“Education is embedded in our value system"

“Education is embedded in our value system"

says Sivaramakrishnan V (Siva), managing director of Oxford University Press (OUP) in conversation with Varsha Verma. 

“A developed education society is one where the role of teacher and teaching profession is aspirational. In India, education is embedded in our value system. Every parent, across any strata, aspires for his or her child to be educated. Also, education is relatively affordable in India and the whole process of reverse innovation is happening in India, making online content more accessible through technology,” says Sivaramakrishnan V (Siva), managing director of Oxford University Press (OUP) - India Branch, with regional responsibilities including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. 

The expertise & experience… 

Siva has extensive experience in the Education Services, e-commerce, automobile and FMCG domains. In his previous assignment, Siva was executive president – Education Services at Manipal Global Education Services (MaGE), one the country’s largest privately owned higher education and training services providers. He also spent nearly ten years with the Ford Motor Company–including time based in the UK and US–and held various consumer branding roles within Proctor and Gamble. So, how has been the transition from FMCG to cars to education industry? “Throughout my career, what’s been consistent is that all the brands had strong focus on discovering or uncovering consumer needs, fulfilling them and then taking that fulfilment to the market. Secondly, all of them had increasing levels of technology play on the path of the consumer. Third, along the way, as you grow, domain knowledge becomes 10% of what you are and people, behaviour and experience become 90%. So, it is impervious to the sector,” replies Siva. “For the last 10 years, I have been in the education sector – almost all of them focusing on content and its delivery.” 

Education industry makeover… 

Since Siva has been into the education industry for a decade now, what are the major changes he has witnessed? “Technology is the biggest influence in the education industry. There are two areas in technology which have transformed education – first is the digitisation process, curation and consumption, which has had a positive impact on all these areas, cutting down lead time, costs, etc. The second part of technology is device, which has transformed from a large vertical one to small flat devices. Vertical devices failed in education because it was not a sticky device. While, the flat device is like a book and it offers all three features - information, entertainment and education. A lot of features in the devices today are driven by education. The cost of devices too has come down drastically, making it more affordable,” says Siva as a matter of fact. 

Another important change that Siva enumerates is content, which has changed dramatically. “Every piece of content was like a dictionary. Now, we have chunks of content vs. big content, which has aided technology. Hence, there is more reusability and curation of content. Then, there is lot of interactive content. Every publisher today has ebooks to supplement print books. Besides, content is no longer only in the purview of subject matter expert but instructional design and technology have become the key part of content formulation,” shares Siva. 

“The third thing that has changed dramatically is the consumer of the content. I believe that children born after 2000, by the time they reach the age of higher education, would consume educational content very differently,” he adds. 

Siva also feels that schools have been more progressive towards change than higher education segment. “The pedagogy and content of schools has improved a lot,” he says. “This has much to do with the boards like ICSE, CBSE and state boards. The project work, assignments and assessments have changed dramatically and a lot of them are driven by technology and data,” tells Siva. 

“Besides, e commerce is emerging as a very significant distribution channel, more so in higher education segment and less in school segment at the moment,” adds Siva. 

Embracing the digital revolution… 

“Digital is an opportunity for publishing, not a challenge. The publishing sector has completely embraced digital, in some ways more than others. Digital forms of content and representation, ebooks, subscription to clouds/libraries, ejournals – publishers have embraced it all – it has driven down cost and increased repetitive access,” tells Siva. 

“For publishers like OUP, institution, teachers and students – all are important. Print is at the core, especially in K-12 segment,” shares Siva. “Infact, print has gained volume in the toughest market – US, which is a clear indication that there is no debate on print vs. digital. Print is here to stay. Besides, there is a lot of research going on about the seriousness of reading vs. lightness of reading. It is seen that it is ok to skim through digital content but for a more serious reading, print is important.” 

On teaching English to young adults… 

Siva states that OUP has leveraged its traditional strength in English Language Teaching (ELT) by developing a strong Adult ELT programme in India targeted at students enrolled in Higher Education and those seeking employment. “As one example, OUP has made it possible for vernacular learners to learn English through their mother tongue, by developing bilingual learning materials – dictionaries and grammar books,” he says. 

He further adds, “OUP’s bilingual dictionaries cover 9 Indian languages (3 more will be added within the next 2 years). The bilingual Grammar series, English Grammar Just For You, is available in 10 Indian languages.” 

On OUP… 

“Our biggest part of offering in India is K-12; we are market leaders in this fractured market. Last year has been a very strong year for us. We do not focus on revenue growth. We measure our growth in units and I am pleased to share that we are growing very strong in units as revenue by itself is a reflection of multiple things. For OUP globally, India is one of the five biggest markets in the world. There is still appetite for more in India,” shares Siva. “Infact, Oxford University Press has decided to partner with Cognizant Technology Solutions as it moves towards becoming a more technology and digital driven business.” 

Taking about the key focus areas at OUP, he shares, “OUP is focusing more on teachers and teaching resources. Teacher resource is another main area which publishers are focusing on. Every single book from Oxford University Press goes with teacher resources. Then, we have Oxford Educate, which offers premium features of Learning Management System, Assessments and advanced e-Readers for schools who want to adopt a complete digital learning solution.” 

OUP has taken a step further and providing teachers training workshops. “Last year, we conducted over 1500 training workshops and trained approximately 1,00,000 teachers by engaging certified teacher trainers,” tells Siva. 

“Besides, we are trying to capture the data and reporting to further improve our content. We are also seriously looking at the role of technology and devices in the back-end, across our supply chain, deliveries, etc. We are also trying to focus on improving our publishing process like creative, design, content, copyrights, etc,” adds Siva. 

OUP is also focusing on higher education segment, which is the fastest growing segment as it is an adoption driven business. “We even offer tailor-made content for various institutes,” adds Siva. “Besides, OUP is also coming up with some good books in the academic segment.” 

On distribution channels… 

“On the business process side, adoption by an institution is fundamental to the way we operate. Our sales team is in touch with them directly. In the higher education space, the consumer can reach us directly or through booksellers. K-12 is a prescribed market while higher ed is a suggested market. So our distribution system is geared to fulfil the adoption cycle as applicable. Last year, we shipped approximately 22.3 million units, of which 90% were indigenously produced,” tells Siva. 

Advice to educators for selecting the right books… 

“Education is not different than any other sector and teachers should have a choice of products and education services. The brand and quality is very important. It has to be consistent over time. The quality should be good and there should be no room for errors. At OUP, quality is hygiene,” tells Siva. 

“Then the entire pedagogy is important. The teacher has to teach young impressionable minds. We do a huge amount of robust content creating too as per our publishing process, which involves extensive involvement of teachers. Sometimes, parents also suggest schools to use books from a particular publisher as they know which books are good too,” shares Siva. 

Talking about the discounts in the segment, Siva feels that it is a big challenge, besides piracy. “It is detrimental to the way you do business. But, our ethics remain the same worldwide, we do not believe in any kind of facilitation payments and we give the same discounts to all the booksellers,” he adds. 

On measuring learning outcomes… 

“A critical measure in OUP's Mission Success Factors is the impact on classroom learning outcomes because of our learning materials. The Oxford Impact Framework (OIF), as we call it, helps us measure the impact of our products in overall learning outcomes. We partner with third party experts who conduct these researches on our behalf, ensuring that the process is unbiased” says Siva. 

He adds, “At some point in the future, we would like to put out these reports in the public domain to share more broadly the insights that one can get about education delivery and classroom learning.” 

On a concluding note… 

“Structurally, we need to do a lot to enhance access and equity in the education sector. We need to have a flexible choice based curriculum. Besides, India also needs a lot of skilled manpower. Hence, there is a need for more vocational training colleges. Having said that, there has been a lot of improvement in the education segment and publishers like OUP are trying their best to meet the changing needs,” concludes Siva. 

“We have world-class Indian content packaged in international quality”

“We have world-class Indian content packaged in international quality”

says Vineet Sharma of Parragon Publishing India, in conversation with Varsha Verma. 

Publishing industry in India has come a long way. The content and production quality has improved tremendously, new genres are adding every now and then. The industry seems to be in a happy space. So, what have been the changes in the industry and what are the trends within, shares Vineet Sharma of Parragon Publishing India. 

Quality content… 

“There is a lot more content available now – both global as well as indigenously produced. The quality of Indian content is world-class. In mythology alone, a lot of publishers are doing a real good job. Infact, we have Indian content packaged in international quality formats. The designs and aesthetics have transformed significantly,” shares Vineet. \ 

On production quality… 

“In non-fiction illustrated publishing, the notable characteristic is the production parameter and this has come a really long way. The production quality has improved a lot and there are so many product innovations. Infact, the printers are doing a wonderful job. It has a huge impact on the consumer buying decision,” tells Vineet.\ 

On children’s publishing… 

Since Parragon is a leading children books publisher, what factors does Vineet keep in mind? “Since these books are for curious minds, they have to be more visual and very lexigraphic. For me, visual expression is more important, and so is the format of story-telling. There should be some learning in each book. For example, Parragon offers encyclopedias for children aged 8-12 years, which is more visual and had information snippets to highlight the message or important topics,” he replies. \ 

On language publishing… 

Publishing in various regional languages is a growing area and lot of publishers are now seeing its potential. “Parragon publishes in 12 languages, bringing global content to Indian consumers. We even publish coffee table books in regional languages, which have been well received. We also offer well-researched Indian mythology books, rewritten in regional languages. We have around 60-70 titles in regional languages and are planning to add 17-20 titles this year,” tells Vineet. 

On print vs digital… 

“Digital is not a challenge for publishers like us as we are more into touch-and-feel books, which are possible only on non-digital platforms. Infact, sales of our physical books is going up. We have books on newer subjects and sale of our hardbound books is growing,” he shares. 

Also, Parragon is well-known for licensed books. “Such books can never be replaced with digital platforms as they are already an extension to it. Even parents like their children to read print books,” he adds. 

Online retail sales… 

“Sale of books through online portals is increasing but we need to feature our books like a fashion product so that consumers can get an insight into the book they are going to buy. This is definitely a growing area and we need to cash on it,” he said. 

Challenges… 

Vineet feels that one area where our industry is lagging behind is the pricing, which is not keeping up with the inflation. “We need to realize that industry is based on interdependence, in sync with each other. For the industry to flourish, we need to set the economic fundamentals right and in sync with economic realities. So, publishers should not offer books at extremely low prices. There should be a healthy competition.” 

Another important challenge Vineet shares is the dearth of skilled manpower. “We need more HR development programmes as talent pool is limited,” he says. 

What next? 

Parragon Publishing is trying to diversify into different subject areas. “We are headway into business books. We also offer books from anthology to astronomy. We wish to keep market ignited and offer good quality, well-researched books at affordable prices,” concludes Vineet. 

NBT, India: promoting books and authors!

The National Book Trust, India is striving to encourage reading habits and book culture in India. They are also helping young debutant authors to get published. Here, Baldeo Bhai Sharma, chairman, National Book Trust, India, shares more about the various activities undertaken by NBT, India, in conversation with Varsha Verma.

The National Book Trust (NBT), India, an apex body established by the Government of India (Department of Higher Education, Ministry Of Human Resource Development), aims to produce and encourage the production of good literature in English, Hindi and other Indian languages and to make such literature available at moderate prices to the public and to bring out book catalogues, arrange book fairs/exhibitions and seminars and take all necessary steps to make the people book minded.

Encouraging women writers …

“In order to encourage women authors from various regional languages in India, NBT, India, has come up with a programme where women authors below the age of 40 years and who are looking to publish their first book, can submit their manuscripts to NBT, India. These manuscripts will then be analysed on the basis of literary quality and then will be published in various genres like fiction, short stories, travelogue, diary etc. We recently held a literary meeting where litterateurs like Sur Bala, Chandrakanta, Dr Vishesh Gupta, Dr Srinavas Rao, Balram, Vivek Mishra, etc participated and it was decided that we will focus on this project,” told Baldeo Bhai Sharma, chairman, NBT, India. “In order to achieve this, we will also organize workshops in various parts of the country for women authors.”

Celebrating women…

On the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8th March 2016, the National Book Trust, India brought out a series of books on great Indian women who actively participated in the freedom struggle and worked for the upliftment of the society. “‘Women Pioneers’ is a new initiative of NBT India, that aims to bring to light as well as project the work and contribution of eminent Indian women in different walks of life like art, culture, literature, science, socio-religious reforms, freedom movement, etc,” told Sharma. Each title of this sub-series under the National Biography series of the Trust, is written for the general reader with the view to develop new perspectives on the contemporary discourses pertaining to Indian culture, civilization and endeavours for nation-building. Four titles in English and four in Hindi have come out under this series and many more are to follow in major Indian languages. “The books include: Rani Chennamma by Sadashiva Shivadeva Wodeyar; Kanaklata Barua by Shiela Bora; Sister Nivedita by Basudha Chakravarty; Rani Rudrama by Devi Alekhya Punjala,” he shared. “Four books from our backlist were also published in a new clavier.”

Nav Lekhan Mela…

“We are also focusing to rope in more young regional authors under our Nav Lekhan Mala series. Last year, we published 16 books of which 9 were in Hindi and 7 in regional languages,” told Sharma. Under this programme, debutant authors under the age of 40 years can submit their manuscripts for publication.

Promoting reading habit…

“It is a continuous effort at NBT, India, to promote reading habit amongst not just children, but adults as well. Our mobile bookshops go to faraway places and their response is so encouraging that it makes us believe that it is a myth that reading habit is decreasing. People want to read but they are not able to read as either the books are not available to them or they are expensive. NBT, India, offers good books at affordable prices. In a village in Orissa, people bought books worth Rs 4 lakh, which is a good amount. We even went to adivasi areas and there also, we found people wanted to read,” he said.

“Besides, NBT, India, also organised book fairs in various parts of the country. Last year alone, we organised around 10 book fairs, including one in a tribal area in Udaipur. We got an encouraging response and were pleased to see that there were so many women readers,” he added.

NBT, India also organises workshops in schools and they provide grant to NGOs to encourage reading habits as well. “Last year, a grant of Rs 1 crore was given to the NGOs as we believe that there is a big contingent of non-students also (adults), who need to read more,” he said.

Promoting regional languages…

Not just reading, NBT, India, is also striving to encourage regional languages which have very few books. More recently, we organized a workshop for children books in Karkbarak language in Tirupara. In this workshop, both authors and illustrators worked together and some of these manuscripts will soon be published by us,” told Sharma.

“As many as 21 books will be published in three languages in Bihar – Maghai, Maithili and Bhojpuri – these books will be released at the occasion of Teacher’s Day (September 5) in Patna,” he added.

On a concluding note…

“NBT, India, is working towards making India a knowledge country. We are working in the public interest and constantly strive to publish good literature at affordable rates and try to reach each and every corner of the country. We also work towards promoting Indian books to other countries through international book fairs. We want the face of the Indian publishing to shine everywhere,” concludes Sharma optimistically.

Liensed publishing: the road ahead

Imagine a four-year-old child browsing through children's books in a bookstore. What probably catches his/her attention is a book with his/her favourite character like Barbie, Mickey Mouse, Ben 10, Superman, Dory, etc. That’s the power of the licensed product! Publishers have seen a huge opportunity in this segment and have been really innovative and creative to bring books and other related products featuring these characters. So, how big is this segment and what are the trends within, finds out Varsha Verma.

What is licensing? Licensing is a way to allow others to use an owner’s (licensor) property in their products, while the licensor keeps control of the copyright. A licence is a legal agreement, which allows the licensor of the property to grant the right to use the property on specific products, usually in a defined territory over a defined period of time.

“In licensed publishing, publishers take rights of characters like Disney, Marvel, etc. We have licenses for characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Frozen, Sofia, Cars, Princess, Spiderman, Avengers, Batman, Scooby-Doo, Barbie, Tom & Jerry, Ben 10, Superman, Baby Looney Tunes, Looney Tunes, Hot Wheels, Max Steel and Smurfs. We have been into licensed publishing for the last 10 years, but all these licenses are not for books, but they are used for toys,” explained SK Ghai of Sterling Publishers. “It is a craze for children and publishers offer these products to cater to them.”

Market statistics…

Though it is very difficult to estimate the size and expanse of the market for licensed books in India, due to lack of statistical data, we thought it best to talk to the publishers of licensed books and here’s what they say. “The print market for licensed products would be in the vicinity of Rs 100-200 crore, which is growing at a rate of 15-20%, depending on the character and the licensed product,” shared Sanjiv Beckaya, CEO, Parragon Publishing, which is one of the leading licensed publishers in the world, representing brands such as Disney, Mattel, Nickelodeon, etc. In India, they started with Disney 10 years back, followed by Barbie and Nickelodeon. More recently, they have come up with Dory books.

While, Neeraj Jain, managing director, Scholastic India, said, “While I can’t comment on the size or rate of its growth, the licensed publishing market in India has been growing steadily. Movies have and continue to be largely based on books. The trend in the past 5-7 years has seen many books being made based on movies. So in that sense there’s an abundance of licensed products.” Scholastic offers a huge range of licensed product. “We have a global partnership with LEGO for books. We also hold the license for Star Wars and Marvel, which are both Disney properties. These are arguably the biggest brands out there when we look from a pop-culture and media consumption perspective,” added Shantanu Duttagupta, marketing head, Scholastic India.

“For Dorling Kindersley Global, the licensing brands and products are massive. The DK Licensing list is made up of an extensive range of internationally recognized and best-selling titles for children and adults, based on films, comics, toys, TV and other popular culture tie-ins. We pride ourselves on creating books that offer comprehensive information presented in highly visual, beautifully designed formats, and we work with leading licensors such as Lucasfilm, LEGO, Marvel Comics, Disney and Warner Bros,” said Aparna Sharma, managing director, Dorling Kindersley India. More recently, DK's Autumn 2015 Star Wars publications Star Wars The Force Awakens books and Star Wars Absolutely Everything You Need to Know have been shortlisted in the Best Licensed Written, Listening or Learning Range category of the Licensing Awards 2016. While, LEGO Awesome Ideas has been selected for the 2016 ILA (International Literacy Association)-CBC (Children's. Book Council) Children's Choices Reading List. They have also come up with some beautiful Finding Dory books.

“Though the licensed products are very popular in US, UK and Europe, it is a definite growth area in India. For DK, traditionally, it was not a big focus area for us, as we were more focused on family learning and references, but we see a real shift now. Even with licensed products, we have come up with books with family learning and values, coupled with the entertainment factor. Since we started participating in Comicon, our books have become quite popular with the masses,” she added.

On Indian licenses…

Though most of the publishers are offering foreign licensed products, they are now looking at Indian licenses as well. DK India has tied-up with Green Gold Animation, an animated content provider and creators of the popular cartoon character Chhota Bheem, to launch a bouquet of print and digital products for children in India. "DK is recognized all over the world for its high quality learning books for children, and we are thrilled to be collaborating with Green Gold Animation to introduce a range of fun yet educational books in DK's iconic style, specially for the Indian child," added Aparna. “We would like to explore more and might pick up a few more properties.”

While, Sterling Publishers offers Pepper, their indigenously designed character. “This is very popular and we have given rights to countries like France, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Papua Guinea, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore,” said Ghai.

Before roping in a particular character… 

Licenced titles from Scholastic India

“The obvious factors while selecting a property are TRPs, product portfolio across categories, and merchandise, if any. These factors help in mapping the strength of the character. Of course, probably the most important thing to keep in mind is the life of the brand/property. Whether it would be sustainable in the long-term is major aspect of creating a publishing program around the said property/character,” said Shantanu.

Similar views were shared by Sanjiv, who added, “Some of the licenses we have, have been there for a very long time, like Disney, Mattel (Barbie, etc). When we select a new license, we see if there are any movies, if it is on the TV channel then on which channel and the consumer products available. That’s the way we would like to work for new license.”

While, Aparna added, “We look at something that has not just a mass appeal but also right value. For example, when we picked up Chhota Bheem, we looked at his personality which has an element of naughtiness and rebellion but has a good character. The character is very influencing for that age group. So, in our series on Chhota Bheem, there is learning and value, besides entertainment of course. These books encourage reading and enhance general knowledge. This was quite different from what we were offering, but this was something which has helped us penetrate further in the Indian market, way beyond the niche market DK currently enjoys. Our workbooks in this series are very popular. They are international quality workbooks at competitive prices. We are going in for a reprint for the first set in Maths and English. We also brought out a journal, which is at a higher price point and is taking little longer to establish itself. Looking ahead, we are planning four story books for Chhota Bheem by the end of this year. And by next year, we plan to come up with a Character Encyclopaedia as well. We have rights to sell these products in the Indian sub-continent initially but we might look at other regions also. We are also in talks to create digital workbooks as well.”

For Ghai, sale is the hardcore criteria for selecting a particular character as royalty depends on that. “Characters like Disney sell more as the reach is more,” he added.

Books and beyond… 

Licenced titles from Sterling Publishers

When it comes to licensed products, publishers do not just offer story books, they go for more. Parragon offers book plus items like stickers, add-ons to the main products, activity books, etc. “Infact, 60% of our licensed products is colour sticker activity books,” shared Sanjiv. “The idea is to add an impulse factor for the parent and the child, so that it is visually appealing for them to pick it up. For Disney alone, we come up with 200 new products in a year. At any point of time, we have an active list of 500-600 titles for Disney alone.”

DK offers encyclopaedias, story books, series of readers, activity books, sticker books, etc. The prices range from Rs 500 to Rs 899. “Since parents are the buyers of these books for children, they wish to have some value to the book. So, we offer different products to cater to them,” added Aparna.

Sterling Publishers offers white board books, wipe and clean books, colouring books, activity books, story books, fun packs, workbooks, My Carry Along Books, sticker books, copy colouring books, paint books, activity books, story books, jigsaw puzzle books, board games etc. “We have 100+ titles in books and 50-60 in toys in this category,” added Ghai.

On bestsellers…

“In India, Marvel is most popular, with Batman and Avengers also topping the list,” said Aparna. “We do Character Encyclopaedias with LEGO, which are again very popular.” While, Sanjiv said, “Some of our bestsellers include Book of Secrets, Stories & Treasures, Magical Story, and library copies of Dory.”

Children and young adults: both love licensed products

So, do licensed products work only with children or with young adults as well? “It most definitely does. I mean, look at some of the major properties out there: DC, Marvel, Disney, Barbie, LEGO, Star Wars. They’re all strong brands that target the children and YA segment,” told Neeraj.

Similar views were shared by Aparna, who said that series like Star Wars is a big hit with young adults. In fact, DK has some amazing licensed books for adults as well, which include the world famous James Bond books.

On print runs…

“Parragon International does 200,000-300,000 copies for each titles, for all offices across. We are sensitive to editorial and production. We choose UK English language for India,” said Sanjiv.

While, Ghai shared that they print approximately 3000-4000 copies initially, which might go higher for certain titles. “For some classic games, the print runs are upto 20,000 copies. The price of our books range from Rs 35 to Rs 1999,” he added.

Distribution channels…

Talking about the distribution set-up, Sanjiv shared that they have multiple distribution channels like trade channel, modern retail, distributors and co-editions with key distributors where they sell bulk quantities. “We are very active on social media and do cross-promotion and other activities. Our books are also available on online platforms like Amazon and Flipkart,” said Pooja Kapoor, assistant manager marketing, Parragon Publishing India.

While, Aparna shares that they use the Penguin Random House distribution network for their products, which in itself is quite huge.

“We have our own sales team and we also sell through online and retail channels. We have our own manufacturing unit as well,” said Tarun Monga, head-sales & marketing, Sterling Publishers.

Business quantum…

On asking about the percentage of the total business of licensed books vs. other products of the publication house, Sanjiv replied that it would be to the tune of 35-40% and they are offering these books for the Indian sub-continent and few licenses in Middle East and North Africa.

Sterling Publishers offers their licensed products in not just India, but certain licensed products are sold in Sri Lanka, Middle East and Africa. “We also do worldwide exports for such products,” added Ghai. “Our licensed products would account for 50% of our total business,” he said.

While, Aparna shared, “In 2015, Licensing accounted for 22% of DK’s global frontlist.”

Print or digital: the verdict is clear

“In our experience of selling licensed products over the past 15 years, we’ve seen that print tends to rule the roost when it comes to TV and movie characters,” told Neeraj.

Similar views were shared by Sanjiv who said that ebooks are not value for money, so print rules in such products.

But, Aparna hopes that digital might work on licensed content also as there is an element of attraction with those characters or properties that children enjoy through games and social media. “But, print works much better for the kind of content we offer. Nevertheless, enhanced epubs of Marvel and LEGO work good,” she says.

But, publishers are working towards e-versions as well.” We are developing the e-version for our indigenous character Pepper,” said Ghai.

On a concluding note…

Aparna shared, “There is definitely a market for licensed products and DK harnesses it very well with learning material for children.”

“I hope everybody like our books and keeps on buying,” told Sanjiv. “Things are dynamic; one has to adapt and look at innovation in production, which is a key to marketing. The touch, feel and smell of the book are important,” concluded Sanjiv.

With so much happening in this industry and with new properties coming out every now and then, this segment in sure to grab eyeballs and come up with really interesting, creative and innovative products.

Children’s books: it’s not a child’s play!

Bookstores and book expos are full of beautiful children’s books, all clamouring for attention. It’s easy to miss that a lot of brain and sweat has gone into the crafting of a perfect children’s book. Varsha Verma and Shweta Khurana talk to children’s book publishers in India to know the nuances of the ‘little’ industry.

Currently, the Indian book market is the sixth-largest in the world (valued at $3.9 billion, according to Nielsen) and the second-largest in terms of English-language market (after the U.S.). “There are about 10,000 active publishers in the country who provide both English and Indian language books. There is a new crop of emerging writers appearing and that’s a good sign because readers get a variety of content to read,” says Shobha Vishwanath of Karadi Tales.

“Indian publishing is all about children’s books as it holds a major share of the market. This is because every young parent wants a book in his child’s hands. Thus, the industry is rapidly growing. The quality of illustrations has drastically improved, though there is definitely a foreign touch to the artwork that is happening in India. A deliberate effort is made to add some life skills to every story that a child reads,” adds Nidhi Kundra of Edu Hub Publishing Company.

“We have good content, good illustrations coupled with good printing. The industry has really grown and currently a lot of international publishers are buying rights from India,” adds Sandeep Kaushik, CEO & publisher, Macaw Books.

Indian vs foreign books

Manasi Subramaniam, commissioning editor and rights manager, HarperCollins Publishers India, says that children trade publishing is the largest growing market in India. “But, the market is largely dominated by foreign books,” she adds.

Similar views were expressed by Mudit Mohini of Vishv Books, who says that the number of Indian authors is quite less and the majority of children’s books available in India are by foreign authors.

So, is our children’s book publishing industry at par with its foreign counterparts? “We are a country that grew up on stories, so it comes naturally for us. We have some outstanding talent in our country. We have, over the last twenty years, worked with both Indian and International authors and illustrators. We choose who to work with purely based on the story. The only aspect that we could better ourselves is in marketing and packaging the products. There are heavy costs involved and hence we need to be cautious on what we spend on,” cautions Shobha.

While, Manasi adds, “The content produced in India is very strong and there are so many independent publishers like Tara Books, Duckbill, Scholastic, Puffin, Tulika Publishers that are doing a good job. At HarperCollins, we have both Indian and foreign authors. One of our books Did I mention I love You has rights for 11 different territories.”

Nidhi also shares that Indian illustrations have also come up and are at par with international ones. “Some publishers cater to Indian audience only, while a few cater to international audience. Some publishers cater to both Indian and foreign audiences. Hence, illustrations are designed to appeal to the target audience,” she says.

However, Sandeep feels that Indian publishers need an improvement in our systems to avoid fire fighting and focus should be on creativity. “Our maximum time should be focussed on creativity which adds value to the learning system,” he adds.

Main attributes of a children’s book

“I like the idea that we are creating readers of tomorrow. It gives me an immense sense of responsibility.” Manasi Subramaniam, HarperCollins

“A children’s book should be age appropriate (choice of words, word count) and friendly. It should be easy to read and understand, besides being interesting and offering some value. Most importantly, it should be light reading. The presentation of the book is very important. Children remember by sight, more so in wordless books. Think from the perspective of children. Make characters cool so that reading becomes a pleasure activity,” shares Mudit. She also adds that it is not important to segregate books on the basis of age. A book that appeals to a 5-year-old might also appeal to a 7-year-old. So let a child pick up what he likes and then move to the next level.

Sandeep puts it simply as, “A perfect package is the result of the combination of ageappropriate subject and content, which deals with language complexity expertly, good illustrations and a great cover. The story should be interesting and the young reader should be able to derive meaningful value.”

Similar views were expressed by Nidhi who says that there should be some value in a children’s book and that it should not be boring. “A child should be able to read and understand it himself. The illustrations and words should be in sync with their cognitive abilities,” she adds.

Talking about the attributes of a children’s book, Shobha shares that the story should appeal to the readers and illustrations should strike a chord with them.

For Manasi, first, it should be a good book. Second, is it a book I would want to read? And third, is there a market for the book? “If it is a book I can’t put down, then it is definitely what I want to publish,” she adds. Talking about illustrations, Manasi shares that their relevance increases with increase in age group. She particularly recommends wordless picture books for age group till 7 years.

Manuscript’s appeal: voice, characterisation or plot?

“It is unlikely that the digital space will ever replace the print book. I can see them existing side by side.” Shobha Vishwanath Karadi Tales

“For ages 7 and above, plot is very important, while for ages 5-7, characterisation is important. And for ages 3-5, voice is the most important aspect of the manuscript,” defines Mudit clearly. For Shobha, storyline and writing style matter; while, for Manasi, plot comes first, style and voice later.

But, for Nidhi, voice of the manuscript is most important: “It should be a kind of read aloud, and that which instantly spurs imagination,” she says.

The Language divide

By far, English seems to be the most preferred language for children’s books. “We have over 100 titles in English and several picture books, audio-books and DVDs of stories in Tamil and Hindi.

Karadi Tales has sold rights of several of our titles and has translated books into French, Japanese, Chinese and so forth. We have also bought rights to some outstanding books and translated them into Indian languages,” shares Shobha.

Mudit shares that all language books have their market. “Hindi section also does well but availability is a problem.”

Even, Sandeep adds that regional languages are evolving. “NGOs are publishing in multiple languages and some of the new publishers are also going into regional publishing. Book released in 7-8 languages simultaneously has become a norm. Once you have a good distribution network, it makes a lot of sense,” he shares. As per Sandeep, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Malayalam are the top 4 regional languages in India. Macaw Books has a rights catalogue of 5000 titles, of which 600 are published in India “These titles have been translated worldwide in 22 languages, and 6 Indian languages. We are diversifying into Hindi books as we see a great demand. We are also looking at translating our books in 6-7 regional languages,” he adds.

“A child should be able to read and understand it himself. The illustrations and words should be in sync with their cognitive abilities,” Nidhi Kundra Edu Hub Publishing Company

But, according to Nidhi most of the Indian languages are struggling for survival. “English, of course, has a good hold in India as it is a global language,” she says. “At Edu Hub, we will be coming up with Hindi story books as there is a great demand for it.”

Average print runs & prices

“The print runs for English editions is 5000 copies, Hindi is 2000 copies while regional language editions have an initial print run of 1000 copies only. The price of our books range between Rs 50 and Rs 200,” tells Sandeep.

As per Manasi, their print runs are higher for books placed in schools. “Else, we do a print run of 3000 for middle grade and 5000 for activity books,” she adds. “Since India is a pricesensitive market, we have to keep our prices competitive. For example, a picture book has an MRP of Rs 75, while a middle grade book is priced less than Rs 199 and a young adult book is priced at Rs 300.”

Mudit shares that the first print run ranges from 500-3000 copies, depending upon the kind of title. They have around 800 titles, of which 100 are in Hindi language.

While, Shobha says, “We do on average 3000 copies of each title and price starts from Rs.175 onwards.” For Nidhi, the average print at Edu Hub is 10,000 while pricing depends on the kind of book, content and paper quality. “Hindi books sell at a cheaper price,” she adds.

What gives publishers the kick?

“I like the idea that we are creating readers of tomorrow. It gives me an immense sense of responsibility,” shares Manasi. Similar views were expressed by Sandeep, who says, “The best thing is that we are shaping the young minds who will be the future of our country. It gives us immense satisfaction when we get emails from parents telling us how much their children loved our books and how the books helped their children learn new things.”

“The best thing is that you have the power to create fantastic and wonderful worlds for children to dwell in and to experience those worlds yourselves,” adds Shobha. Similar views were shared by Mudit, who adds that she becomes a child herself when she reads a children’s book. “It is a magical thing…actually!” she says.

“It is an exhilarating experience. I feel like a child again. Also, it is a continuous challenge to bring something that appeals to children,” adds Nidhi.

Digital vs print

“A perfect package is the result of the combination of age-appropriate subject and content, which deals with language complexity expertly, good illustrations and a great cover.” Sandeep Kaushik Macaw Books

Notwithstanding the feat that digital will take over the print, the two mediums have been going hand in hand for the last couple of years. “It is an important add-on and every publisher, including Edu Hub is going for ebooks. Digital has a very strong role in children’s books,” tells Nidhi.

“There are limited sale of digital books as they require right gadgets and conducive infrastructure,” tells Mudit.

“It is unlikely that the digital space will ever replace the print book. I can see them existing side by side and every publisher today is working to make content available across several platforms. We are no different,” shares Shobha.

Similar views were expressed by Manasi, who say that they too bring out digital editions simultaneously. But, children’s books, according to her, do not translate well in digital; therefore, digital book is unlikely to replace its printed cousin.

Challenges in the value chain

Nidhi says, “Innovation is a huge challenge in children’s books.” While, Shobha adds, “Apart from the usual rising costs of publishing a book and keeping up with technological advancements that seem to change every week, I would say the hardest thing is developing a readership. Children today have so many things to choose from. To cultivate readers in this environment is challenging to say the least – reading is a lifestyle-changing endeavour, hence there are few buyers.

Publishers, parents and schools need to proactively work together and create an opportunity for children to enjoy reading. It’s an ongoing effort.” Manasi shares that perhaps this is the only segment where the person who buys the books is not necessarily reading them. “The purchasing power rests upon parents and teachers. Hence, books have to be packaged in a way that’s appealing to parents while content has to be impressive enough to hook children,” she says. Besides, another challenge Manasi mentions is the marketing of the book.

Talking about the marketing costs, Mudit shares that it is indeed a costly affair and publishers cannot spend money on promoting all books. “Besides, distribution is also a major challenge. There are so many lovely books that are not able to reach the readers because distributors are only looking for discounts, because of which returns are very high,” she says.

Another challenge she mentions is that since volumes are low publishers are not able to invest, research and find good authors. “With the advent of selfpublishing and print-on-demand, some writers do not work with traditional publishing houses.

Also, with rising print costs and other additional expenses associated with publishing and marketing a book, using technology to reach more readers seems like the way forward. In terms of mindset, people are beginning to realise that the younger generation are spending less or no time at all reading. It’s almost like a ‘conscious wake-up call’ and we definitely want to reverse that trend,” adds Shobha.

“Plagiarism and system of circulation of money stress us out. People of the industry should work together and look for solutions to overcome challenges,” adds Sandeep as a matter of fact.

Inculcating reading habit

“Work with children to understand the genre of books they like. Do not force them to read books they have no interest in. Doing so will only make them further dislike reading,” warns Shobha. To this, Nidhi adds a note of caution by saying, “Parents should ensure that the book a child picks has good content as well. He might be attracted to beautiful illustrations, but if the content in the book is not good, the whole battle is lost.”

To encapsulate every view, Manasi says, “I think schools should have a compulsory summer reading programme and should encourage children to read 20 books every term. Also, more libraries are required to enhance readership. Besides, while selecting a book, a child makes a decision; so basically, he reads what he likes.” “Books should be for enjoyment and parents need to encourage their children to read,” concludes Mudit.

“Try something different… be a smart buyer. Efforts need to be made to develop reading habits in children,” concludes Sandeep optimistically.