India is an emerging
book publishing nation. The Indian book market has expanded, and grown beyond recognition.
India not only publishes
books in India, but in twenty-two regional languages as well.
Every year, a catalogueof ISBN titles is published in India. The ISBN is a unique code number used for identifying both the publisher and the book. Sadly, inadequate space is given to the publication of book reviews by the print media. The book reviews that are published are mostly from a small number of big
publishers.
In the public sector, the National Book Trust brings out low priced books of general interest on a variety of subjects; the Sahitya Akademi promotes
culture; while the NCERT(National Council of Educational Research and
Training), as the name suggests, is mostly involved with teaching and training. The NCERT also publishes school level textbooks in
English and Hindi. Unlike many Universities overseas, the publications of Indian Universities are limited to their academic staff.
The private sector dominates the book publishing industry – the publishers range from large publishing houses to small and medium presses. Over the years, India has developed the necessary infrastructure (and the professionals) to look after the entire publishing process. It is interesting to note that many of India’s established publishers (Allied / Rupa / Jaico) started off as booksellers or distributors.
Many of the private publishers are identified with niche markets, such as Kali (women) and the Centre for Science and Environment (ecology). The Children’s Book Trust has brought out many illustrated books for children. Katha and Penguin have translated the works of many Indian authors into english.
Book exhibitions (Book Fairs) are regularly held in the country to promote book culture. Book releases are also being held to promote the launch of new books. Even now, when e-books (electronic books) can be readily downloaded onto the computer screen, reading books has not lost any of its old fashioned charm.
More summaries about the Article: Book Publishing in India