For kids aged 3-10 there’s no replacement for books

The relationship between a kid and a book is eternal, no matter in which era we are living. Even today, kids love to explore their world through books, says Sushil Gupta, MD, Sunrise Publications in conversation with Smita Dwivedi Children, now-a-days, read to have fun, to enjoy themselves with stories and colours. And they are increasingly hard to please. They aren't satisfied with books "for children" anymore. Above all, they want to be informed and understand the world around them better and better, since in a few years this very world will be their world as grown-ups. Children have fun as they play, alone or with their parents, in a cheerful and relaxing way. Sometimes they teach and help our little readers' imagination develop as they amuse themselves lightheartedly and are left free to think and act. The first people to appreciate the value of our publications – featuring painstaking texts, illustrations and typographical format – are children themselves, who can finally express themselves, letting their imagination run free, and then their parents, who are aware of the importance of playful learning for the mental growth of their children, feel good about them, says Sushil Gupta, MD, Sunrise Publications.

Started in April 2000, Sunrise Publications has always aimed to set a higher standard in children's book segment, bringing not just the usual books but also innovative unusual books. Presently, they have more than 700 titles in publication with exports reaching out to over 30 countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, Thailand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Vietnam, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Dubai and Fiji.

A humble beginning…

“I came to Delhi as a fresh graduate in 1996 and I started working in the sales department of Tiny Tot Publications and Evergreen Publications. Within four years of my job experience, I decided to start my own publication for children. And so in the year 2000, I started Sunrise Publications in partnership with Vidyarthi Prakashan Limited, Shaharanpur,” shared Sushil. In 2003, Sushil became the full-fledged proprietor of Sunrise Publications. “I feel proud of establishing this set up on my own, since being the first generation in this business I had to start from the scratch,” said Sushil. “It was a smooth sailing for me, as I always wanted to start my publication, even a well paid job of senior officers never caught my fancy. So, my urge to fulfill my dream never allowed me to slowdown…all the hardships and struggles were taken by the stride.”

The expanse…

As per Sushil, their business venture is booming steadily, which helped him in reaching his set targets on time. “Last year, our new company called Little Sun Publications started its operations for school books publishing. Our marketing and creative team is working hard for its establishment. We are focusing mainly on school books for the age group 3 to 10 years,” he shared.

“Today, we have our presence in over 100 cities of India. Our buyers include book shops, distributors, schools and libraries. Southern India is our very strong market, while we are also expanding ourselves in northern India with a focus on India rural areas,” he added.

Younger audience…

“We cater mainly to age group 3-10 years and at this stage nothing can replace books. So, we see no slowdown in future. Reading is one of the best pastimes that pay back high returns. Exposing a child to books at an early age brings in a lot more good than just fanciful reading. It helps the child develop his language, his reading skills. More than anything it cultivates the power to imagine the unthinkable and put them down in words,” he opined.

Reading habits...

Talking about general trends in children’s books, Sushil explained, “With the arrival of television and Internet, parents often complain that it is next to impossible to keep their children away from the screen. All said and done parents need to realize that abandoning the world of riches and dreams, which books open to us, is surely not the order of the day. We should promote reading habits among them.”

“But, these trends are only metro centric. If we go just 50 km from Delhi or any other C category city or rural India, the scene is totally different. There’s a big market for books to be tapped,” he shared.

Innovation is the key…

“We are making books interactive and attractive to grasp children’s attention. Colours, shapes and sizes are equally important for them, so we are giving importance to production as well. We are also coming up with new 3-D books, which again would be a rage amongst the kids,” he informed.

A promising future…

Envisioning a good future for metropolitan cities, he shared, “One of our products called Kid Zone – my Library, a set of children books is a big hit. We sold more than one million boxes within first year of its launch.”

“We are also planning to start our own printing facility. Within five years we would be publishing books up to senior secondary,” he concluded.