Publishing Flourishing in India - Lessons To Be Learned?
Posted by John R. on Monday, September 6, 2010
Under: publishing
Publishing is flourishing in India because new publishers there have recognized the NewGen reader (impatient and with short attention spans). The NewGen reader wants short, racy, relatable and fast reads.
This interesting report comes from Meenakshi Kumar (no good link given for this writer) writing for the The Times of India:
This interesting report comes from Meenakshi Kumar (no good link given for this writer) writing for the The Times of India:
Till a decade ago, Indian publishingwas a low-key affair. It had few players and scant success stories. Today, it's buzzing. As publishers mushroom, big money is backing big players. Those who survived the era of stagnant sales and modest horizons, say life is good and getting better by the day. Rupa & Co, for instance, turned 75 just days ago. What started as a small distribution unit in Kolkata in 1936 has grown into a major publisher with a bulky catalogue.
Newer homegrown imprints say this is a good time to be an Indian publisher. Renuka Chatterjee, editor-in-chief of Westland/Tranquebar, says the growth of indigenous houses is a "sign of healthy publishing". She says Indiais going down a route set by the west in that "independent book houses are an important part of the publishing scene. Many Booker prizewinners have come from smaller publishing houses."
The expanding market means there are more writers, more genres, more books, albeit of differing quality. Mosthomegrown publishers say the "new" Indian reader is responsible for the growth. For "new", read "adventurous", willing to experiment and try new things. Kapish Mehra of Rupa says today's publisher is "supposed to tap the pulse of the reader".
The "new" reader is GenNow, with a supposedly short attention span and little patience for highbrow literary stuff. Chatterjee says Indian publishers could have grown faster had they recognized their new readers a long time ago. "When we were busy celebrating Indian writing in English, a new generation of readers looking for racy, quick reads was coming up."
Read more: Good news story? - Special Report - Sunday TOI - Home - The Times of Indiahttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-toi/special-report/Good-news-story/articleshow/6494294.cms#ixzz0ymwg2iZQ
Newer homegrown imprints say this is a good time to be an Indian publisher. Renuka Chatterjee, editor-in-chief of Westland/Tranquebar, says the growth of indigenous houses is a "sign of healthy publishing". She says Indiais going down a route set by the west in that "independent book houses are an important part of the publishing scene. Many Booker prizewinners have come from smaller publishing houses."
The expanding market means there are more writers, more genres, more books, albeit of differing quality. Mosthomegrown publishers say the "new" Indian reader is responsible for the growth. For "new", read "adventurous", willing to experiment and try new things. Kapish Mehra of Rupa says today's publisher is "supposed to tap the pulse of the reader".
The "new" reader is GenNow, with a supposedly short attention span and little patience for highbrow literary stuff. Chatterjee says Indian publishers could have grown faster had they recognized their new readers a long time ago. "When we were busy celebrating Indian writing in English, a new generation of readers looking for racy, quick reads was coming up."
Read more: Good news story? - Special Report - Sunday TOI - Home - The Times of Indiahttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-toi/special-report/Good-news-story/articleshow/6494294.cms#ixzz0ymwg2iZQ
In : publishing