GenX in Publishing!

Innovative ideas, new perspectives, fresh energy… Gen-X publishing professionals are dynamic and eager to take their companies to newer heights. All About Book Publishing met one such young professional in the book publishing industry. Excerpts. Manish Verma
director
Diamond Publications

Diamond Group of Publications is one of the largest publishing houses in India established in the year 1948. Over the years, the group has made a mark in creating and publishing bestselling and popular titles under various genres. It has created a niche market for itself in the publishing industry with widely read magazines,books, comic books etc. Some of their popular magazines include Grehlakshmi, Diamond Cricket Today (Hindi & English), Sadhna Path and Power Learning (Hindi & English)

Manish Verma, the Director of Diamond Publications, is the third generation in the family to run the company. Infusing his youthful energy into his publication, he has brought Diamond to the list of top most publishers of the industry.

Journey of the group…

“The group has also shown a phenomenal growth in the field of events and activation with few innovative concepts for its audience and the brands associated with it. For the trending technology perspective and digitization nowadays, Diamond has created few ambitious platforms into the digital domain. It has a strong online presence, with substantial following on social networking sites,” shares Manish.

Vision & philosophy…

“With a strategic marketing approach behind each book, we always aim to give good content at affordable rates. Observing and following the readership patterns,we believe in bringing the best and latest works for our readers,” tells Manish.

Challenge faced…

“Distribution, technology and investment are the common problems faced by publishers today. Attitudes towards e-books, online publishing and apps, seems to be favorable but to some extent it has become a challenge for publishers. The rapidly changing formats, platforms and software, make it further difficult for publishers to keep up,” shares Manish.

Publishing industry today…

“India seems to be on a good stead when comes to printed books. There is something very attractive about the printed book that still makes heads turn. A vibrant future for publishing industry with growing reader base, increased number of authors and books easily available through various means is keeping the Indian publishing industry surging ahead year after year. Book launch today are much more than an arid affair attended by few readers and friends. They have turned glamorous, sometimes even with a celebrity around. Moreover, event promotions have also raised the bar to another level,” he tells.

How digital has impacted publishing?

“The growth of e-commerce in India has helped a lot in expanding geographically and tapping rural areas. Authors now have different avenues to reach their audience. While e-books have its own space and market but a strong number of avid readers will always love to hold a book in their hand,” adds Manish.

Areas of growth in the industry…

“With the evolution of digital publishing, business models have undergone significant changes, and new opportunities for growth have opened up but, all these developments have also brought up challenges alongside. The experience of reading a book is changing now. As India is a country of storytelling, the advent of digital audio books/storybooks could be the next big thing as this segment is catching up faster these days. Self-publishing is also gaining validity and popularizing among young authors,” tells Manish.

Roadmap for future…

“Content will always be a priority for us. Besides the weak financial footing of the publishing industry, we have still survived and will continue to do so. We will have to keep pace with the technology and trying to get a good hold in the e-books market gradually. The genres in the book market are vast now: autobiography, fiction, detective fiction, cookery, sports, blogs etc, and all of this work is available in almost all languages, not just English. There is much more exchange between Indian languages now, that is really encouraging for home grown publishers like us,” shares Manish.