Already home to an annual literature jamboree, Jaipur is now set to host a brand new initiative to develop and promote the Indian publishing industry.
Beginning 18 January, the Pink City is bringing together publishers, agents, rights holders and literary content producers from across the world at the inaugural initiative - the Jaipur BookMark.
The three-day event is born of huge interest shown by the international publishing industry in the Jaipur Literature Festival and is scheduled to run in parallel to the main event at the Narain Niwas Palace, organisers said in a statement on Tuesday. Six sessions, each looking at different aspects of the publishing industry, from self-publishing to e-books, digital content to distribution, are on the agenda. It will assess the role of industry giants and game-changers as well host roundtable discussions on the challenges the industry faces in a constantly changing market.
Sessions, panels and talks by prominent publishing figures are billed as the main draw of the event, which promises scope for for meeting and personal interactions. "It is expected that the Jaipur BookMark will bring together 100 key publishing professionals in its first edition," said organisers.
Jaipur BookMark 2014 has tied up with Norway as the official country partner with supported from NORLA, (Norwegian Fiction and Non-Fiction Abroad). NORLA is a government-funded, non-commercial foundation which promotes Norwegian literature to other countries.
"NORLA, together with the Norwegian Embassy, is very excited to take part in the new initiative - Jaipur BookMark. We look forward to exploring more possibilities for Norwegian literature in India through this partnership, and welcome everyone to meet us at the BookMark," said Margit Walso, Director, NORLA.
"The Jaipur BookMark venue is a natural progression of the interest shown in the annual publishing sessions at Jaipur. This is a modest beginning and I am convinced that it will provide a welcome and much-needed haven for informal interactions within the publishing industry," said Namita Gokhale, author and Co-Director Jaipur Literature Festival, who helped conceive and programme the event.
Neeta Gupta, publisher at Yatra Books, who also helped organise the event, added, "Every year the Jaipur Literature Festival draws not just book lovers, but also publishers, international agents and other trade professionals from across the world. Jaipur BookMark is our way of recognising Jaipur's place in the global publishing map.
The publishing industry in India is counted among the top seven in the world, and ranks third after the US and the UK in the English language sector. India is also a major outsourcing hub for print and pre-publishing services in the world, be it print, design or editorial. Unlike other territories, India is one of the few major markets that is still experiencing growth in both print and digital publishing.
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