The Hindu : Indian publishers make their presence felt

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 19, 2004

International

International - India & World

Indian publishers make their presence felt

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, MARCH 18. After years of near invisibility at international book events, Indian publishers have finally ventured out of the `purdah', judging from the just-concluded London International Book Fair.

For the first time, they had a more visible presence this year with at least two major publishing houses — Rupa and Company, and Roli Book — boasting of their own independent stalls. Given the size of India's publishing industry it was still a disappointing show but seasoned observers were happy to see that at last Indian publishers and booksellers had started to recognise the importance of visibility in an increasingly competitive international market.

"They seem to have come of age at last and I am happy for them,'' said a Fair veteran pointing out, though, that Indian publishers still needed to do a "lot of catching up''.

A. K. Singh of Rupa and Company was clearly pleased with the advantages of being in the thick of things.

"We have had a very good response. A buyer from a London school wanted to see everything we have on Indian music,'' he said, proudly holding up a lavishly produced coffee-table book on India's prominent musicians, "Music Makers''. Books on health, art and folklore were also a big draw, he said adding that working out of the company's own independent stand had been a new and learning experience.

Indian printers, riding on the outsourcing boom, had turned out in full force and were clearly much in demand. British publishers said that Indian printing had improved greatly in recent years and compared well with international standards.

"Until recently it was simply more economical to print in India but now that the quality of Indian printing has also improved more and more British publishers are starting to outsource,'' said one India-friendly publisher.

This year's fair, billed as Europe's `largest' spring publishing event, attracted a record 25,000 publishers, booksellers, distributors and printers from around the world, including a large number of small and independent publishers from Asian, African and East European countries.

"A surge in overseas visitors has confirmed the London Book Fair's shift away from a display event for the UK industry to a truly international show,'' a spokesman for the organisers said.

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Indian publishers make their presence felt