RaveIndia book printing is an evergreen job

From pre-press to a full-fledged printing house…with everything from pre-press to post press under one roof, Rave Scan has come a long way. Stringent quality measures, top-of-the-line machinery and the desire to excel in the print production – has given Rave Scan a name to reckon with. Almost 60 percent of their turnover attributes to book printing – children books, annual books, coffee table books, etc. 

For Rave India, book printing is their main strength – short-run commercial jobs come and go but book printing is something which is a 24x7 job, which they are accomplishing with elan and ease.

“The demand for coffee table books is rising as the awareness is more and self-publishing has given wings to the creativity of many first-time authors,” told Charu of Rave India. “Earlier, coffee table books were a luxury which not everybody would keep at their homes but now the scenario has changed, even ordinary households love to flaunt them.”

“The print run for such coffee table books varies anything between 1,000-2,000 copies. These are high-end jobs and we provide the complete solution for these books. Infact, few of our customers just provide us the pictures and we develop the content and design it accordingly,” told Bhavnesh Kumar, director, Rave India, as a matter of fact.

Rave Scan also specializes in producing annual school magazines for which they provide a complete solution, right from designing to post press. “We have a tie-up with a host of schools and we provide a complete solution to them,” he added.

“Almost 60 percent of our turnover comes from books, it is an year round job for us. Balance 40 percent of our turnover comes from other print jobs,” told Rakesh Bhatnagar, managing director, Rave India adding, “Our customers are mostly Indian publishers and we feel happy servicing the local clients, though we would definitely like to go for exports as well.”

Talking about the book printing market in India, Rakesh added, “It is still less as compared to foreign market, where we find people reading books everywhere – in buses, trains, beachside – in fact everywhere. That culture is still not there in India and hence there’s still a lot of scope to grow.”

The journey of Rave India has been interesting. Starting as a pre-press house in 1993, they ventured into printing in 2004. “In 2002-2003, we visited the top industry fairs like IPEX, drupa and Frankfurt Book Fair, we realized that pre-press houses have become passé abroad. And if we have to grow, we need to diversify into printing as most of the pre-press houses had by then become a part of the printing area – they were just an ancillary structure,” reminisced Rakesh.

With a workforce of over 400 individuals, Rave India is busy servicing a number of publishers, schools and corporate. “We have all facilities under one roof – pre-press, press and post press. Though we are proud to say that we have an impressive line of machines for our pre-press and press units, we still need to strengthen our post press section,” he added.

Combined together in their three units in Naraina, their press units house Heidelberg XL 105 4 colour machine, two Heidelberg SM 74 5-colour machine, one Heidelberg SM 102 4-colour machine and one Heidelberg single colour machine, besides KBA Planeta VCVD 5-colour CPC with coater, KBA Planeta P-44 with alcohol dampener and KBA Planeta P-24 2-colour machine.

While, their post press segments house one Perfecta program cutting machine, four Heidelberg Polar program cutting machine, five Stahl folding machines, one Muller Martini flowline saddle stitcher, two 6 clamp perfect binder, three saddle stitchers, two thermal and two wet lamination machines, two nipping machines, two shrink wrapping machines, one creasing and perforation machines, two bundling machines, one die-cutting machine, one Sakurai Maestro online coater with UV conveyer and three Muller Martini section sewing machines, etc.

Talking about their new unit in Gurgaon, Rakesh informed, ‘Right now, we have two printing machines in our Gurgaon office – Heidelberg CD 102 4-colour preset and Heidelberg CD 102 4+L preset and most probably, we might go for a complete packaging unit there.”

“We have been expanding for the last five years and so are not eyeing any major expansion this year. Last year, we experienced a growth of 35 percent than previous year and the first four months of the new financial year has given us a growth of 46 percent over the same period last year. We are targeting a growth of 50 percent this financial year,” echoed Rakesh and Bhavnesh. “Also, we might go for IPO after sometime and then plan for major expansion,” concluded Rakesh.

Joy of publishing through literary agents

You have written a manuscript but do not know where to get it published - contact a literary agent and leave your worries behind – he/she will evaluate your manuscript, find a suitable publisher, get it published and promote it as well. Varsha Verma delves into the importance and role of literary agents in the publishing world. 

In literal sense, literary agents are the agents who represent writers and their written works to publishers and theatre/film producers and assists in the sale and deal negotiation of the same. They are paid a fixed percentage (ten to twenty percent) of the proceeds of sales they negotiate on behalf of their clients. First-time authors, with no publishing experience, often turn to literary agents to get their works published. Increasingly, even published authors now work with literary agents as they can get guidance in terms of the market, publishing contracts and practices, copyrights, etc.

Though this concept is still in its infancy in India, but is getting its share of recognition. Many literary agents have emerged in the market and are doing a good job of bridging the gap between the authors and publishers.

Literary agents – the link between writers and publishers…

So what exactly do the literary agents do? “Literary agents are a significant and important link between writers and publishers. For writers, we ascertain that publishers give them the requisite attention and their voices are represented. For the publishers, we do the job of sending in manuscripts which are worth publishing so it does help them in that manner,” says Mita Kapur, CEO, Siyahi – a leading literacy agency in India at Jaipur.

Boon for writers…

First-time authors or even the published ones, sometimes do not know which would be the right publisher for them. Besides, they do not have the time for the same and for them, literary agents ease out the things for them.

“In recent years there have been platforms such as e-books, vanity publishing and self publishing whereby people can get their work published. An agent works with traditional publishers and finds the best fit for their authors work; hence their exposure with publishers and high profile authors has increased. I think as authors become more dependent on their agents, the agent’s prominence has grown,” says Sherna Khambatta of Sherna Khambatta Literary Agency, Mumbai, another actively involved literary agency in India.

“I am actively involved in the entire process with the author from the time the manuscript is written (with constant contact, editorial feedback and support) to the point when the book is available at stores and thereafter its’ regular availability and promotion,” she adds.

Her views were supported by Mita, who adds, “We make it a point to be there for our authors always which is what they want - substantial and worthwhile creative attention.”

“For authors based in India, having an agent locally who understands the market, has contact with publishers and can support them through the writing process - I think gives them the time and space to do what they know best - i.e. writing and leaving on us to take care of the rest,” adds Sherna proudly.

Boon for publishers…

But, why would a publisher work with a literary agent? Well, every publisher gets a pile of manuscripts everyday – they need to read and choose the right one for them. Working with an agent is easier as the agent knows whether the manuscript would fit in their genre.

As Sherna puts it, “A literary agent brings about more structure into the publishing world and decreases the slush pile for publishers. Rather than going through thousands of unsolicited work, editors can rely on agents to send work that would interest them and is of a specific standard.”

While we tried to contact a few publishers on their say on the role of literary agents in India, we could not get concrete views as the concept is still new in the industry.

Journey of literary agents in India…

Since the concept is still in its nascent stage in India, how has been the journey of the literary agents in India? “The greatest joy is seeing a first time’s author’s elation on seeing their book in print and in stores. Being a part of the process of making someone’s dream come true of being a published author is I believe the greatest success. On the flipside, distribution and the lack of organisation in the sector are ongoing battles that one has to face and deal with,” shares Sherna.

While Mita adds, “It’s a lot of dedicated, passionate, committed hard work and also a lot of fun. It’s been challenging and yet a fulfilling experience for Siyahi. I really don’t know how to measure success neither do I wish to express any discontent - every start up has its fair share of highs and lows and we are no different. For us at Siyahi, we are constantly looking at moving beyond what we have managed to work at and keep every aspect of the agency alive and vibrantly so. We are always looking out for different genres and have extended our scope to include genres which are just not fiction, poetry or non-fiction but also to do with various fields of the arts, business, food, travel, humour – it’s great fun.”

On a concluding note…

As a message to the publishing fraternity, Mita says, “We need to be aware of not accepting mediocrity at any stage.” While Sherna concludes, “As India has a growing middle class with increased literacy, I hope that publishing and reading will be taken to new heights. I do hope that in time to come authors earn more and are given better support, media coverage and exposure.”

“Children can be the best children writers”

says Tanya Luther Agarwal, a well-known children author in conversation with Varsha Verma. 

Children authors have always been looked at with awe and respect…because our children grow reading their works which give wings to their imagination. We always want to know more about them – where does all these beautiful imaginations comes from? Meet Tanya Luther Agarwal, who has penned more than seven dozens of children books, which have excited and nurtured young minds with their subtle but clear messages. What makes her write, what excites her imagination, what more can we expect from her – here’s a brief.

Writer-by accident…

Tanya became a full-time writer quite by accident. “I was attending a workshop with my son which was conducted by my mentor and well-known children author Paro Anand who was an editor with Rupa & Co at that time. It so happened that I had written a short story and my friend persuaded me to show my story to Paro. I was on top of the world when Paro told that she had liked the story and wanted me to put in some dialogues to make it more interesting. My bright spark of creativity came into action and my first book Jellybean Story was published in 2002,” remembered Tanya fondly.

On first book…

“Jellybean story is about a Jellybean store, I attended in US. At that store, I found that they also stocked a few irregular jellybeans, which ofcourse were cheaper than the rest. Children to the store clamoured for beautiful regular-shaped jellybeans and no one bothered to take a look at the irregular ones. That’s how the idea clicked in my mind – why are we all so conditioned that we don’t want to see imperfections in life. And that was the theme of my book, which was well-received by the readers,” conveyed Tanya proudly.

Since then, there has been no looking back….one book followed the next and so on…today Tanya has 75 published children books.

On writing on environment-friendly subjects…

Tanya tried her hand at the first environment based graphic novels in the country for a project by ONGC (published by TERI Press) which were a big hit. She penned a similar environment-friendly book on ‘Cellphone recycling’ for leading cellphone manufacturer Nokia as well. So popular was this book that it was also translated in Swedish language by Nokia.

She penned a few more books for TERI Press on environment-based issues. “I was given a project on ‘Weird & Wonderful’ series in which we informed children about the weird but beautiful things which nature has given us. It was a great fun to do this series as it required indepth research. The publishers gave me creative freedom and I came up with really interesting stuff for the young minds,” exclaimed Tanya.

On other educational projects…

Tanya has not confined herself to fiction; she has authored a series of English comprehension books for Scholar’s Hub, a series of picture composition books, besides developing curriculum for many schools for various projects, etc. She has also done script writing for plays at various schools.

Before her stint with writing, she had conducted various workshops on parenting and sex education, both in groups and one-to-one basis at Indian School. Tanya has a background in psychology which comes handy in all her workshops and her writing.

From workshops to writing…

“I left my job at the school when my father expired – I was grieving and did not want to go out. I preferred to stay at home and write for hours and hours. That probably was my way of coping with the stress,” told Tanya. Interestingly, Tanya’s father was an artist himself – he wrote and he could play all musical instruments.

On writing for children…

“Infact, a child of 3-4 years of age is always full of awe. For him, anything and everything is exciting. If you can think like a 3-4 year old, you can come up with really imaginative and awesome content. Personally speaking, children can be the best children writers,” she said confidently.

“On a conscious level, writing for children is really difficult but if you transport yourself to your childhood and think about what made you go awe, it is not difficult to write. Ofcourse, I do have my share of difficult moments but they are because I am bonded and restricted by my own mature thinking. And, when I try and become free-spirited, it flows easily,” told Tanya as a matter of fact. “No pointers should be kept when you write for children, it has to be free-flowing and uninhibited initially and then it needs to be edited and fine tuned,” she added.

On ideas and inspirations…

For Tanya, the story ideas are the culmination of life experiences at a sub-conscious or conscious level. “Sometimes, what you have seen several years ago comes as a flash - that could be a moment of inspiration. The idea is not to focus and think too much…just go with the flow. Infact, writing for children in therapeutic in itself,” she added. “Sometimes, I finish my story in a couple of hours and at times, it extends to a few days,” added Tanya.

Own children…biggest critics…

For Tanya, her biggest critics stay in her home – her children. “Both my son and daughter are both my sounding board as well as my biggest critics. Whenever I share my ideas with them, they will come up with their suggestions – what appeals to them, what does not. This gives me an insight into the mind of children as well,” laughed Tanya.

On her skills…

Tanya attributes her success to her strong work ethics – hard work, discipline and commitment. “I like challenges and am excited to write on new subjects. I know I can write on any subject and whatever I create, will be interesting for the child and can engage the child,” told Tanya proudly. “But, I can’t market myself. My work speaks for me. It gives an insight into who I am and what I am capable of. Also, I believe that there should be some mystery about the writer because a writer cannot be bigger than his/her characters.”

On recent project…

“Right now, I am working on a curriculum development project wherein I am preparing modules for CSR activities for NGOs in various fields like English language, health & hygiene.”

On her future plans…

Tanya feels that she has a long way to go. “I attend a lot of writing workshops to hone my skills. Infact, there’s so much to learn about the craft of writing – it is a process of learning constantly. The idea is to do better than what you did before, package it differently and develop the characters in a different way. I want each book to be better than the previous ones,” concluded Tanya.

CAPEXIL organises seminar

A horde of entrepreneurs engaging in exports business of books, packaging materials, and others thronged the seminar titled ‘Import-Export Financing’ organised by HSBC in association with CAPEXIL. 

Unfolding of the event held on June 24, 2011 in New Delhi was marked by a welcome address by Sukumar Das, chairman, Northern Region, CAPEXIL followed by subsequent presentations by a panel of experts comprising Niraj Gupta, branch manager, ECGC; Akshat `Sharma, manager–trade & supply chain sales North India, HSBC; and Varsha Verma, associate editor, S-Media Group. Talks on business developments at the ‘Import-Export Financing’ reinforced a relevance of India’s growing economy and exhorted everyone attending the seminar to make a transition in their business to a new route of volume and profit. Credit risks insurance covers, import-export financing and effective utilisation of print documents and internet were the focuses extensively articulated.

Getting rid of risks

(L-R) Varsha Verma, Niraj Gupta, Sukumar Das and Akshat Sharma

ECGC’s presentation on Export Credit Guarantee Schemes underlined guaranteed offerings to banks and financial institutes to help exporters obtain better facilities. Referring a string of risk covers offerings like Banking Credit Advances for Exports, Post-Shipment Advances for Purchase/Discounting/Negotiation of Export Bills, Shipment Comprehension Risk Policy and others, Niraj explained ECGC’s diverse credit risk insurance covers against loss in exports of goods and services. “We don’t directly cover the risks of the exporters but provide covers to the financing banks in the pre-shipment,” he mentioned.

Citing data of global business failure reports by June 2011, Niraj stated that payments for exports are open to risks even at the best of times. “The risks have assumed large proportions today due to economic and political crises, wars and other social factors sweeping across the world,” he said adding exporters may face commercial risks of insolvency or protracted default of buyers. ECGC’s export credit insurance is designed to protect exporters from the consequences of the payment risks, both political and commercial. “It is quite challenging to offer our risk covers schemes, which have limited scopes but vastly useful,” proclaimed Niraj.

Export bill discounting

Bumping up the business of exporters, HSBC offers DC discounting, in which they buy the bill of exchange or promissory note before it is due and credits the value after a discount charge to the exporter’s account. This was the main theme being spotlighted at HSBC’s presentation during the seminar. “We offer discounting of both domestic as well as foreign LCs, presentable to the nominated banks in ‘with’ and ‘without’ recourses,” explained Akshat.

Roles of print and internet

After the inspiring sessions on credit schemes and finance policies, closure of the seminar got into an exclusive presentation of how ‘print and internet’ can boost business potential of the export companies. “Brochures, business cards, newsletters and other business-related documents are not merely papers for communication but helps companies significantly impress their clients and represent overall demeanour of the establishment,” explicated Varsha. She also mentioned the significance of content, design and using of best quality papers, advanced printing technology to produce the documents to cast an impressive spell on customers.

In addition to all good deeds of printing advances, Varsha also specified the role of internet in business promotion. She explained the way an export firm can develop their official website, blog, interaction forum, social network media, etc to pull attentions of browsers/customers. In her explanation to an attendee’s question on ‘search engine optimisation’ tool in online advertising, she pointed out how the technology helps website receive optimum hits. End of the seminar was not the end in the real sense as attendees expressed their keenness to correspond with the speakers via mails to put up further queries on the topics they discussed.

Creating joyful and accessible content…

Lively conversation and discussion, the camaraderie and the coming together of so many minds and hearts to create a reading nation – what more could you ask for? That was how one felt at Pratham Books’ Sabha 2011, a gathering of minds engaged in multilingual books for children, which was attended by more than 100 writers, translators and illustrators.

Pratham Books

Pratham Books, a not-for-profit publisher that creates quality books for children, definitely needs no introduction. Their mission is to put ‘a book in every child’s hand.’ With 201 titles, 1,300 books, 8 million story books, 8 million story cards…and a readership of 25 million…Pratham Books is indeed working towards its mission.

More recently, they organized Sabha 2011, a gathering of more than 100 writers, translators and illustrators engaged in crafting multilingual books for children. The excitement at the event was infectious – everybody applauding the wonderful work that the authors and illustrators together create.

The keynote address was given by Rohini Nilekani, chairperson, Pratham Books. She raised a point that books need to reach the hands of the children for which platforms need to be built, better libraries need to be set-up – there’s lot to do in this wonderful world of reading books. “Power comes from knowledge, which needs to be transmitted through books,” she added. She also stressed that it is the books that have the ability to create empowered citizens of tomorrow. “And this is possible when children have some joyful stuff to read,” she iterated. Interestingly, Pratham Books has reached 5 million books but this is nowhere where they want to reach. “There are 347 million children in India and we want to reach all of them,” she concluded.

This informative address was followed by a presentation on Pratham Books by Suzanne Singh, managing trustee, Pratham Books. She started off by citing the facts that for 347 million children in India, there are just 15 million books produced by the organized publishers annually. “This is negligible as compared to 30 million books for 12 million children in UK,” she told. Another important point to ponder is that India has 22 languages and 1,600 dialects and the books are predominantly produced in English and Hindi. “There are great gaps in languages, especially Urdu. And this really led the Pratham books seeing a book in every child’s hand. We are working towards democratizing the joy of reading, where every child gets to read,” she added.

It is indeed a feat that Pratham Books started offering books at a rate of Rs 25 seven years back and they still continue to do so. “Ofcourse, we have books that are priced more but those are different kinds of books which need a higher pricing, catering to the needs of both rural and urban children. But, the quality of all books is excellent, the paper used is good quality paper and all the books are produced is minimum five languages. So far, we have covered 11 languages and are adding the 12th language – Malayalam this year. Another feather in the cap would be books on plays, for which hardly any books are available,” added Suzanne. She further told that Pratham Books is always on the lookout for innovations in product, distribution and technology. They even produce a Rs 2 book, which is a four page book with a small story with illustrations and which is a major hit in rural areas. They have also put a bunch of books online, where anybody can download the book and use it. “Hence, without any extra effort, our books have been translated into audio books and Braille as well. Majority of our books posted online have been downloaded in Nepal and used for ‘One laptop per child’ scheme,” told Suzanne proudly.

“As of now, we have a print run of 10,000-15,000 copies for every title we produce and the moment it goes up to 50,000, Pratham Books will become a self-sustainable enterprise. We are able to give books in the range of Rs 2-25 and we would really appreciate if we could bring down the cost to 50 p in future,” she concluded.

Then, there was an interesting panel discussion on ‘Creating joyful and accessible content for new readers,’ moderated by Manisha Chaudhry, head of content at Pratham Books. Rukmini Banerji, trained economist and author of several children books shared her experiences about the learning they got through various activities conducted by Pratham Books. She cited a particular incident where they were given a budget of Rs 10,000 to procure 300-400 books for children and they were not able to spend even half of the amount because the books available in that price segment were very few. “Hence, at Pratham Books, we first focused on the books for early readers. Many books have evolved through our interaction with children,” she told excitedly.

Another panelist Shudhasatva Basu, a well-known illustrator, painter and animator, stressed that though word is the best medium to communicate, visual language is very important to converse with children as it can be imaginative and filled with various emotions like fantasy, irony, humour, etc. He gave a glimpse of many of his illustrations used in books.

Anushka Ravishankar, well-known writer of nonsense verses, shared how as a writer, she creates content for joyful reading. She read out her famous verses ‘Today is my day’ and ‘To market!’ and displayed images of the book for everyone to see and feel the effect of illustrations. She added that it as a joy to create these verses but they became more alive with the excellent work of the illustrators. “Children are more alike than different and anything written with joy will be taken up by all children, whether he is a new reader or not,” she concluded.

Yet another panelist Paro Anand, a writer or children and young adult, who is known for her writings on how terrorism impacts children, told that she started writing animal plays and later when she became a part of ‘Literature in action’ programmes, which goes to villages and interacts with children and donates books, she started writing about the impact of terrorism on children. She cited various incidents which became an inspiration for her books.

This interesting session was followed by an open house where the audience interacted with the panelists on the author-illustrator relationship. While a few authors stressed on the importance of briefing the illustrator about the book, others stressed that when illustrators have a free hand, the creativity is better. A consensus was achieved that there is no thumb rule for it.

Later, Gautam John gave a brief presentation on ‘Creative Commons’ where people can post their content and give restrictive permission to use it. The vote of thanks was given by Sandhya Takshale and marked the end of the energetic and exciting Sabha 2011.

YA- the new genre of books is here…!

There are books for adults and there are books for children, but what about the adolescents, the young adults, who are tired of reading children books and somehow do not fit into the adult segment? Young Adult Fiction (YA) caters specifically to this age group. Though Indian market always had its share of Harry Potters alike, but it’s time young adults in India get to read books, specially published for the Indians. This new era has begun…. Varsha Verma brings more on this nascent segment of the Indian publishing industry.

Technically, young adult fiction (YA) refers to books written for the young adults or the adolescents, roughly in the age group of 14-21. Mostly, the main character is an adolescent and the stories or novel revolve around what he/she sees, feels or experiences in that age. The story line is limited only by the imagination and the language is what adolescents in this age can relate to.

But, it does not means that a young adult book is enjoyed only by the children in this segment…many adults would also love to read these books. As Karthika VK, publisher & chief editor, Harper Collins Publisher India, puts it, “We do not want to restrict the readers by age. Hence, we do not use ‘YA’ symbol on our books. But, we have started a different imprint for this category, which is called ‘Harper.’ The title designs are made really interesting and stand apart from kids books.”

While, Penguin has initiated a separate Penguin Young Adult imprint for the same. “We are targeting mid to late teens in the books that carry this label. It is ideally meant for readers who have outgrown children’s books and adult books may not always be what they are looking to read,” told Sudeshna Shome Ghosh, editorial director, Puffin and Penguin Young Adult as a matter of fact.

The varied topics…

But Young Adult books are not limited to fiction alone; there is a mix of fiction and non-fiction titles. “We have tried to bring books of diverse kinds into the list. Mostly we have looked at what interests them at the age. Fantasy adventure is a popular genre for young adults, which is why David Hair’s books are appearing in this series. The books would usually have a young adult protagonist and can fall into a variety of genres – crime, fantasy, coming of age. We are also looking to do non-fiction books in this category – we also have a book on teen fitness and one on business and the professional life,” told Sudeshna.

Similarly, Harper-Collins, which started this division an year back, has a mix of fiction and non-fiction titles. “We are also launching a book on Euphoria (rock band by Palash Sen), which would be released with their new album. Then, we have a book on ‘Body talk’ where we have explained things that young women would like to know about their body. We also have books on crossover fiction for adults and young adults. Our first YA fiction – Potato Chips – received an overwhelming response,” informed Karthika.

Penguin has an initial print run between 2,000 and 8,000 copies for these books while HarperCollins goes with a print run of 5,000 copies.

Finding authors – a mammoth task…

Finding authors for young adult fiction is not easy. As Sudeshna puts it, “It is not easy, the way it is not easy finding really good children’s writers. When an author writes for a specific target group, various considerations do come in – is the language appropriate, or the content and the relevance of issues that crop up in the books. In YA we also need to be careful that the book does not come off sounding as if it is talking down to anyone. We prefer to have books by Indian authors, or if not Indian, then ideally the book should have an Indian or a subcontinent connection.”

Her views were echoed by Karthika who agrees that there are very few writers in this segment but since they are not looking at a huge list in this category, they wait for the right author and the right manuscript. “Sometimes, even adolescents write very interesting books. Our title ‘Potato Chips’ was written by Anshuman, who is a 16 year old boy. The idea is to have a book which is smart and has an immediate appeal to the young adults. Besides, it should directly appeal to Indians, it should not be boring – it should be cool and have hyper urban chic style.”

The marketing angle…

Merchandising seems to be one way to promote the books. Harper is looking at bringing out merchandising like chic handbags to promote their books like a fiction by the ‘Sex and the city’ author Candace Bushnell. Besides, advertising at the live media at coffee shops etc is also done from time to time, besides organizing the regular reading sessions at bookstores and schools.

While Sudeshna says that there is no substitute for good gripping writing. “The design of the book has to be appropriate and not look too kiddish. The promotions of the book can look at various platforms like social media, mobiles, and other avenues,” she added.

On encouraging reading habits…

Adolescents have a lot of other entertainment options but books undoubtedly remain their best friends. As Sheba Karim, an author of a young adult novel opines, “I’d say that unlike movies and video games, which create a visual world for you, the visual world created by books is, though guided by the author’s words, entirely of your own mind, that reading books opens up your mind to new emotional depths and physical possibilities, and there’s nothing more fun than exploration of one’s own imagination.”

“We encourage reading habits by publishing well thought out, well edited books for them. Our commissioning into this section is well thought out and sustained, which means we will continue to publish for this segment regularly,” added Sudeshna.

How big the market is…

Since it is a new segment, there are no ready data available for how big the market is. There have always been books for this segment but it is only now, that they are marketed in this genre. “Most trade publishers are bringing out books for this age group though no one in India has a separate imprint or series name for it like we do and it is difficult to state how big the market is,” told Sudeshna. “We enjoy a good market share for our other books, since the YA series is just introduced we would obviously want to be optimistic and go for similar numbers as our other books. The initial sell through has been receptive, and we hope that we continue a good run,” added Sudeshna.

At HarperCollins, Karthika feels that right now, they are just eyeing 10 percent of their list for this segment but as the market will grow, they definitely will bring out more titles.

The challenges ahead…

Karthika opines that it is not an easy segment as there are not many writers who write for it and a lot of aggressive marketing and publicity is required to make people aware that there are books in this segment. “This segment will get its due share once they have a substantial segment in the bookshelves. I think it will find its own voice and we would be really glad to see Young Adult weave its way into the Indian publishing industry,” concluded Karthika.

Nita Mehta: bringing you recipes that work

When we talk about Indian cookbooks, what name comes to your mind instantly? Probably, it is Nita Mehta, the famous cookbook author who has sold over 3.5 million cookbooks over a span of few years. What inspires the famous author to write, how she thinks of her recipes, what makes her cookbooks sell…let’s find out more. Nita Mehta is a home science graduate from Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi and a Gold Medalist in M.Sc. (Food & Nutrition). She has authored more than 350 books on various topics including more than 250 best selling cookery books. Her book Flavours of Indian Cooking won the Best Asian Cookbook Award at the Versailles (Paris) World Cookbook Fair. Three of her other books have also won international awards like Zero Oil Cookbook, awarded as Best Health and Nutrition Cookbook; Chocolate Cookbook, awarded as Best Chocolate Cookbook and Cooking for Growing Children, awarded as Best Cookbook for Children & Family. The publisher of her books is SNAB Publishers. The secret of success is her thorough and meticulous approach towards her books, as she shares in an interview with Varsha Verma. Excerpts.

AABP: When and how did you become interested in cooking?

Nita Mehta

Nita Mehta: Cooking started at a very young age. As far as I remember, I started cooking when I was 12-13 years old. That time, I used to bake cakes and cookies with my mom, aunts and neighbours. When my parents saw my interest in cooking, they let me do my graduation in home science from Lady Irwin College and then I did my postgraduation in food and nutrition. I enjoyed studying throughout my college life.

AABP: What made you decide to write cookbooks?

Nita Mehta: After my college, I got married and became busy with children. After 10 years of my marriage, when my children grew up, I started taking classes for ice-cream making, which were very well-received by the girls. It was the time when there were not too many flavours available for ice-creams and I created and developed some new ones. After 2-3 years, the same girls and their friends and relatives, asked me to give classes for cuisine like Italian, Chinese and Mughlai. I continued taking classes for another 10 years and it was at this time that I realized that I need to pen down my recipes in the form of a book.

My first book was released in the year 1993 titled Vegetarian Wonders which was a large sized book with coloured pictures. The book was beautifully photographed and was well received. Readers had said that the recipes were written very carefully and there was no margin for error. Infact, some of them even remarked that they felt that their mother is standing beside them and guiding them when they cook a dish. I have authored 350 cookbooks as of now.

AABP: How do you write a recipe?

Nita Mehta: Whenever I write a recipe (even if it is an old recipe), I try to give it a twist to a different flavour. A little change goes a long way in creating a mouth-watering delicious dish.

AABP: How do you organize your recipes in your own kitchen and then in the form of a book?

Nita Mehta: I always try to create an unusual recipe. I first cook in my mind and then put it onto paper. My operator sets it in the page format. Then, once it is done, I think how much quantity of each ingredient should go. Then, either my staff or I cook the recipe. We exact the recipes when we work along. We correct the recipe for any changes in ingredients or process. Infact, each recipe is tried 2-3 times before it is put in a book. We also try to add visuals of each recipe so that people know how an end product looks like.

AABP: What are your favourite cooking gadgets and foods?

Nita Mehta: I do not believe in commercial cooking gadgets. I try to use the minimal gadgets which are ordinarily available in our Indian households. I particularly like a good pair of knives and a chopping board, besides a food processor. Since my books are aimed at general people, I like to use the gadgets which everyone has so that they can actually start instantly with my cookbooks. Infact, I feel proud when readers say that they learnt cooking with my cookbooks.

Though I like all kinds of foods but I like Thai, Chinese and Italian, besides Mughlai. I particularly enjoy Thai food as it is very close to Indian cooking and even the spices used are more or less the same.

AABP: What is your best cooking tip for beginners?

Nita Mehta: When you are reading a cookbook, have faith in it. Read the recipe carefully, collect the ingredients and then start cooking. Better still, work it out in your mind first and then do the actual cooking. Also, always cook with a good mood and with love as food is the expression of love. That’s why mother’s food is different than the staff’s food.

AABP: Do you have an amusing kitchen incident to share?

Nita Mehta: I still remember a kitchen disaster I landed in. Soon after my marriage, I had organized a dinner party. It was a hot day and since I was not very quick at cooking, I started it early. I was so naïve that I forgot to put the dishes made with curd and tomatoes in the refrigerator. By evening, most of the food was spoiled and I had to order food from outside.

Today, when I take my cooking classes, I tell the girls to organize their work and the things which need to be served last should be cooked last. With my hit and trial method, I have amazing tips to share with them as to what can be cooked before and what needs to be cooked last.

AABP: Tell us something about yourself?

Nita Mehta: I am a family person and always like to maintain a work-life balance. I want to work but not at the cost of my family. Whenever I am out the whole day, I make it a point to be home before my grandson’s sleep time so that I can spend some quality time with him.

AABP: What inspires you to go on and on?

Nita Mehta: My family has been very supportive all through my life. Besides, I have travelled a lot in India as well as abroad which has given me an insight into different cuisines around the world. I am very passionate about cooking and when I cook a recipe in my mind, I can actually feel the aroma and taste the flavour of the food I am cooking. Then, I see how to create a twist to a normal dish to make it an exotic one.

AABP: What can the readers expect next?

Nita Mehta: I am coming up with a book on Indian sweets and a Festival Cookbook. The latter will contain information on what to do and what to cook on festivals like Lohri, Dussehra, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Id, and many more South Indian festivals, etc. I really enjoyed working on this book.

Then, there is a book on Rajasthani Cuisine, including both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Coffee table cookbooks are also on the cards.

“Catch them young”

“Catch them young” says Anupama Jauhry, Head, TERI Press, an upcoming publisher in the children books segment, backed with the powerful research team of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), in a conversation with Varsha Verma of AABP.

Despite the plethora of entertainment choices available to children today, they still prefer to buy books”, says Anupama. “Even though there is now a growing trend of “e-version”, people still prefer teaching a child using books, mainly because it is much simpler than using high-tech multimedia tools. And, this is the medium that we want to use to teach them about environmental issues in a child-friendly manner.

TERI Press is the publishing arm of TERI. “We are committed to publishing the best work at all levels—from pre-school books driving home the green message to not only the young learners but also their parents, to knowledge books on environmental themes and topics; and from reference and curriculum-based text books for students of higher learning and research scholars to peer-reviewed journals and a monthly magazine, TERI Press has taken up cudgels to battle for the cause of the environment through knowledge. For the Press believes that knowledge and information are the two key tools to awareness generation”, says Anupama.

“Our reference books are extensively researched and have the latest information, with current case studies. These books definitely have an added value, as they come from the stable of a premier research institute like TERI,” she added. Environment, energy, and sustainable development remain at the core of TERI Press.

“We have tie ups with several organizations, such as the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), to publish books aimed at educating young minds on environment-related issues. Extensively researched and beautifully illustrated, our books cater to a wide range of age groups. They are effectively used for environment education and awareness programmes of school eco clubs and so on. These books aim to educate and stimulate students, and make them conscientious individuals, who can grow up to be future ‘green citizens’ of this planet,” she says.

“In fact, the books published by TERI Press have become a part of the corporate social responsibility initiatives of various companies and institutions. TERI Press takes forward its commitment to the cause of environmental awareness by partnering with like-minded organizations and publishing customized products, which not only build brands but also espouse conservation of the environment. With the help of customized publishing, thus, TERI Press hopes to reach a larger audience, making sure that its voice is heard far and wide”, she says.

TERI Press offers books on a wide range of topics and issues. “The contents of the books are extremely child friendly, including the environment-related activities and modules,” she added. As for the general readers, TERI Press offers books on climate change (in layman’s language), environmental facts, green myths, ecological hotspots, and so on. “We also have inspirational stories of ‘struggle and hope’, and our bestseller remains Mahatma Gandhi and the Environment (analysing Gandhian environmental thought),” added Anupama.

Also, TERI Press offers books in vernacular languages, including Bengali, Hindi, Malayalam, and Tamil, so as to make them more accessible to under-privileged children. It also offers comic books, CDs, and DVDs on subjects like climate change, global warming, e-waste, and so on.

“All our books are printed on recycle paper. For children’s books, we have an average print run of 3000–5000 copies. We try our best to price the books competitively, so that cost does not become a constraint for people willing to buy green books. The prices usually range between Rs 85 and Rs 155, although reference or professional books are priced higher,” reveals Anupama.

“We are also running programmes in schools under the banner of ‘Soldiers of the Earth’, the brand ambassador for which is India’s leading actor Akshay Kumar. It is an environment education programme, loaded with interactive modules and activities. The main idea is to involve students in activities related to environment,” says Anupama.

When asked about TERI Press’s future plans, she replied, “In committing to using the written word for creating and sustaining awareness about environmental issues, TERI Press has vowed to take the fight forward. One hopes that the results would be there for all to see.”

“Bring out the child in you to reach a child”

“Bring out the child in you to reach a child”

said Manorama Jafa, secretary general of Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children, who has been tirelessly running the association for the last 31 years…and is still continuing to do so with the same zest. A prolific writer and a wonderful orator – Manorama Zara has played a pivotal role in the field of children literature in India. Here, in a tête-à-tête with Varsha Verma, she reveals the children author in her.

Manorama Jafa

Manorama Jafa
For Manorama Jafa, writing is a hobby, which she has refined and honed to become a prolific and recognized children author. “In 1972, I pursued a course in writing for children in America, when my husband was posted with UN. When I came back to India, Shankar of Children Book Trust (CBT) requested me to hold workshops for children, which were inaugurated by Kamla Devi Chattopadhyay. Later, I started editing the Journal of the Indian Section of The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) and started writing for children,” she told excitedly.

“It is very interesting to write for children; there are so many sub-technicalities involved. I feel happy to guide all the writers and ask them to be clearer on what they want to write and what exactly is needed,” she told. “When you write for small children, it is important to understand what children like and what they don’t. They should write according to the age of the child. You need to enter that age to write for that age group of children. What you remember when you were five years old? You probably remember your teacher, your fight with your best friend, the class bully, etc. Girls are very sensitive at this age as well and this needs to be considered while writing. There has to be a story, which is somebody’s story and it should have a climax and an end,” she added.

“Most importantly, when you write, prepare an outline first – which will become a formula for your writing,” stressed Manorama. “Also, I often stress in my workshops that first decide whether you wish to give a story or some information to the children. If it is a story, it should not be loaded with too much information; small moral or little information is fine but too much of it will lose its sheen.

After penning down a good 100 number of books for children, some of which have also been translated in India and abroad, Manorama tried her hand at novels and her first novel Devika was conferred with the Sahitya Akademi Award. “Four of my novels have already been published and two are in the pipeline,” she added enthusiastically. “In the morning I write for adults and in the evening, I write for children. I write in both Hindi and English and write almost 50 pages a day,” told Manorama as a simple fact. All her books are beautifully illustrated and printed. “I am blessed with a skill to evaluate manuscripts and illustrations. I simply go for the best,” she told.

Making touch books for children is another hobby which Manorama simple loves. “Whenever I am stressed and depressed, I quietly sit with a children book with a few coloured papers, bindis, fevicol, scissors, etc and decorate them – giving a feel to the characters of the book, which children can touch and feel. These books have been well received by handicap children and even others who love to touch the characters in the book,” told Manorama. Looking closer, we saw 2-3 books beautifully decorated with velvet paper and bindis etc, where she loves to flaunt her skills. “Everyone has a child inside you – you need to bring out that to reach the child,” she concluded.

Follow me…everywhere

Follow me…everywhere
-on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

Social media marketing or promoting through online social media is the hottest trend in marketing today, embraced by both solo entrepreneurs and major corporations alike. Even publishers today are using this medium for promotion of their books. Nowadays, every publisher seems to have a Facebook account and a fan page. And that’s not all – LinkedIn, Twitter and VirtualReader Communities are extensively being used for promotion. Varsha Verma brings more on this growing trend.

Social media: it’s all about interaction

We all know social networks are online communities where people with common interests virtually meet, develop relationships, communicate, and share. It’s all about interaction – just what you need to promote anything – even books.

“Well the promotion of every product is the process of communicating about the features of that product to its desired consumers. What better medium today can you ask for than social media,” says Aman Arora, Marketing & PR, Dorling Kindersley (India).

Infact, a recent survey has shown that if Facebook was a physical nation, it would now be the third-most populous on earth, after China and India. Such is the attraction of social networking sites!

Social media marketing for books…

“Just like it is important for the promotion of any brand and product, likewise it is important for publishing as well,” told Aman. More and more publishers are now using social media networking sites to promote their brand, their new releases and the famous characters of the book.

While Divya Dubey of Gyaana Books, an upcoming publisher, said, “Well, everybody uses all avenues they can, for marketing. It’s very important for us since it helps us reach out to maximum people at one go, showcase what we have, take polls/opinions/feedback, etc.”

Popular sites…

So, what are the popular sites used by these publishers? Well, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter top the lists. Publishers or author often create Facebook Fan pages to promote their books, sometimes even in the name of a character in their book. Last but not the least, Virtual Reader communities also help where readers and authors network and recommend books to each other.

“For Rough Guides, DK and Penguin, there are different Facebook pages like http://www.facebook.com/roughguides, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Penguin-Books-India/29139940906 and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dorling-Kindersley/108698592487321,” told Aman.

“We have used the usual popular ones like Facebook, Linkedin, and to some extent Twitter and the response has been varied – sometime good and sometimes not upto the expectations,” added Divya as a matter of fact.

Targeting the right people…

Ofcourse, like any other marketing medium, targeting the right people is important. “What is important is to target the right people and present the information which looks enticing to the reader. By presentation we mean one can put up competitions, such as photography, etc. One can also run a feedback initiative about the brand and can fetch great reviews,” told Aman

The effectiveness…

On asking about the effectiveness of social media marketing Divya replied, “To some extent it helps since it helps us reach out to more people and gets our audience to interact with each other and see the responses of others on the single platform.”

Though the problem with online marketing is that not many people follow the developments after a point or check for updates and messages regularly. “In general they have a short attention span, so we need to come up with alternatives,” she added.

Is just social media marketing enough?

So, where does social media marketing fit into the marketing plan for books? “No doubt, it is good -- but it’s not enough by itself. Armchair marketing doesn’t go a very long way,” told Divya. “It is significant but we are also exploring other things like launches and readings, especially to reach out to such people who’re not so active online.”

On a concluding note…

Internet users who might be browsing certain sites at one point of time, may not browse them regularly – the interest factor keeps on changing due to change in priorities, etc. Thus, social media marketing, though popular and effective, is not sufficient in itself. The response rate keep on changing on this media and so alternate means of marketing are required to go hand in hand. Activities like book launches, reading, participation in exhibitions, advertising in print media – all go a long way in promoting books. But yes, the social networking sites are equally important and if you are still not a part of it – do so now!