The promising start…

Editor – S K Khurana IThe Indian census 2011 figures indicate that the national literacy rate has reached 74.04 percent, as against 64.83 percent in 2001 (males: 82.14 percent, females: 65.46 percent). This is a positive indication for the Indian publishing industry and of course there are many more reasons to cheer as well.

Getting a book published had never been so simple! The book publishing industry is becoming more techno-savvy… though digital printing had made inroads into this industry for quite some time…but it is now that it seems to be accepted in a big way. Digital press manufacturers like Xerox, HP and InfoPrint have come up with solutions for book on demand, adding to the existing solutions offered by companies like Canon and Kodak. Libraries, bookshops and retail outlets are targeted for offering the BOD facility to book lovers across the world. Even book printers and publishers can benefit from this technology. When so much is happening around the world, India should also gearing up for this change.

While major thrust of Indian publishing industry was on educational and general books, publishers are now not shying away from bringing out fiction written by Indian authors, most of whom are debutant authors. Chic lit romance has become very popular. An Indian author has recently penned a book in the famous ‘Mills & Boon’ series! These light-read books are economically priced and are quite a hit with travelers and youngsters. Besides, publishers are also eyeing the ‘Young adult’ segment and are welcoming really young authors, some even as old as sixteen!

All these positive developments point to one thing – the publishing industry is growing. Though print runs are shrinking, the subjects are expanding and so is self-publishing. The year 2011 has begun on a positive note and the recent US judgment on the Google Book Settlement is also a welcome move from both publishers as well as authors around the world.

We hope to have even more such encouraging and affirmative developments for the industry.

Happy reading!