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The Myth of the Disappearing Book

After years of sales growth, major publishers reported a fall in their e-book sales for the first time this year, introducing new doubts about the potential of e-books in the publishing industry. A Penguin executive even admitted recently that the e-books hype may have driven unwise investment, with the company losing too much confidence in “the power of the word on the page.”

Yet despite the increasing realisation that digital and print can easily coexist in the market, the question of whether the e-book will “kill” the print book continues to surface. It doesn’t matter if the intention is to predict or dismiss this possibility; the potential disappearance of the book does not cease to stimulate our imagination.

Why is this idea so powerful? Why do we continue to question the encounter between e-books and print books in terms of a struggle, even if all evidence points to their peaceful coexistence?

The answers to these questions go beyond e-books and tell us much more about the mixture of excitement and fear we feel about innovation and change. Read more


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India: Chiki Sarkar and Karthika: Star Publishers Do What They Gotta Do

When a book really impresses you, you hold the writer in high regard. But do you ever think of the publisher who made the final product possible?

Editors and publishers are the backbone of any publishing house. Karthika VK, Publisher and Chief Editor of HarperCollins India, announced her departure after almost 10 years at the helm – coming a year after Ananth Padmanabhan took charge as its CEO.

It provokes one question: will HarperCollins India’s direction change after her departure? Does any publication become affected by its publisher’s exit? Read more


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There is still a lot of room for debut writing: Interview with Indian literary agent Kanishka Gupta

by Zafar Anjum

In this in-depth interview, novelist and now a well-known literary agent, Kanishka Gupta, talks about his journey of becoming a literary agent and shares his observations on the publishing trends in India. Gupta’s agency, The Writers Side, represents more than 400 writers. 

kANIMG-20151018-WA0002How do you look back onyour journey of being a literary agent? Did you always believe that you would succeed as an agent?

When I look back on my journey I marvel at how I managed to survive and get even this far. I have no qualifications to be a publishing professional and became an agent without a proper understanding of the role of an agent, nor did I have any contacts in publishing. I knew only Ravi Singh (then the head of Penguin India) who was introduced to me by novelist Namita Gokhale. Through him I met his colleague Vaishali Mathur, who was just setting up the Metroreads imprint. I remember how I sold some of my early books for zero advances because a publisher told me they had a no-advance policy. Later on, I came to know the same publisher was shelling out even seven-figure advances to big authors and foreign agents. I also didn’t know what an agency clause was and actually let my authors sign directly with publishers without any mention of myself in the agreement. Obviously the authors paid me my due share on time, but this is not how ‘professional’ agents function. One thing I did right was wait for the right manuscript to make my debut as an agent. Surprisingly my first two submissions–the now-famed Anees Salim’s two books and Singapore-based Navneet Jagannathan’s Shakti Bhatt-shortlisted Tamasha in Bandaragon–got multiple offers. I knew about auctions but didn’t know how they were conducted. I thought just because publishers had deigned to make an offer to a wannabe agent, I should fall at their feet with the manuscripts and shed tears of joy. I remember I learnt the process while actually auctioning them. A publisher called me and chided me for revealing the rival bidder’s name to her. ‘You never do that Kanishk,’ she said.

Apart from Shobhaa De and Namita Gokhale, I was lucky enough to find influential supporters along the way. The writer and journalist Sheela Reddy introduced me to a lot of senior journalists after I assisted her with her book deal. Rakhshanda Jalil introduced me to half of Pakistan’s literary community and several other writers because she liked my aggression. For a wannabe publishing professional who did nothing but invest Rs 7,000 in setting up a ghastly website, I got a lot of media attention. One week after the launch of my website, the noted writer and critic Jai Arjun Singh featured an interview with me in Sunday Business Standard alongside my guru Shobhaa De’s interview. Even more surprising was a half page devoted in the main Indian Express a few weeks later. I don’t think I can manage that even now. I think there were at least a dozen pieces on Writer’s Side when it launched and I can’t figure for the life of me why! Mine is the unlikeliest story in Indian publishing, like it or not! Continue reading


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Publishing industry is overwhelmingly white and female, US study finds

Survey of workforce at 34 book publishers and eight review journals in US reveals 79% of staff are white and 78% female – with UK numbers still unmonitored: The Guardian

A survey of American publishing has found that it is blindingly white and female, with 79% of staff white and 78% women.

Multicultural children’s publisher Lee & Low Books surveyed staff at 34 American publishers, including Penguin Random House and Hachette , as well as eight review journals, to establish a baseline to measure diversity among publishing staff. They found that 79% were white. Of the remainder, Asians/Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders made up 7.2% of staff, Hispanics/Latinos/Mexicans 5.5%, and black/African Americans 3.5%. Continue reading


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“Celebrate Singapore Books” Fair to be held on 16 June; The Singapore Book Awards revived

Celebrate Singapore BooksThe Singapore Book Publishers Association (SBPA) and Isetan Singapore will celebrate Singapore publishing by organising a “Celebrate Singapore Books” fair from 16 to 30 June 2015. The fair will also be the site of several book signings, a reading corner and an exhibition on books published in Singapore since 1965.

The Singapore Book Publishers Association is a trade association formed in 1968, to protect and promote the book publishing industry in Singapore. The SBPA now comprises 66 members, which publish in a wide range of topics in the four official languages of Singapore. Our members include SMEs and the top multinational publishing groups.

The whole space of Isetan Wisma Atria basement level (some 15,000 square feet) will be converted into a sales and exhibition area made up of Singapore publishers featuring local writers and illustrators in the English, Malay and Mandarin languages. A wide range of books will be available for purchase, from trade best-sellers to religious books, children’s books and educational and assessment books. All will be available for purchase, many at special prices, to promote literacy and the joy of reading during the school holidays.

SINGAPORE BOOK AWARDS 2015

The Singapore Book Publishers Association is pleased to announce the revival of the Singapore Book Awards for 2015. The Singapore Book Awards aims to promote the finest of the book publishing industry in Singapore. Nominations are now open till 31 August, and the winners will be announced at a gala cocktail event in conjunction with the Singapore Writers’ Festival in November 2015. Continue reading


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The State & Future of Publishing in Sri Lanka

by Sam Perera

Among bookshops that are closing down, are those that are thriving. Amid unattractive displays, narrow aisles and dusty shelves, dedicated readers linger, browse, ferret around and thumb through an ever increasing selection of new publications. This steady stream of quiet, cultured consumers is the coveted audience of writers, publishers and booksellers alike.

So what are people reading, and in multi-lingual Lanka, in what language? Not surprisingly, the demographic is divided proportionally among Sri Lanka’s linguistic groups with the Sinhala readership grabbing the lion’s share. Poets abound and poetry primes – again, not surprisingly as Sinhala is a witty tongue with which the dullest of us laugh at the direst of situations with wry humour. University Dons turned poets – like Liyanage Amarakeerthi or those who have shown the way like Gunadasa Amarasekera display an enviable mastery of the language and their works are much sought after by readers of the esoteric.  Edward Mallawaarachchi’s novels are liberally rose-tinted and calculated to please an analogous readership to that of Mills & Boon. Like many writers of this genre, he is not alone and his work competes fiercely with authors like Sujeeva Prasanna Aarachchi or Samindra Ratnayake. Continue reading


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Amazon vs Hachette: readers and authors take sides in publishing dispute

The tussle between Amazon and the publishing conglomerate has been raging since spring. Here’s an update on the fight: The Guardian

A corporate boxing match broke from the ring and swelled into all-out rumpus last weekend, as readers and authors took sides in Amazon and Hachette’s fight over the publishing industry’s future. Continue reading


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Interview: Anjali Singh

The editorial director of Other Press on cultivating politically important literature, seeking new voices, and race and class in publishing: Guernica

Anjali_SinghI first met Anjali Singh a few years ago at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City during an informal meeting to discuss the place of Asian-American editors in the publishing industry. It’s perhaps telling that neither Singh nor I could remember exactly what had been concluded at this meeting other than, yes, there needs to be more diversity in publishing, and, no, nobody really knows what do about it. Our outlook has hardly changed. However, it has gained visibility due to social media campaigns such as #WeNeedDiverseBooks, which points to the lack of diversity in children’s publishing. Continue reading


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Chinese demand for foreign books boosts publishers: CCTV

With the rise of e-books and alternative entertainment, traditional publishing is facing new headwinds around the world. But in China, the demand for books is still strong, including foreign-language books—opening up one of the world’s largest consumer markets to publishers. 

A new chapter for publishers is starting in China. Back in 2005, Jo Lusby guided Penguin’s entry into the market. Now, that investment is paying off—with a growing demand for foreign books.
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Book publishing market snapshots: Malaysia

Amir Muhammad, owner ofBuku Fixi explains the impact of government subsidized vouchers on the Malaysian book industry and the dominance of Malay-language romance novels.

AmirMuhammad230314For the third year in a row, the Malaysian book industry received a boost in the form of book vouchers given out to university students. The 1Malaysia Book Vouchers are worth RM250 (about $76) which can typically pay for 10 local paperbacks. As they were given out to 1.3 million students and may be used even for non-educational books, the boost to bookshops is noticeable. The voucher is just one of a slew of feel-good subsidy measures from a government which had lost its traditional 2/3 majority in parliament in the last two general elections.  Continue reading
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