March is the cruellest month for the Indian book trade. It is the end of the financial year, when the year’s performance comes under review, plans for the next year are drawn up, and, above all, past dues and future liabilities are assessed. Indian publishers always complain. Yet, the ground picture tells a different story: new publishers are born every year, more American and British publishers get represented here and more titles are published, either in collaboration or as originals, than ever before. So, what is the overall situation of the Indian book industry?
Three facts are indisputable. First, even medium-sized Indian publishers and distributors have a turnover of around Rs 100-150 crore every year, with a 20 per cent increase in two or three years. Smaller publishers, some of whom also double up as wholesalers and booksellers, do anything between Rs 20-50 crore, with prospects of doing better next year.
Second, more American and British publishers are coming in, either on their own or in collaboration with Indian publishers. In fact, no American or British publisher goes unrepresented in India now. Even European publishers with an English section, like Hachette, Martinus Nijhoff and Springer Verlag, are represented.
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