnum opus. People also benefited intellectually from interacting in get-togethers, seminars etc. during the course of the fair. There were lively discussions in sync with today's world of glitz and glamour, and the organisers had arranged fashion shows, where luscious models ensured that with one eye on them, another on a book, the unwary onlookers would surely go home with a book.
(January 2003, Sukumar Das, ABD correspondent)
Piracy in India
According to Indian Copyright Law, piracy is a cognizable offence, yet a large number of books are being pirated, thereby, depriving the publisher of 30,000 million Indian Rupees (approx. US$625 million) annually and approximately 1,000 million Rupees (approx. US$21 million) from the exchequer, which the Indian Government could have earned by way of corporate tax. The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), which represents the global copyright industry, estimates piracy in India to be costing the international publishers US$ 40 million.
Thus, this growing menace of piracy is adversely affecting authors and publishers. When the painstaking work of an author being pirated, he is deprived of royalty and the publisher loses because the buyers have access to low-priced pirated editions. Such low priced editions are feasible in the absence of their development, overheads, royalty, promotion and other expenses.
Large-scale photocopying by the student and teaching community, who should have otherwise purchased their desk copies, also deprives the authors and publishers of their rightful dues.
In order to combat the menace of piracy and violation of reprographic rights, the Federation of Publishers and Booksellers Association in India (FPBAI) has organised a number of seminars involving students, teachers, printers, publishers, police and legal luminaries to raise awareness and also to find out ways and means to combat this threat.
With the help of the police, FPBAI has also conducted a number of raids at different places in the country to unravel the organised racket. FPBAI has also engaged Akash Chittranshi, a full-fledged copyright lawyer, to interact with the various agencies, including the Government, to advise the Federation on preventive steps to control the piracy.
(September 2002, Sukumar Das, ABD correspondent)
Seminars at the 8th Delhi Book Fair
At the 8th Delhi Book Fair (24 Aug. to 1 Sept. 2002) organized by the India Trade Fair Promotion Organization, in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Publishers, a number of workshops, seminars and librarian's and author's meetings were arranged. Books were launched and over 250 publishers and distributors from all over India participated.
The seminar on 27 August on Export of Books in the Recent World Scenario included following topics.
- "Export of Books in the Recent World Scenario" by Sukumar Das, Chairman, Panel of Books, Publications & Printing, CAPEXIL
- "Problems and Prospects of School Books in the International Market" by R. C. Govil, Chairman, Frank Brothers
- "STM Publications for Export" by V. N. Arjuna, Publishing Director, CBS Publishers & Distributors
- "Present Scenario of Job Printing" by Satish Malhotra, Managing Director, Swapan Press
- "Scope of Children's Books" by Manorama Jafa, Khas Kitab Ghar
- "Export Marketing of Children's Books" by M. L. Ahuja, General Manager, Varun Exports
- "Marketing of Journals" by M. L. Ahuju
Full report
(September 2002, Sukumar Das, ABD correspondent)
New Delhi World Book Fair 2002
Organised by the National Book Trust, India, in collaboration with Federation of Indian Publishers, Federation of Publishers' & Booksellers' Association in India, Delhi State Booksellers' & Publishers' Association, Federation of Educational Publishers in India and CAPEXIL, the New Delhi World Book Fair, the largest book event in Asia, was held from 28 January to 4 February 2002. It is not only a showcase for the best of the unique multilingual Indian Publishing industry but also a place where some of the finest publishers around the globe interact with fellow publishers, readers, authors, and translators alike.
Unlike many international book fairs, the New Delhi World Book Fair permits the sale of books directly to hundreds of thousands of booklovers who throng the fair every day. The fair also offers an opportunity for the exchange of translation/co-publishing/reprint rights, which may be negotiated during business hours by the interested parties.
To be inaugurated by the Human Resource Development Minister, Shri Murali Manohar Joshi, the Fair was spread over around 25,000 square metres accommodating around 1,100 participants including 50 international publishers. The increasing number of foreign participants from almost all parts of the world is also a result of the participation by the National Book Trust, India, in various international fairs and exhibitions evoking genuine interest in the Indian Publishing scenario by the world publishing community.
The theme of the fair was "Globalisation of the Word - Translating Creative Diversity". There was not only a Theme Pavilion showcasing a wide range of translated works of literature in various Indian as well as foreign languages, but also an international seminar that delineated various aspects of the role which translation plays in bringing together different societies and cultures across the globe. Some of the important speakers on the occasion included Nirmal Verma, Jayant Mahapatra, U. R. Ananthamurthy, Erik Stinus, Hiromu Yamaguchi, Jose Punnamparambll, etc.
(S. C. Sethi, February 2002)
Buyer-Seller Meet
On 2 February 2002, during the 15th World Book Fair, CAPEXIL's Book Division once again found it expedient to organise the Buyer-Seller Meet. Its importance was underlined by Sukumar Das, Chairman of CAPEXIL's Books, Publications and Printing Panel in his opening remarks. Such a Meet, organised by CAPEXIL's Book Division during Delhi Book Fairs and World Book Fairs, has enabled the importers and exporters to interact and explore ways and means to increase India's export of books and publications. Das told the audience that India's exports to the developed and the developing countries are gradually rising. In the year 2000-2001 the provisional figures are Rs.3,235 million. and with this they have already crossed their target, though the final figure is yet to be arrived at.
Representatives from six countries participated in this Meet. They were: Oluronke O Orimalade from Nigeria, Hudson Unene from Zambia, Sean G. Mullen from Switzerland, Zhu Zhigang from China, Iqbal Cheema from Pakistan and Manikam Moodley from South Africa. After each one of them explained the distinctive features of their respective markets, there were questions from the participants. All this made the Buyer-Seller Meet quite an informative and useful exercise.
(S. C. Sethi, February 2002)
Indian Publishing since Independence
The Indian Publishing Industry's growth in the last 54 years since independence has been phenomenal-in terms of the number of publishers, books published, the sales turnover and export, attaining a stature of its own in English as well as in Indian language. Besides the Unites States and U.K., India has the largest volume of English language publication and is among the 12 largest book publishing countries in the production of titles. Again, India is the largest book producer in the third world with around 40,000 titles being brought out by an estimated 8,000 publishers in English and various Indian languages. The books published cover a wide variety of subjects, including highly specialised areas relating to scientific technologies and medical studies and research. India thus enjoys a prominent place in the world of international publishing. Book Publishing as an organised activity commenced with the attainment of independence in 1947. It grew largely with the expansion of education at phenomenal pace and the social and political upsurge over the years, thus swelling the number of students studying in schools, in universities and other institutions of higher learning, including a large number of students pursuing scientific, technological and professional courses. This has resulted in a tremendous increase in the demand for textbooks and other educational and scientific books.
As to university level books, fortunately, this area is a mix between the public and the private sectors. While the public sector has a number of schemesboth at the centre and in the statesto subsidise the production of university level books, the actual publishing is dominated by private enterprise.
The trade in foreign books has already been open for a long time now and foreign books are freely imported-mostly by academic and research institutions. As such, foreign involvement in book trading is already in sufficient force. (S. C. Sethi, September 2001)
Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children Launches Alphabet Books for Children
A Delhi based NGO, the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children (AWIC), involved in writing and illustrating for children, has launched a literacy project by bringing out colourful alphabet books in some of the major Indian languages. Four language books launched in September are in English, written by Nilima Sinha and Pratibha Nath, in Gujarati by Varsha Das, in Hindi by Amanirama Jafa, Ghirja Rani Ashtana and Vinita Krishna and in Tamil by Thangam Krishna and Indira Ananthakrishnan. All these are beautifully illustrated by Jagdish Joshi. The fifth book, in Urdu, is written by J. C. Mehta and Ghulam Haider, and illustrated by Maureen Talwar.
AWIC has also purchased a large number of childrens books for free distribution in the Kutch region of Gujarat which was affected by a massive earthquake in January 2001. The Gujarati alphabet book has also been included in the gift package. The Literacy Project of AWIC is supported by Japanese Board on Books for Young People (JBBY) under its Friends of Indian Literacy Project.
At the time of launching the alphabet books, AWIC gave Life Time Achievement Awards to the author, Leela Majumdar, to the illustrator, B. G. Verma and to the researcher, Kushal Zaidi who has done research on childrens literature in Urdu. India needs many such initiatives in the field of childrens literature, particularly in regional languages. (S. C. Sethi, September 2001)
FPBAI's Initiatives Regarding Anti-Piracy of Books
The Federation of Publishers' & Booksellers' Associations (FPBAI) in India is greatly concerned about the growing threat posed by piracy of books and has been actively considering ways and means to curb the menace effectively.
The first step in this direction was taken by the Federation by formally launching a 'Campaign Against Piracy of Books' on 6 March 2000 in New Delhi. The proceedings of the function received wide publicity in the media.
The problem was further considered in a number of meetings held recently by the Anti-Piracy & Copyright Committee of the Federation. Creation of a central fund for fighting piracy of books, and organising campaigns for creating awareness about piracy, preparation of publicity materials, advertising through media, etc. were the measures decided for implementation. However, pending finalisation of related details and implementation of long-term measures in view, launching of campaigns to generate awareness, as a first step, to curb the menace was taken up by the Federation in right earnest.
To extend their awareness campaign to the southern and western regions of the country where piracy had been causing heavy loss of national income besides hitting the book industry hard, the Federation decided to organise 3 seminars-one each at Chennai, Bangalore, and Mumbai to bring home to all concerned the extensive damage caused by the illegal activity of book piracy. Here, again, the Ministry of HRD has provided liberal financial assistance to the Federation.
The first seminar against Piracy of Books (of the 3 mentioned above) was organised at Chennai on 21 July 2000. The response to it was very good. The event received wide publicity from the print media as well as the local Doordarshan. Among others, K.R. Shyam Sunder, IGP, CID, (Human rights, Social justice), Chennai, provided a lot of information on the subject.
The second seminar against Piracy of Books was held at Mumbai (at Mumbai National Book Fair Auditorium, Churchgate), on 4 January 2001, to coincide with Mumbai National Book Fair organised by the National Book Trust, India from 30 December 2000 to 7 January 2001. The Federation did their utmost to organise it in the best way as possible in spite of some difficulties. In addition, publicity was given through anti-piracy posters distributed on the occasion, and persons from the media were also present.
The third seminar against Piracy of Books was organised at Vijay Residency (Comfort Inn), Bangalore on 5 June 2001. The various aspects of the problem highlighted in the course of this seminar will provide a good deal of food for thought, generate greater awareness, and impel all concerned to fight the menace of piracy tenaciously.
After the initiatives taken by the Federation with the help of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, the situation is much better and is under control. (S. C. Sethi, June 2001)
Government of India Declares 2001-02 as the Year of Books
In the age of the Internet, the book is getting a new lease of life. The Ministry of Human Resources Development has declared 2001-02 as the Year of Books, and hopes to flood the country-hospitals, railway stations, villages, and small towns-with books.
The objective behind the book promotion drive is to create awareness among the general public on book reading and purchase, and to come up with solutions to problems that writers, publishers, distributors and other dwellers of the literary world, including readers, face. Also on the agenda is a plan to improve and increase the number of bookshops, libraries, and mobile libraries in the country. The National Book Trust has been identified as the nodal agency to organise the Year of Books.
The Committee for the Promotion of Reading Habits and Development of Book Publishing (set up by Ministry of HRD) has already approached the Ministry of Railways, the Airport Authorities of India, and the State Transport Departments as well as the State Health Departments, to provide book stalls at railway stations, airports, bus depots and hospitals.
The Committee has also requested All India Radio and Doordarshan to allot prime-time programmes such as interviews and discussions with authors and critics, as well as "Kavi sammelans", poetry-reading sessions and even book quizzes.
To ensure that books go beyond city borders, large-scale plans are on to support rural libraries, increase the number of mobile libraries, promote book clubs in schools, colleges and rural community centres as well as publication of Braille books. (S. C. Sethi, June 2001)
Copyright Seminar
The Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP) organised a copyright seminar on 9 December 2000 at Kottayam (Kerala), which is called the "city of letters", in south India, on the occasion of the fourth National Convention of Indian Languages Publishers. Cyriac Thomas, Vice-chancellor, M.G. University, Kottayam, inaugurated the seminar and gave a memorable speech. This university has a regular graduate course in book publishing.
D.N. Malhotra, Chairman, Copyright Council of FIP, in his address said the basic asset of the intellectual property of every author and publisher is in the copyright of the books he writes or publishes. There were certain new sections of the Copyright Act which are of crucial concern to authors and publishers, and if they understood these they could sign agreements fair to both.
The seminar was aimed to give the basics of copyright law; how to sign agreements with authors and what the normal conditions are; what compulsory licensing is under International Conventions and how these can be used; and replies to the queries which come to publishers from time to time. Publishers must know important sections of the copyright law and they should be able to exploit the creative works in such a manner with subsidiary rights to the advantage of the authors and the publishers.
The seminar was followed by a panel discussion, which clarified many points. (P. K. Arora, January 2001)
Awards for Editors and Designers in Book Publishing
Those books which have quality in their text matter, designing and layout are today valued by connoisseur lovers of books. As in other fields, now aesthetics play an important part in the production and presentation of the reading material. In the last 50 years, Indian publishing has come a long way in giving beautiful books to readers in a remarkable manner.
It should be realised that everything which has quality has been created by the hard and dedicated work of some people who work behind the scenes in publishing houses. These dedicated men and women work silently to bring a good name to the publishing houses and their institutions. If we come to think of it, they are the cornerstones in any publishing edifice but so far the work of these people has not been recognised nor have these people been honoured. These men include editors, designers and planners. The heads of publishing houses get credit but these people, through extremely important, have not been recognised.
The Federation of Indian Publishers made a very significant decision to bestow honours upon these unknown people who make success of their books and publishing institutions. Some of these persons by their long years of significant work have themselves become institutions. They are recognised by their masters. Even outside their own publishing houses their merit becomes known. They work silently and in a committed manner.
The awards-giving function was held on 19 August 2000 in New Delhi where Dr. Karen Singh, Member of Parliament, was the chief guest. Awards were given to 23 behind-the-scene heroes of publishing, 5 of whom were women. (P. K. Arora, November 2000)
Young Publishers Awards
Many young men and women have taken over responsibility from their seniors and are in the vanguard of the Indian publishing business. Some adventurous young people have started new publishing houses on their own and are setting good examples.
In order to recognise the merit of young publishers and give them encouragement and applause, the Federation of Indian Publishers decided to honour young publishers and give them awards this year. The awards were given to 16 young publishers from all parts of the country and from all languages by Mr. L.K. Advani, Home Minister of India, at a solemn ceremony on 29 June 2000, in New Delhi. The Awards consisted of a citation and a memento. The ceremony was attended by a large gathering which included the elite from Delhi, eminent personalities, authors, publishers, academicians and journalists. (August 2000)
World Book and Copyright Day
The Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP) and the National Book Trust, India, joined together to celebrate the "World Book and Copyright Day". Publicity material in the form of colourful posters was prepared and distributed throughout the country. FIP networked with different State Academies, regional offices of the National Book Trust and the Sahitya Akademi as well as Publishers Associations of regional languages to mount book exhibitions, hold programmes and awareness campaigns and spread the word about reading books. The basic message of the day this year was "A Good Book is the Best Gift for All Occasions".
In New Delhi, a function was organised by the Federation of Indian Publishers in association with the National Book Trust at India International Centre where authors, bibliophiles and publishers gathered to celebrate the World Book and Copyright Day and to discuss measures of promoting reading habit among children and adults.
A number of Publishers Associations in different States of India organised book bazaars and literary programmes including seminars and discussions.
D. C. Books, the largest publisher in Malayalam and the biggest bookshop chain in South India, celebrated the World Book Day in a unique way in order to inculcate the habit of reading among children. They distributed 25,000 copies of a specially prepared children's book Kathakalude Lokam (worth Rs.40.00 per copy) among the book-loving children in Kerala, absolutely free. This book is an anthology of several stories selected from renowned children's classics.
14th World Book Fair
The 14th World Book Fair was inaugurated on 5 February 2000 by Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, Prime Minister of India, at the Hamsadhwani open-air theatre at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Among the distinguished guests present were Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, Minister for human Resource Development, Prof. Milton Israel, historian and expert on south Asian Affairs in Canada and Dr. C. Narayana Reddy, Jnanpith laureate and well-known Telugu litterateur.
Prime Minister Vajpayee said "We have seen books being burnt from Berlin to Bradford. We have seen books being banned and authors prosecuted. But neither burning nor banning has been able to suppress the human mind". Books have proved to be more powerful than the weapons of death and destruction, he added, and voiced his conviction that the printed word would not only weather the onslaught of the audio-visual image, but will survive the cyber age to harmonize with the latter and grow stronger.
Dr. Sitakant Mahapatra, Chairman, National Book Trust, India, emphasised the need for setting up a network of libraries throughout the country to help in inculcating the reading habit, particularly among children and rural masses.
During the Book Fair, a number of activities including various seminars, panel discussions and book releases were also organised, some by National Book Trust and some individually by private publishers.
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