India moves up on literary scale!

Publishing industry in India seems to have stabilized, after a decade of decline. Though the online book stores have intruded into the profits of brick-and-mortar bookstores, they have now become a part of the trade and are helpful in taking books across geographical boundaries. New physical bookstores are opening up, as book lovers wish to browse through the books and then make a purchase decision. On the other hand, publishing industry is becoming more organized with acquisitions and mergers. Moreover new niche publishers are seeing the light of the day and new breed of authors are creating ripples across the country.

The year 2016 started off with the biggest book fair in India – the New Delhi World Book Fair 2016 at New Delhi, followed by the biggest literary event – the Jaipur Literature Festival. The enthusiasm at these events was truly contagious – with book lovers thronging the venues in huge numbers, all for the love of books.

Gradually, a number of literary events have cropped up across the country. And this is just the beginning… there are still many cities which are hungry for such literary events. Some of the well-known events are Mumbai International Literary Festival, Kochi International Book Festival, Goa Arts and Literary Festival, Jaipur Literature Festival, Hyderabad Literary Festival and Lucknow Literary Festival, to name a few. Even the Delhi Literature Festival was a big hit this time, being held at the ethnic venue – Dilli Haat. Books are a part of our culture and the amalgamation of books with culture has always been a hit among masses.

India has become a focus country for publishing. Countries like China are eyeing it for its potential. China was the guest of honour country at the recent New Delhi World Book Fair and their stand and books generated a lot of interest. Many new agreements were signed at the fair itself. This seems to be the beginning to a new era for Indian publishing industry, which is now bound to grow. Quality and adaptability of content to different platforms will be a key to success. So, embrace the new technologies and let your content be the king!

Happy publishing!