Dates: 15th September to 17th of September 2016
Venue: Bolgatty Palace and Island Resort Kochi, Kerala, India.
Addressings
Opening Address: While welcoming those present, the chief guest for the inaugural function, Dr. Thomas Isaac, Minister of Finance, Government of Kerala, lamented the fact that the growth in production of books in India far lagged behind the country’s growth in GDP. That there was a spurt in production during the last few years was a source of encouragement, he said, although there was much that still needed to be done.
Speaker: Dr. Thomas Isaac
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Keynote Address: In his keynote address, Scholar, editor-publisher, translator, lexicographer & bibliophile and publisher, Thema, Samik Bandhyopadhyay stated that bookstores had a major role to play in developing a love for reading among neo-literates. Bookstores, he said, allowed people to touch and feel books, discover titles they probably never had heard of, and develop an attachment with a tangible object.
Keynote Speaker: Samik Bandhyopadhyay
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Masterclasses
Publishing 101: This masterclass, conducted by Ritu Menon, founder of Women Unlimited, an associate of Kali, spelt out the publishing process for the audience. Different streams of publishing were discussed, as was the process involved in creating, marketing and selling a book.
Panelists: Ritu Menon
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After Writing, What Next ?: This session was conducted by Jayapriya Vasudevan, a partner at Books@Jacaranda, a Bangalore-based literary agency. In her presentation, Jayapriya impressed upon the authors the need to write well and pitch appropriately, so that the publishers, who have to choose between thousands of submissions, are interested in the book pitched before them. The role of the agent was also discussed.
Panelists: Jayapriya Vasudevan
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The Mechanics of Editing: This masterclass, conducted by Esha Beteille, publisher, Social Science Press, catered to the requirements of both authors and publishers. The masterclass addressed the role of the commissioning and copy editor, the importance of retaining the author’s tone and voice, and provided them with examples of how different types of texts ought to be edited.
Panelists: Esha Beteille
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Understanding Copyright & the Rights Trade: Manasi Subramaniam, Commissioning Editor and Rights Manager at HarperCollins India, conducted this session. In her presentation, she explained the various types of rights that are sold, underlined the importance of a well-developed catalogue, and the processes and contracts inherent to trading of rights.
Panelists: Manasi Subramaniam
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Panel Discussions
Translation Market and Profession: “Translations: Market and Profession,” the speakers underlined the need for publishers to be more proactive about the texts that were being translated. The concern among certain quarters that many translations did not prove good returns on investment was voiced during the discussion.
Panelists: Chandan Gowda | J. Devika | Minakshi Thakur | Rakshanda Jalil
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Where we must invest next: In a scenario where financial resources are limited, panelists will discuss where publishers should focus so that they continue to remain relevant in the future. Sunset and sunrise areas of publishing, as well as the impact of technology on the publshing ecosystem will also be discussed.
Panelists: K. Satyanarayan | Samik Bandhyopadhyay | Sesh Seshadri | Sriram Subramanya
Imagining Book Retail and Distribution: This panel will discuss the current state of book retail as seen from the perceptive of publishers, book distributors and online and offline retailers. It will also attempt to predict how book retail might evolve as readers’ taste change. The impact of digital technologies and the evolution of various new genres on book-buying habits will also be discussed.
Panelists: Ankit Pahwa | Allwyn Pais | Anish Chandy | Neeraj Chawla | Vidya Virkar
Higher Education Publishing : Challenges and Opportunities: The current status and trends, market size and dynamics as also the challenges and opportunities the higher education publishing faces will be discussed.
Panelists: Ranjan Kaul | Gopal Devanahalli | Rohit Kumar | Viplav Baxi
Workshops
Accounting for Publishers: This workshop, as name suggests, will acquaint publishers with relevant accounting methods that will cover various processes encountered by publishers, and other publishing professionals, even authors. The workshop will focus on records that must be kept on a day to day basis as well as instructions while filing.
Conducted by: Nirjay Singh
Understanding and Using Consumer Data: This workshop is geared towards helping publishers gather data about their buyers and readers so that they can build an effective marketing program. Using various tools, publishers can understand the various demographics to which their readers and buyers belong. This workshop will introduce these tools to the participants.
Conducted by: Vikas Gupta
Digital Publishing: The digital transformation of the media business is no longer a vision. Therefore publishers and media companies need to increase their digital business if they want to stay in the competition. This workshop is aimed at professionals wishing to extend their knowledge of how to manage digital products and e-projects
Conducted by: Dr. Harald Henzler | Fabian Kern
Conversations
Shafi Shauq in Conversation with Ritu Menon: In a freewheeling discussion with Ritu Menon, Publisher, Women Unlimited, the author and poet, Shafi Shauq, spoke about his work, which he described as cathartic, given his experiences as a resident of Kashmir.
Speakers: Shafi Shauq | Ritu Menon
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A Discussion of Indian Languages and Literature (Dr. Ganesh Devy in conversation with Leela Samson and Vidya Rao): The panel will focus on the challenges of publishing, in the present context, and the place of cultural institutions in a free democracy.
Speakers: Dr. Ganesh Devy | Leela Samson | Vidya Rao
Ravi Singh in conversation with Prashasti Rastogi: Ravi Singh, Publishing Director of Speaking Tiger, will share his views on the current publishing scenario in the country.
Speakers: Ravi Singh | Prashasti Rastogi
In conversation with Makenzy Orcel: Author Makenzy Orcel will talk about his works, their genesis, and vision of literature.
Speaker: Makenzy Orcel