Happenings
On what’s been happening. If there’s news you have heard of and think it would make for interesting reading, please share it with us.

Jaipur literature fest to focus on Indian languages
Source: Deccan Herald
The 2011 edition of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival will focus on the new movements in vernacular Indian languages as well as on the growing tribe of literary e-bloggers, a festival organiser said.

The much-awaited Jan 21-25 event will also take a close look at works with strong social content from northeastern India, Kashmir, China and the Middle East.”This time the festival will try to unravel new movements in vernacular Indian languages, especially Hindi, which is morphing to meet the needs of a growing population of young readers, through discussions and interactive sessions,” Namita Gokhale, writer and coordinator of the festival, said.

The festival will feature more than a dozen Indian languages – Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit, Tamil, Bangla, Asomiya (Assamese), Oriya, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Nepali, Bhojpuri and Rajasthani. Read more »

Seminar on copyright and piracy issues
Source: Indian Printer & Publisher
On 6 January 2011 at 2pm at the IIC Annexe, IppStar along with the newly formed CGIP (Community for Governance of Intellectual Property) will conduct an interactive seminar on copyright and piracy issues for Indian printers and publishers. The afternoon event is supported by the Delhi Master Printers Welfare Association.

The seminar will be led by the managing partner of Survan Attorneys-at-Law, Siddharth Arya, and feature panelists from the Indian Society of Authors, as well as the software and printing industries. Read more »

Litterateurs, glitterati make it memorable
Source: Deccan Herald
The response to the Goa Arts and Literary Festival that concluded on Tuesday surpassed the expectations of its organisers and as the strains of the last fado (Portuguese songs of fate) by singer Sonia Sirsat drifted away at the closing dinner, everyone was making plans to return next year.

Inspired by the Jaipur Literary Festival, the decision of the Goa festival organisers Sahitya Akademi, Goa Writers Group and The International Centre Goa (ICG) to include other art forms worked rather to their advantage.

One was able to move seamlessly from a conversation between writers U R Ananthamurthy and Damodar Mauzo on “Who is the Outsider?” to filmmaker Saeed Mirza telling the audience about his new-found passion for writing. “If you have a passion for something, go out and do it,” Mirza said.

Four new books were released at the festival, Sudeep Chakravarti’s new novel The Avenue of Kings, Jerry Pinto’s Leela: A Patchwork Life based on the actress Leela Naidu, Manohar Shetty’s latest collection of poems Personal Effects and architect Charles Correa’s A Place in the Shade. Read more »

Bibliophiles meet at Thiruvananthapuram Book Fair
Source: Indian Printer & Publisher
Exhibitors included most of the Malayalam publishers as well as book promoting organisations from France, Germany and the USA, in addition to the major educational publishers such as Cambridge University Press, Left Word, NBT, Oxford University Press, Orient Blackswan, Pearsons, Sage, Scholastic, Tulika and others.

This time, similar to the recent Delhi Book Fair, there was a heavy emphasis on children’s books, with a four-day Children’s Writers and Publishers Workshop discussing experiences from France, Germany, the USA and across India, while Creative Writing Workshops for children taking place on almost every day of the fair. There was also a seminar on contemporary challenges in writing fiction for children and teenagers. A workshop for book designers and illustrators was held by the French Book Office in India, with the participation of production staff at French publishing giants Flammarion, Helium and Albin Michel.

Following the previous year’s Copyrights Table organised in conjunction with the Frankfurt Book Fair’s German Book Office New Delhi, a second Rights Table on 20 and 21 December brought together some 50 publishers from India and abroad, discussing and trading translation rights between English, Hindi and Malayalam titles. This time, French titles were also being promoted for translation into Indian languages, through the Tagore Publication Assistance Programme of the French Book Office and the Alliance Francaise. Read more »

Tamil publisher Masilamani dead
Source: The Hindu
Noted Tamil publisher G. Masilamani, who first published the works of many great Tamil writers, died on Sunday.

He was 81 and is survived by wife, two sons and a daughter.

Kalignan Pathipagam, launched by Masilamani, secured an important place with its publication of the works of many Tamil writers such as Jayakanthan, Ashokamitran, Adhavan and Vairamuthu.

An avid reader, Masilamani left his native town Nagapattinam for Chennai to start a publishing house, a career close to his heart.

One of his remarkable contributions was the publication of collected volumes of now-defunct literary magazines. He culled out selective articles, short stories, interviews and other works published them as volumes that would give the reader a general idea of the nature of the magazines of yesteryear. Read more »

Disney inks publishing, distribution pact with India Today Group
Source: Mint
Disney Publishing Worldwide (India) on Wednesday signed a multi-year license agreement with the India Today Group for publishing and distributing licensed Disney content through magazines in India.

The Disney magazines will be available in single, monthly, bi-monthly and quarterly editions at newsstands as well on a subscription basis at a price of Rs. 50-Rs. 100.

The content will be based on some of Disney’s franchises, including Disney Princess, Disney.Pixar Cars, Art Attack, Disney Junior and much more.

The children’s book segment of the publishing business in India is estimated to be worth $1.15 billion and is growing at the rate of 25% year-on-year, according to data from research firm Technopak. Read more »

1st Annual Indian Comic Con
Source: Comic Con India’s Facebook page (via Pratham Books)
The first Annual Indian Comic Convention is being held in Delhi on 19th and 20th February, 2011. According to the organizers, such an event was needed because

India has had a very long history of picture stories and illustrated books. That rich history has evolved into a burgeoning comics industry, which [we] want to celebrate and help grow, in every way possible.

An event such as this [is therefore] required, in order for it to survive and flourish. Fans of Comic books and graphic art in general need a place to show their support, discover new endeavors in the industry.

Read more »

Pogo designs M.A.D. books for schools
Source: The Hindu
Children’s TV channel Pogo is launching books on art and craft that aim to help children develop an artistic and creative eye. The channel has tied up with publisher Tata McGraw Hill to distribute its books to 13,000 schools across the country from the academic year 2011. BPI is publishing these books.

Speaking to Business Line, Ms Monica Tata, Vice-President and General Manager, Entertainment Networks South Asia, Turner International India, said there would be 10 graded books for children from kindergarten to the eighth class.

These would be branded M.A.D. Graded Books after the popular show on Pogo that is now in its eighth season.NCERT (National Council Of Educational Research And Training) and National Curriculum Framework (NCF) guidelines have been followed while setting the curriculum, which makes the proposition very credible, Ms Tata said. Read more »

Mass market, compact and digital
Source: Times of India
Ten years ago it would have been hard to imagine reading a book on a computer. But it’s a reality today and in the next decade, reading a hardcover book may be a rarity. The way we read and what we read has changed so much that change is considered an ongoing process. So what might it all be like in the next decade? Read more »

Literature festivals take India by storm
Source: Economic Times
For Peter Florence, founder director of Hay Festival, Lit Fests were a natural progression of Indian writing. “We’ve been taking Indian authors around the world for years, and it seemed natural to celebrate literature in their home country too,” says Florence, who was encouraged by writer and MP Shashi Tharoor to come to Kerala. “People in Kerala just joined in and made it theirs from the get-go. It’s about willingness to share stories and ideas. This works just as well in Malayalam as in English,” says Florence, who feels India was a natural country to hold a literature festival since “India is more rooted in its stories than any other culture”. Read more »

Ebooks fail to take off in India
Source: Times of India
Electronic books might be giving hardcover books a run for their money worldwide but they continue to get lukewarm response in India.

With more than 15,000 publishing houses generating content in more than 24 regional languages, experts feel India has huge potential for ebooks, specially post the IT boom but lack of cheap ereaders and technological awareness among the people is hampering their growth here.

A report by market research company Forrester indicates that the US will lead the demand for eBooks content with sales over $500 million and for eText books through 2010 but acknowledges that the dynamics for higher growths vests with consumer markets like India and China. Advantage India lies in its high quality and low cost of output.

Read more »

A New Idiom for Indian Graphic Novels
Source: littledesignbook.in
When it comes to picture books, as a grown-up there are only two sides to be on – you’re either a comic book lover or a graphic novel aficionado. There’s no in between and there’s no confusing one for the other.

For years now, the fan following for graphic novels in India has grown from cults to crowds. Both men and women have been collecting books like Neil Gaimen’s Sandman series and Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis with a fervour. For young adults and picture book fans, the reading and collecting of these books isn’t just a hobby, but a passion that speaks to their visual minds in the language of images. At their most essential, graphic novels set up narratives in constructed visual worlds: one has to learn to decipher the images when one opens to the first page, and at least for this fan, that’s the most thrilling aspect of reading a new graphic novel.

Read more »

Gains from translation
Source: The Telegraph
Bengali works are being translated increasingly into English. But does it raise their readership significantly, asks Anasuya Basu.

It seems Bengalis, in Bengal and elsewhere, enjoy reading translations of Bengali literature the most. While nationwide translations from Bengali sell the most in eastern India, within Bengal, “translations sell more in Calcutta than anywhere else,” says a sales representative of a publishing house.

Read more »

The Li’l Wizard
Source: Outlook India
Children are reading. New authors, new genres and book festivals are in the air.

Paro Anand, who has been writing for children since 1980, finds herself feeling more optimistic about Indian kid-lit than ever before. “Authors always wanted to write and push boundaries but could not find publishers-but now bottomlines are changing and publishers are willing to take more risks,” she says. Roopa Pai, the creator of the imaginary world of Mithya and author of the Taranaut series, goes a step further. “Finally, children’s literature (in India) has found a voice. It has come of age, primarily due to awards like the Crossword Award (which has a children’s fiction category) and festivals such as Bookaroo,” she says, predicting an Indian-brand internationally selling author within the next five years.

Read more »

Bestsellers make other authors totally invisible
Source: DNA
Writer Shashi Deshpande and Owner of Strand Book Stall Vidya Virkar bring to light booksellers, young writers and more.

I hardly find rare copies of good books and a decrease in display of Indian authors on stands. When I visited a bookstore in Rome I was surprised to see the bestsellers stand right at the end. The owner informs that only the best of authors will be displayed at the front. I need variety and our city never seems to give that…

Read more »

Blueprint blunders
Source: The Telegraph
TThis is the seventh year that Sutanuti Boimela is being held in the tiny courtyard of Girish Mancha in Bagbazar where the focus is on small publishers in Bengali struggling for survival. An interesting feature of the book fair is the series of lectures and cultural programmes organised on the occasion. This year being the 250th birth anniversary of William Carey, Asish Khastagir’s lecture was on the Bengali printers of 19th century, and pioneering printing and publishing organisations like P.M. Bagchi & Company and Calcutta Art Studio, which have survived all these years, were felicitated. The drizzle notwithstanding, the mela attracted a good number of people every day. Read more »

New Book Releases and Events
New book and journal releases, new imprints and other similar events.

A Winter Carnival at the Katha StoryShop
The year 2010 ended with a celebration of festivities and colors at the Katha Winter Carnival, a week long celebration of events for both kids and adults. The 8-day festival was packed with colour and the excited voices of many children. Here is a brief snapshot of the excitement.

A four day theatre workshop from 25th to 28th December, with Arvind Gaur was a resounding success. Each child had the opportunity to participate. The workshop was a learning experience and will leave a lasting impact on the children who participated.

There was a grand Christmas celebration on the 25th of December 2010. Katha StoryShop was decorated with colours by children. They sang carols along with Nupur Awasthi. Volunteers from America and Korea also participated. That evening came to an end with Mariam Karim’s heart-warming session of songs and Santa stories.

Storytelling was the highlight every day from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. From creative workshops by Reha of Tagore International School, to Nupur Awasthi who taught gond art and paper work, to Farah Siddiqui, Vinnie Mathur and some Korean volunteers who brought origami alive to children.

My first book workshop by Nupur Awasthi, and Chalchitra, a movie making workshop with Samina Mishra happened simultaneously from 27th to 30th of December, 2010. My First Book workshop evoked some truly creative responses from children, with 15 books being made! Look out for these books on display at the Katha StoryShop.

Activities for adults took off with an exploration of stereotypes with Yousuf Saeed. This questioning continued into Atmaram Bhakal’s poetic session that helped unveil the beauty and social messages of Kabir and then moved effortlessly from Hindi poetry to Urdu prose and poetry. Dastangoi by Delhi-based narrators, Mahmood Farooqui and Danish Hussain attracted a huge crowd that enthusiastically helped them create contemporary dastans. [Dastangoi is the art of storytelling in Urdu]. A storytelling workshop of a different kind was well orchestrated by Arka Mukhopadhyay with his adaptation of Tagore’s play Visarjan. Arka also gave a unique solo theatre performance – Encounters.

With fabulous new books from our favourite publishers and lots of goodies from Katha Women’s cooperative and other NGOs – the spacious and attractive children’s StoryShop kept children and their parents happy.

Publishers reject book, Akademi crowns it
Source: The Telegraph
For two years, author Keshada Mahanta went from pillar to post looking for a publisher for her book, Asomiya Ramayani Sahitya: Kathabastu Atiguri, an analysis of the influence of the Ramayan on Assamese literature, which took her over 10 years to write. She was turned away time and again. Read more »

Figures of Speech
Source: The Sunday Express, Pune (via GBO)
Eight Indian and international poets translated each other’s works and performed a potpourri of pure verbal magic in the city on Saturday.

It is said poetry is difficult. It is incisive. It is beautiful. It is glorious brevity and joyous observation. Eight souls seeped in this world of words and deep introspection, but of varied personal styles and regions, performed their collective by-product of a week-long translation exercise in picturesque Pondicherry at Kala Chhaya, Pune on Saturday. ‘Poetry Connections’, a multimedia and multilingual presentation, displayed the behemoth that came out when these different cultural strands and writing styles fused together in mutual admiration.

Mumbai-based Arjun Bali says, “It was amazing – just the positive energy that flowed so freely at the workshop. We all sat together and translated each other’s works, but it was more about a poet’s approach to poetry than a translator’s. Here, it was possible to ask questions, for explanations, to understand the sounds and the rhythms. It is important while translating not just to get the words across, it is important to retain the angst and the perspective of the original.”

Grays that speak
Source: expressbuzz.com
Bangalore is abuzz with comic book entrepreneurs, and Prateek Thomas and Dileep Cherian are the newest kids on the block.

Hush is a short, silent comic written by Prateek Thomas with art work by Rajiv Eipe. A rather dark story, the comic explores the themes of child abuse and violence with a twist at the end. It’s a decidedly adult story – even though its protagonist is a young child named Maya. The story opens in a classroom. The blackboard has been shattered by a bullet, a teacher lies slumped on the floor and Maya, grim and dark, holds the smoking gun.

Read more »

Now Kirtan Ghosa in Bengali
Source: The Assam Tribune
Following the publication of Bengali translations of Burhi Air Sadhu and Namghosa, author Saktimoy Das and the Jatiya Sahitya Prakashan Trust of Kolkata are set to bring out the Bengali versions of Kirtan Ghosa by Srimanta Sankardev and Rangmilir Hahi by Rong Bong Terang.

Das who is the Trust’s general secretary said that apart from Bengali translation of Assamese works, the Trust also had a plan to translate acclaimed creations from ethnic languages such as Bodo.

Das said that all along since he took up the task of translation in 1995, his stress has been on preserving the essence of the Assamese flavour in the books. “The Assamese literary tradition is a rich one, and my endeavour all along has been to introduce that to the Bengali readers,” he said. Read more »

Elsewhere…
News from around the world…

The World Oral Literature Project
The World Oral Literature Project is an urgent global initiative to document and make accessible endangered oral literatures before they disappear without record. The project has been established to support local communities and committed fieldworkers engaged in the collection and preservation of all forms of oral literature by providing funding for original research, alongside training in fieldwork and digital archiving methods. Read more »

Happenings
On what’s been happening. If there’s news you have heard of and think it would make for interesting reading, please share it with us.

New council to promote children’s books
Source: governancenow.com
The government plans to set up a National Council of Children’s Literature as an independent autonomous body to promote and publish children’s literature.

The national book promotion policy, drafted by the human resources development (HRD) ministry talks of such a body. It lays stress on publication of high quality literature for children, highlighting that this could help shape a better society in the future.

Presently, the National Book Trust publishes such literature. But it has come under criticism from the HRD ministry-appointed task force for failing to enthuse children toward reading books. Read more »

4th Thiruvananthapuram Book Fair Rights Table
Source: Indian Printer & Publisher
After the success of the first Rights Table organised in 2009, Thiruvananthapuram Book Fair brings the second Rights Table taking place within the scope of the 4th Thiruvananthapuram Book Fair 2010, organised by the Kerala State Institute of Children’s Literature on behalf of the Government of Kerala.

The Rights Table is a platform for Indian publishers to present and trade their rights list, in different languages within India. International organisations will be invited to present their translation programs and rights trade. Read more »

Manu Joseph bags The Hindu Best Fiction Award 2010
Source: The Hindu
Manu Joseph has bagged The Hindu Best Fiction Award 2010 for his debut novel Serious Men.

Writer and historian Nayantara Sahgal presented the award, which carries a cash prize of Rs.5 lakh and a plaque, to Mr. Joseph, who is the Deputy Editor of the Open magazine.The award was instituted by The Hindu Literary Review as a prelude to celebrating its 20th year in 2011. Read more »

Posthumous Honours for Writers Thakazhi, Rama Varma
Source: outlookindia.com
Jnanpith laureate and eminent Malayalam novelist Thakazhi Sivasankara Pilli and poet and lyricist Vayalar Rama Varma have been posthumously selected for literary awards instituted Kerala Sahitya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham (SPCS). Read more »

Acharya Narendra Bhushan dead
Source: expressbuzz.com
Vedic scholar Acharya Narendra Bhushan, who vigorously took up the cause of Vedic literature, has passed away at the age of 75. He was the Kulapathi of Saraswathi Vaidika Gurukulam, Chengannur. The acharya was the founder-editor of Arsha Nadam magazine, which deals with Vedas and Upanishads. The Acharya has delivered about 4,500 discourses on various topics mainly on Vedas and Vedic practices. He had penned 40 books on Hindu philosophy.

He established the Veda Press for publishing materials and books related to Vedic studies in Malayalam. He is also the recipient of many awards and recognitions.

Vishnunarayanan Namboodiri chosen for award
Source: expressbuzz.com
Renowned poet Prof Vishnunarayanan Namboodiri, has been chosen for the ‘Mathrubhumi Literary Award’ instituted by a leading Malayalm daily, Mathrubhumi.

A three-member judging panel headed by K Sachithanandan, Dr K S Ravikumar and V K Sriraman, selected Namboodiri for the award.

Born on June 2, 1939 at Tiruvalla, Namboodiri’s famous poems includes ‘Aranyakam’, ‘Indiayenna vikaram’, ‘Athirthyilekku oru yatra’ and ‘pranaya geethamgal’.He has won several awards including the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award, Vayalar Award, Vallathol Award. Read more »

Making Hay in India
Source: The National
In the heart of Thiruvanthapuram, Kerala, south India, authors and speakers from India and all over the world gathered at the inaugural Hay Festival Kerala, held over three delightful days of free sessions in the beautiful Kanakakunnu Palace, once the summer retreat for a royal family. Read more »

No celebrities at Bangalore Book fair, just many ordinary readers
Source: DNA
The eighth Bangalore Book Fair concluded on Sunday. And it left observers with the impression that the book business is flourishing, despite fears of the decline of the reading habit. Read more »

Winners declared for ‘Bal Sahitya Puraskar’ in 4 languages
Source: newkerala.com
The award for total contribution to children literature in Gujarati language has been given to Yashwant Mehta.

For folk tales in Manipuri language, Ngathem Ningol Kongbam has been selected and Padma Shastry’s collection of short stories has won the award in Sanskrit language. Read more »

Ernakulam Public Library to reach out to homes
Source: The Hindu
Ernakulam Public Library is all set to reach out to residential areas in search of potential readers through activities like formation of reading clubs with the assistance of resident’s associations and delivery of books at home.

To begin with, a reading club will be formed in the High Court. If the initiative to ensure easy access of books to judges, lawyers, and High Court employees was found to be a success it would be extended to more areas.

Ernakulam Public Library boasts of 1.50 lakh books, including books published decades ago to the latest releases. Book shelves had been arranged in a built-up space of 7,000 sq.ft. spread over two floors. Read more »

A Room for Reading
Source: newkerala.com
In India, Room to Read started in 2003 and since then has supported 2,081 girls, set up 3,295 libraries and published 74 books for children. India also hosts 50 percent of the group’s two key programmes – Reading Rooms and Girls’ Education – for the Asia region, says Sunisha Ahuja, Room to Read’s India country director. Read more »

Crossword expands in Chennai
Source: indiaretailing.com
Crossword Bookstores, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shopper’s Stop Ltd, has expanded its presence in Chennai by opening an outlet at Alwarpet. The new store is spread over an area of 9,000 sq.ft and houses books, movies, music and stationery, among other things. .

The company also has plans to open two new stores in Bangalore and Mumbai. The stores will be opened before March 2011.

A thriving market for Tamil translations
Source: The Hindu
What began as a niche segment for the Tamil publishing firms now accounts for nearly 20 per cent of the books published every year and it is set to grow further.

While getting rights has never been an expensive affair, finding publishers or authors, in case of non-English books, might be difficult, says New Horizon Media Publisher Badri Seshadri. “For instance, finding authors who hold publishing rights for the books in German or Russian are sometimes difficult. Though things have become easier as the global literary network has strengthened, there is much that needs to be done in terms of regularising the issue of getting translation rights,” he adds.

Read more »

Is the ebook the new hardback?
Source: The Guardian
Publishers are speculating that they might amplify pre-paperback word of mouth by giving away digital editions.

…the ebook could in these straitened times become the new hardback: an initial release to get the cognoscenti talking up a book ahead of mass-market publication. But publishers need to watch out: once you have given something away for free it can be a shock when you start charging for it. Just take a look at Rupert Murdoch’s paywalls, or the disgruntled ebook readers voting with their feet when Amazon bumped up the prices for its Kindle editions. Word of mouth can cut both ways – and it all depends on whether you believe there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

Read more »

Booking profits
Source: Indian Printer & Publisher
From Gulshan Nanda paperbacks in gaudy covers and Chacha Choudhari and Diamond Comics vying with chai and samosas for the attention of passengers on railway platforms, to Harold Robbins and Mills & Boons being sold in the air-conditioned environs of hypermarkets and malls, retail business of books in India has come a long way indeed.

But does that mean the publishing industry has attained nirvana with the emergence of swanky malls? Not everybody seems to think so. Nidhi Verma, founder of bookmeabook.com, an online book rental service which provides free door-to-door pickup and delivery of books, cautions that though new bookshops have opened in several malls around the National Capital Region, this development must be viewed with caution since “opening an establishment is one thing, but sustaining it is another matter altogether.”

Read more »

‘Screenplays new literary genre in Kerala’
Source: expressbuzz.com

Southern superstar Mammootty says screenplays are emerging as a literary genre in Kerala and he would like to see more exchange of ideas between Malayalam and Western scriptwriters.

“Screenplays are an emerging literary genre in Kerala. Almost all movie scripts are published in the form of books and they are widely read,” Mammootty observed, on the sidelines of the three-day Week Hay Festival that began here Friday.

“I don’t write scripts myself but I have written three books. I don’t have time to write scripts – but I want the organisers of Hay Festival to bring more scriptwriters next year. Movie scripts, like plays, are becoming crucial to new publishing in the state,” the movie actor said.

Mammootty joined the league of writers with his first book, Kazhchapadu, a compilation of short essays which he has contributed to various publications over the years. It was widely acclaimed for its pithy style.

Read more »

Why our literary White Whales need a publishing Captain Ahab
Source: Daily News & Analysis(DNA)

Everyone seems to be writing these days, and publishing houses are keen to play pimp to the literary whores of our time. Been in love? Write about it; recently moved to the big city? Write about it; just learned English? Write in it. The result is a sewer of stories that should never be told, written in styles that should never be printed. Ten years from now, a mere handful of these books will be remembered; rather most be relegated to dusty bookshelves in second-hand bookstores, looked upon cringingly by those who once put so much stock in them.

Read more »

P. Lal
Source: The Economist
Purushottama Lal, poet and publisher of Calcutta, died on November 3rd, aged 81

Each of the 3,500 titles he published contained, at the back, his “credo”. English book publishing in India, he complained, was governed by a “nexus” of “high-profile PR-conscious book publishers, semi-literate booksellers, moribund public and state libraries, poorly informed and nepotistic underlings in charge of book review pages…and biased bulk purchases of near worthless books by bureaucratic institutions”. He made no money at it, and the authors might not either, because they were required to buy 100 copies of their work in advance. Some grumbled, but Writers Workshop was a beacon, not a charity.

Read more »

New Book Releases and Events
New book and journal releases, new imprints and other similar events.

Globalocal – 2010
Source: German Book Office, New Delhi
An astounding attendance of over 150 publishing and media professionals marked the second chapter of GLOBALOCAL. The day-long conference aimed at providing a comprehensive overview on the topic of Digitisation in Publishing, was attended by publishers, printers, service providers and vendors, not just from India but from all parts of the world. The nature of the participation truly reflected the ideas and issues from the so called ‘mature markets’ like the UK and US as also from different corners of the globe – from Australia, Indonesia, China to Lebanon, South Africa, Europe and other parts of the world including India.

The first session, moderated by Emma House, Trade and International Director, The Publishers Association, UK, had the ‘big’ players speaking about the ‘The English Speaking Market’. The discussion debated on the mature markets, versus the emerging markets, publishing languages or rather language and on English emerging as the ‘lingua franca’.

The second session,’Territories in times of Digitisation’, moderated by Kevin Fitzgerald, Chief Executive, Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, included speakers such as Clare Somerville, GM India, UK and Export Sales for Harlequin Mills & Boon, Karthika V.K., Publisher and Chief Editor, HarperCollins India and Tej P.S. Sood, Publisher and Director, Anthem Press. This was followed by a discussion on territorial digital rights and the issues with controlling this and the issues of pricing in different geographical regions.

The third session, post lunch, was on ‘Views from other Regions’. Urvashi Butalia, Publisher, Zubaan was the moderator in this session. The speakers included Anna Soler-Pont, Director, Pontas Literary & Film Agency from Spain, Shirley Lim, Regional Director – Southeast Asia, McGraw-Hill from Malaysia and Emile Khoury, Managing Director, CIEL from Lebanon.

The fourth session with its controversial title ‘Return of the colony: India as a service hub’ had Naresh Khanna, Publisher, Indian Printer and Publisher as the moderator. The speakers included Bimal Mehta, Executive Director, Vakil & Sons Pvt Ltd. Sunder Singh, Principal Consultant & Segment Head, Information Services, TCS and Vivek Shenoy, Analyst, ValueNotes.

The fifth session was titled ‘Going Global, Going Digital’. Territories or not, it is quite evident and clear now that for businesses to survive and grow, digital is the future. Interesting examples from all over the world from the various speakers looked at developments in the digital arena that has changed the nature of the business. The last quirky presentation by Gautam John, Lawyer and Achal Prabhala, Researcher and Writer, presented ‘Commons-sense’ and the case of Wikipedia, and dwelled on the fact that, today, the idea of a knowledge commons has gained enough ground to have meaningful consequence.

The vote of thanks was offered by Dr. Ashok Gupta, Vice President (North), The Federation of Indian Publishers. He thanked the organizers, speakers, participants and the partners, sponsors and supporters of GLOBALOCAL 2010.The long day of exciting discussions and presentations ended with an evening reception in the refreshing gardens of the Lodi Restaurant, where everyone had a chance to meet informally over a drink and network further.

Casa da Moeda Festival 2010
Source: Organizing Cmtee, Casa da Moeda Festival 2010
The second Casa da Moeda festival was held between November 19-21 at the historic building near the Panjim Head Post Office. This heritage home was Goa’s Mint in the mid-1800s.

This year, the festival had a literary focus with a dash of music. The talks included a discussion on ‘Hypnosis in India’ by Pulitzer-nominated novelist and academic Prof. Lee Siegel, an introduction to Harold Pinter by playwright and Professor of English Isabel Santa Rita Vas and a reading of Margaret Mascarenhas’ second novel ‘The Disappearance of Irene dos Santos’. The fourth edition of Mascarenhas’ first novel Skin (published by Goa 1556) was also launched during the festival.

The spotlight on poetry included a reading by noted poet Manohar Shetty from his latest book ‘Personal Effects’, and a discussion of the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins by Mumbai-based Barrister-at-law and Oxford alumnus David da Silva.

Bookworm conducted a ‘Cholta Cholta’ walk around the Casa da Moeda and Tobacco Square. Sonia Shirsat closed the festival with a Fado concert.

A charity raffle held during the festival raised funds for Child’s Play India Foundation (www.childsplayindia.org), a registered charity that aims to empower underprivileged children through music.

Photographs of the festival can be seen here: http://bit.ly/g6KoNK. Read more about Casa da Moeda and the festival at http://casadamoedagoa.wordpress.com.

‘I love interacting with people’
Source: The Hindu
Mitra Phukan, English fiction writer and popular columnist of Assam has a passion for music and children’s literature. The Collector’s Wife, published by Penguin/Zubaan, is the first novel in English to be published by a major publishing house from the North East.

Her fiction for children include The Biratpur Adventure, Chumki Posts a Letter and Mamani’s Adventure, (published by Children’s Book Trust) and The Terrorist Camp (Scholastic India). The co-ordinator of the ongoing Katha-North East Writers Forum Translation Project, she also edits New Frontiers, the literary journal of the North East Writers Forum.

English plays a very important role in the North East, especially the hill states. Much of the traditional literature of these hill states is oral and much of the new writings coming out of these States are in English. Assamese literature is extremely strong. We write about the same things, only the medium of communication is different. English thankfully is very malleable.

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The anatomy of a movie
Source: livemint.com
A new series of books on iconic Indian films is a fillip to serious writing in the genre.

It is a promising start to what may turn out to be an inspiration for a new wave of writing and criticism related to Indian cinema. Singh has been working simultaneously on a film anthology, to be published by Westland Press early next year, to which authors contribute essay-length considerations of films that are important to them. The contributors include novelists Manil Suri, Kamila Shamsie and Anjum Hasan.

Read more »

New Indian graphic novel Untouchable launched on Apple iPad
Source: DNA
Liquid Comics, an entertainment company founded by three Indians, has announced the digital iPad release of Untouchable, an original graphic novel exploring various themes of racial prejudice during the British Raj with a supernatural horror twist.

A printed edition of the novel by acclaimed writers Mike Carey (X-Men, Lucifer, The Unwritten) and Samit Basu (Devi, The Tall Tales of Vishnu Sharma, The Simoqin Prophecies), will also be released in North America through Liquid’s publishing partner, Dynamite Entertainment in early December. Read more »

Easy biz books from IIM-A
Source: Hindustan Times
In a first of its kind initiative, Random House India is launching the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad’s (IIM-A’s) business book series – the official publishing programme of the country’s top business school. The IIM-A Book series will be written by the faculty of the institute, for the general reader using a clear, accessible style and putting things in an Indian context. The venture will be the first time a major educational institute is creating its own publishing programme in India.

The first four titles of the series – Strategies for Growth by Atanu Ghosh, The Persuasive Manager by M M Monippally, Business and Intellectual Property by Anurag K Agarwal and Managers Who Make a Difference by T V Rao – have been already launched. Read more »

A boost for e-books
Source: livemint.com
In a doff of the hat to digital publishing, The New York Times has announced it will include e-book tables in its iconic best-seller lists

Published weekly since 1935, these best-seller lists are widely considered the American, if not global, standard. A position on one of the paper’s 14 lists – from Hardcover Fiction to Paperback Advice and Graphic Books – can mean accelerated sales and an enticing new blurb on the cover.

NYTsays it has finalized a system to accurately track and verify digital book sales, because of the rising share of e-book sales and in order to “tell our readers which titles were selling and how they fit together with print sales”.

The move is further certification of the growing stature of digital publishing. In July, Amazon said it was selling 143 e-books for every 100 hardcover books. Earlier this week, Forrester Research said annual revenue from e-book sales in the US would cross $1 billion in 2011.

Read more »

Elsewhere…
News from around the world…

Longlist Announced for International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2011
Source: arabicfiction.org
The Judges of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2011 have announced the longlist contenders for the Prize, one of the most prestigious and important literary events of its kind in the Arab world.

The panel whittled down the longlist of 16 from a total of 123 entries, from 17 countries across the Arab world. They included for the first time this year, Afghanistan. The highest number of submissions came from Egypt. The number of submissions is up on the previous prize year, when 118 titles were entered from 17 countries. 29% of the works submitted were by female writers, compared with 16% the previous year. Read more »

The Giller Prize
Source: Hindustan Times
Canada’s top literary award for fiction, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, has gone to Nova Scotia-born writer Johanna Skibsrud for her debut novel The Sentimentalists. Read more »

Google, Hachette ink accord on book scanning
Source: Economic Times
Google has signed an accord with France’s biggest book publisher Hachette Livre on the scanning and sale of out-of-print books, which grants the publisher wide control over pricing and content.

The deal covers some 50,000 French language titles, including literature, academic works and reference books, and is unlikely to generate huge revenue for Hachette parent company Lagardere. But it is symbolically important as publishers around the world seek to protect their businesses from being cannablised by the Internet. Read more »

Rare treat for bibliophiles in UP
Source: Hindustan Times
As part of its initiative to revive the literary works of pre-Independence era by publishing rare books written in Hindi and Urdu languages, the Hindustani Academy has decided to publish a rare book on the legendary king Raja Bhoj along with a series of other manuscripts. Release of the book will coincide with Raja Bhoj’s ‘Coronation millennium year’ to be celebrated from December this year. The book, ‘Raja Bhoj’ written by Ramagya Dwivedi ‘Sameer’ was published once in 1932. The publication works of two other rare books ‘Awadh Kosh’ (1934) and ‘Prayag Pradeep’ (1937) has also started. They will be in market by the end of this month. Read more »

JU to launch publication house
Source: Times of India
Years of complaints by Jadavpur University’s (JU) students and academics about the lack of proper reference books, particularly for engineering and technology studies, is finally being addressed. The institution is set to launch a publication house which will supply books that are in high demand by the students and teaching faculties.

JU vice-chancellor Pradip Narayan Ghosh said: “We plan to open a publication house called Jadavpur University Press. Several publication houses are run by eminent universities like Oxford, Cambridge and Princeton. We, too, have chosen to call our press after our university.” The executive council (EC), the highest decision-making body of JU, has already given its go-ahead to the proposal.

The main focus of the publication house will be to publish textbooks and thesis written by research scholars and authors. “We will not restrict ourselves to publishing books written by students and academics in the institute. Rather, we plan to throw its gates open to all scholars,” added Ghosh. Read more »

Sibal moots neighbourhood libraries
Source: newkerala.com
Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal Saturday mooted a neighbourhood book policy, with libraries and reading rooms across the country.

“The aim should be that in the manner of neighbourhood schools, there should be neighbourhood libraries and reading rooms,” Sibal said speaking at the conclusion of a round table on the new draft national book promotion policy.

The HRD minister asked the task force to rework on the draft accordingly and also asked it to hold meetings with students and parents who are also the stake-holders.

He also suggested to the task force to look at preparing a pricing policy for books, which would be advisory and not mandatory and would be consistent with international norms. Read more »

Pearson, Pratham Books Ink Deal to Carry Story Books to Villages
Source: blog.prathambooks.org
Publishing giant Pearson Education (Pearson Longman) has inked a memorandum of understanding with Pratham Books, a non-profit platform, to promote reading among marginalised children in the villages and small towns of India.

The agreement will help underprivileged children in the country access quality story books.

Announcing the agreement Tuesday, Vivek Govil, chief operating officer and president of Pearson Education-India (the Indian arm of Pearson), and Rohini Nilekani, the founder-chairperson said Pearson will keep aside an amount of 50 paise from the sale of every school title in India to help Pratham buy story books for children.

Set up in 2004, Pratham publishes quality books for children in multiple Indian languages at subsidised prices. Read more »

New prize turns spotlight on south Asian literature
Source: guardian.co.uk
Worth $50,000 (£31,500), and sponsored by an Indian construction company, the international prize has been set up to raise awareness of south Asian culture around the world, and is unusual in being open to authors of any nationality so long as the work is based on the region and its people.Read more »

Howard Jacobson wins Man Booker Prize
Source: IANS/expressbuzz.com
Howard Jacobson won the Man Booker Prize 2010 for the book “The Finkler Question” at a glittering ceremony at the Guildall Hall in London Tuesday.The prize carried a purse of £ 50,000 and earned the British writer worldwide recognition.

The winner was chosen from among a shortlist of six authors – Peter Carey, Emma Donoghue, Damon Galgut, Howard Jacobson, Andrea Levy and Tom McCarthy.

International Honours List for Tribal Artist Bhajju Shyam
Source: Tara Books
With creatures like the Croco-rooster, the Ele-crab and the Blue-jion issuing from the brush of his fictional protagonist Siena Baba, Gond tribal artist Bhajju Shyam has achieved another first. His imaginative art for the picture book That’s How I See Things, published by Tara, has earned him a place in the prestigious IBBY Honour List for Illustrators, 2010.

IBBY – the International Board on Books for Young People – highlights in its Honours List the best works to emerge from various countries. They also recommend titles that could be brought to an international audience through translation.

Calling writers
Source: The Hindu
Familia Books is inviting stories from writers in India for an Indian edition of the anthology, Wisdom of Our Mothers. Fifty per cent of Familia’s profits from the book will be donated to shelters for mothers and their children escaping abusive relationships. Eight stories will be chosen for a “Stories from India” chapter to be added to the book which was released recently. Read more »

Carnival of books
Source: The Hindu
Lyndy Cooke, executive director of The Hay Festival of the Literature and the Arts, talks about the event that comes to Trivandrum in November

But why a Hay Festival in India? “We have wanted to expand to India for some time now as the writing from the country is fresh. You have excellent writers from India. The writing is varied and often captures the challenges of an aspiring India. We met Teamwork Productions, the organisers of the Jaipur Literary fete last year and as they have the experience in conducting such events we decided they would be a perfect partner. That is what you need when you hold such an event, good partners.”

Read more »

Helping discover the joys of writing
Source: rediff.com
After weaving stories for kids in beautiful books, dyslexic author Dheera Kitchlu is now helping children like her bring out their writing talents into the open.

Through her initiative ‘Anyone can write’, Dheera Kitchlu who has penned a total of eight books says writing for children is very unique and kids should be encouraged to write from a young age.

“Being a dyslexic, I never wrote due to fear. Children have a lot of talent but they feel inhibited and do not write. They have wonderful stories to tell. I want to encourage them to write,” says Kitchlu, whose first book was published in 1992.

In collaboration with the self-publishing portal Serene Woods, the free-of-cost initiative allows children to get help from Kitchlu to create original, individual work, through one-on-one interactions.

Read more »

One Mistake of My Life
Source: openthemagazine.com
During a stint at a publishing firm, the author shared the dubious distinction of rejecting what has since become India’s biggest publishing sensation. Paperback copies, lining shelves of bookstores, still seem to mock her judgement.

This one was clearly above my pay grade, so I marked it up to two separate senior editors, mentioning my reservations. I heard a few weeks later, the author had been turned down. He later went to a rival firm and became a publishing sensation overnight, and to this day, our boss complains bitterly that he missed out on the biggest bestseller of the decade because he went by the judgement of three Bengali women—a flawed demographic, if there ever was one! The subsequent glossy product looks at me reproachfully (even sneeringly) from the shelves of bookshops, from the shoulders of ‘traffic lights booksellers’, at railway stations and airports.

Read more »

Book, line clincher
Source: The Hindu
You don’t need the classics to revisit your favourite characters. An exploration of the world of parallel literature

The options are endless, from disappointing “The Wind Done Gone” which looks at the story of feisty Scarlett O’Hara’s half-sister and mulatto slave, to the delightful “Wicked” series by Gregory Maguire which completely revises L. Frank Baum’s land of Oz. There’s also Jasper Fforde’s masterful Thursday Next series, pursuing the story of a literary detective. The lines between literature and reality blur to a point where characters created by Dickens, Shakespeare and Charlotte Bronte cheerfully tumble across the pages.

Read more »

E-books rewrite the rules of engagement
Source: theaustralian.com.au
Digital devices are fuelling a publishing revolution that may not have a happy ending

…unless authors have some recompense for the time they spend creating their works, they will not be able to write. Information wants to be free, goes the old hacker-activist credo. But for some reason food, shelter and filling the tank with petrol do not.

The difficulties of their publishers, the threat and opportunity of new aesthetic forms, the promise of becoming in effect their own publishers online, have led some to walk away from the old world already.

Read more »

New Book Releases and Events
This section reports on new book and journal releases, new imprints and other similar events.

Here come the Diwali Digests
Source: Hindustan Times
In the past two weeks, Mahim resident Seema Samarth has already made around 10 trips and many more phone calls to Dadar’s Ideal bookstore as part of her Diwali preparations. Like most Maharashtrian families in the city, she is desperately waiting to grab the first copies of her favourite annual festival reading, the Diwali anks.

Brought out by leading Marathi publishing houses and newspapers in the state, these magazines have traditionally been the most coveted platform for emerging writers and poets to showcase their oeuvre.

Today, the anks have moved beyond literature to include everything from religion and astrology to politics and health – a move that has only boosted their popularity among the average Maharashtrian. This year, as many as 345 Diwali specials are getting ready to hit the stands, and the ones already out are selling fast. Read more »

Children’s Literature from India and the Indian diaspora
Source: blog.prathambooks.org
The new issue of PaperTigers is live, with a focus on Children’s Literature from India and the Indian diaspora and the many ways in which it has changed over the years.

The children’s literature being produced in India nowadays includes much more than just stories and folktales rich in morals and traditions. The output of its writers and illustrators in a variety of genres and in a plethora of languages reflects India’s complex and ever-changing multilingual society. They also break through and go beyond long-standing gender, cultural and social stereotypes. The unique challenges and opportunities Indian children’s book creators face–or those in the diaspora writing about India–help create what one of our interviewees poetically calls the “rainbow-colored horizon” of Indian children’s literature.

Read more »

25 women set to cause ‘Ripples’
Source: Deccan Chronicle
A unique collection of short stories by 25 Indian women writers is to be launched shortly. ‘Ripples’ is compiled and published by a group of former IITians, who scoured the Net, on line e-zines and the blogosphere, going through over 200 stories to make this final collection. The book is a completely internet-based collaborative effort.

Prashanth Karhade of APK publishing says, “I believe that in today’s day and age, people find it hard to read novels. Ripples is in tune with the fast paced world.” He adds that the book is unique in many ways, “It is a nice way to bring upcoming women writers together on a platform. Also the stories have been arranged from the shortest to longest. This way you can get people hooked on to the smaller stories first and then progress to the longer ones.” Read more »

Bonding with books
Source: The Hindu
Bibliophile Krishnamurthy is the proud possessor of 70,000 titles. His ‘Gnanalaya’ Research Library at Tirukokarnam near Pudukottai is easily one of the biggest private libraries in the country. The USP of his library is the wide collection of priceless first editions in Tamil.

Treasured among his stack are letters of Rajaji and Bharathiyar’ s daughter Thangammal Bharathi’s first editions of Bharathi and Bharathidasan, early issues of revolutionary magazines like ‘Kudiarasu’, ‘Viduthalai’ and Gandhi’s Harijan, back issues of the Reader’s Digest right from the first Indian edition and 1,500 Tamil literary magazines from 1920 to 2010.

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