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Setting shop, literally!

Cambridge University Press President Stephen Bourne tells SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY that a day would come when most bookstores will close down

PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA

INDIA CALLING Cambridge University Press President Stephen R.R. Bourne in New Delhi

This is his last of the day's many meetings. Obviously, he is exhausted. But with an easy gait, Stephen R.R. Bourne ambles his way to the corner of the conference room meant for meetings with media persons and settles down on a sofa, offering a friendly smile straightaway.

"It has been a long day," he begins. "But in essence, it is a significant day for the Cambridge University Press," promptly adds Bourne, the company's President. CUP, after operating in India through Foundation Books, has bought over 51 per cent stakes in it this past week, and has thus opened its first direct India office at Daryaganj. And not just that, Bourne, in New Delhi for the takeover, says along with it, CUP has also upped shutters of six bookstores across India.

"Till yesterday, CUP worldwide had only two bookshops, one at Cambridge and the other at Sao Paulo in Brazil. But from today we have eight bookstores worldwide," states the Englishman. Six Indian cities - New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata - get a bookstore each. "Ninety per cent of the books in these stores will be Cambridge books but it shall have books by other publishers too," he says.

Bookshops

With CUP now adding to an already vibrant scenario where some Indian corporate houses are already in the business of bookstores, does it mean that the future of bookshops is bright here at an Internet age?

Bourne says, "Indians are lucky to have so many bookstores." The prevailing international trend is Internet-shopping of books. "Quite a hefty percentage of our books is sold through Internet worldwide. A website like Amazon.com gives us a lot of business. But the trend will take some time to grow in India," he feels. A time would come, he says, "when there shall be no bookstores in the world. Say, in another 10 to 20 years, no one will visit a bookstore for books. It will finally see the end of stand-alone colony bookstores."

Sharing as to why his company is showing greater interest in the Indian market now, Bourne says time has come now for Cambridge books to expand its prospect. "English language books have been our plus points. English education is indeed big in India and our academic books are already quite popular here. But we need to expand and to do that you need to pump in money which we will do now after the new equation," he explains. India is the third largest market for English language books after the U.K. and the U.S. but in a span of few years, India is slated to beat even Britain in the race. No wonder, foreign publishers are increasingly setting shop in the country.

Cheaper books

The immediate advantage of this takeover is, "CUP books will now be cheaper." Though CUP journals are usually expensive, Bourne says journals printed in India will be cheaper. "Our first journal printed here will come out soon," he promises.

Being the publisher of Noam Chomsky and Amartya Sen among other stalwarts, he gives a faint hope of finding even their published books at a cheaper rate here if CUP goes for an Indian reprint of them. But to start with, CUP will push ahead Foundation Books' existing list of Indian authors.

Also, Bourne is quite upbeat about bringing here pre-schooler books. "Easy English language books for early learners are not widely available here. We have started our language books section for early learners in New Zealand called Hippo Books. We might think of bringing the range here," he says.

Though CUP is the oldest publisher of Bible, (the first one was published in the 15th Century) this looks like the last of his priorities here. "My first priority here is to sell English grammar and maths books to Indian school-goers," he sums up.

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