The topics for the panel discussions have been chosen to reflect recent developments in publishing while the workshops will acquaint participants with some of the skills they may need to further their businesses.
Panel Discussions:
1. Trends and New Models in Academic Book Publishing
The panel will look at the current models adopted by academic book publishing in India, to develop original content for various disciplines and present it in forms that are accessible to students. The managing of revisions due to emerging research and speeds at which technology allows such revisions to be taken to the target audience would be delved into. Similarly, with the growth in tech-enabled access to content, publishers now have to look at multiple formats and a variety of licensing models to deliver their content. With academic publishing taking lead in this scenario, the session will glean ideas that can be adopted by other publishing segments as well.
2. Future Content: The Re-imagination of Content
New technologies open up new possibilities for creating and reusing or repurposing content. The transition of print book to ebook is just one small manifestation of that trend. But content can be re-thought with the help of other tools, software capabilities and platforms. Today, the Internet offers such spaces as podcasting and YouTube etc. — new ways of publishing content. The panel will discuss some of these new and futuristic possibilities for publishers.
3. The Changing Library: State of Library Infrastructure in India
The public library and university library systems have had a huge role in the developing years of Independent India. Most of their funding comes from government-given grants. With the setting up of National Mission on Libraries to revitalise the library system in India, library infrastructure is undergoing several changes in the country. Publishers play an important role in the growth of libraries too. This panel will highlight the changes taking place in the library system in India and also discuss librarian-publisher relationship.
4. The Role of Publishers in Indian Languages
Publishers in Indian languages are both, ambassadors of the languages they publish in as well as custodians of the works produced by the writers of these languages. As publishing businesses get more competitive, these publishers are often called upon to not only manage the editorial process but also don many hats – those of the marketer, salesman and inventory manager, among others. The panel will look at their publishing processes, author-publisher relations, their infrastructure, and adaptation of professional standards in their work.
5. Growing the Publishing Business: Strategies, Technologies, Skills
Technology is changing the way publishing is done not just in editorial and production workflows, but in other aspects of the publishing enterprise too. From the way books are marketed, promoted, to how inventory is managed and other business decisions are made, technology plays an important role. When put to use efficiently several tools can help a publisher grow their businesses. This session will present some practices that have been successfully adopted and present a way forward that other publishers could benefit from.
6. The Nuts and Bolts of Self Publishing
While slowly shaking off its stigma, self-publishing is gradually emerging as a viable alternative for authors. This panel will discuss the risks and rewards of self-publishing, as also its craft and business i.e. the various processes and platforms available to authors. It will examine the mechanics of self-publishing and endeavour to understand why self-publishing is gradually endearing itself to so many authors, and what it means for an author to self-publish despite the many demands on her while doing so.
Workshops:
1. Using social media to market books
This workshop will discuss:
- Where the book market stands presently vis-à-vis where it was a few years back
- The need for social media marketing (SMM) while marketing books today
- How SMM helps in marketing of books of various genres
- The benefits of using SMM and how to use different tools/platforms to optimize results for books based on genre/age/reading habits/groups.
This workshop will share the how and why of using the audio medium (such as podcasts), with an illustrative outline of key decision points (technology, costs, tools, & type of content).
3. The process and benefits of digitising the backlist
This workshop will examine the pros and cons associated with digitizing the backlist, the factors that must be considered while choosing whether or not the backlist must be digitized, the stages of digitization, the investments involved and the various ways such digitization can be monetized.
4. Understanding Copyright, Contracts and Licensing
The workshop will explore the importance of understanding copyrights and contracts while acquiring or licensing rights. The workshop would be divided into three parts:
Part one will focus on copyright. This section shall cover the following in detail:
What is copyright? Why is it important to clear permission for use of any ‘copyrighted material’? Things to keep in mind while preparing a permission letter.
Part two will focus on negotiating terms of a license and drawing up a licensing agreement. This section would lead you through the important clauses that one should keep in mind while preparing or negotiating a licensing agreement (validity, territory, rights and subsidiary rights, advance, royalties etc.).
Part three would be a Q&A session where the queries of the participants would be answered.
Presentations:
1. The Case for an Independent Translation Body
This session will discuss the need for an independent, efficient and sensitive translation subvention programme for transporting literature from the Indian languages within India and to the rest of the world. It will highlight the importance of translation in the increasingly conflict-ridden world, where, despite the best communication technologies, the fear of the ‘other’ is more palpable than ever before. It will make a case for the need to transport the ideas that lead to better cultural understanding amongst peoples, societies and nations. The goal of the session is to lead a discussion on these matters, followed by observations from publishers and authors in the audience, with the purpose of envisioning a solid translation funding programme that can help put Indian literature on the global publishing map.
In ‘The A–Z of Book Printing’ the editor of PrintWeek India magazine will present an overview of the value chain of printed book publishing, and will highlight recent trends in the printing industry. The presentation will put the spotlight on a few top book printers and showcase some samples.
The conference will end with the presentation of the Publishing Next Industry Awards.