Careers
Through the ages, books have been the medium of expression for people,
and our window to the world. In fact, the written word has been the repository
of knowledge, the progenitor and guardian of culture, as well as the medium
for dissemination of ideas through the ages.
For a long time the scope of publishing in India was limited to vernacular works.
But currently, India ranks tenth in the world book trade, exporting books,
periodicals and journals to over eighty countries.
So far, publishing has been generally viewed as a tradition-bound area, where
careers are slow to take off. This staid, conventional image is now beginning to change.
The entry of foreign publishing houses has brought with it more money
and larger markets,attracting bright, young professionals into the field with a
new optimism, fresh ideas and shrewd business sense, to the overall benefit
of the industry.
Moreover, the rise and prominence of Indo-Anglian writing and the international
acclaim of authors such as Arundhati Roy,Vikram Seth, Vikram Chandra, Kiran
Desai, and others has spurred the interest in fiction from India.
Major international firms, perceiving India as an important market, have
established representative offices here. In addition, a younger, more
venturesome generation of publishers are founding their own indigenous
companies and exploring new avenues. Combined with this, the recent
upsurge of interest in the creative arts, encouragement of vernacular writing
and a rising literacy index hold great potential for the industry's growth in
the near future.
WORK
Most publishing houses specialise in the nature of the books they bring out.
These could be :
Text Books which are mainly from nationalised presses that fill 80 percent of the
total school book requirement.
Paperbacks that cover a large market for both fiction and non-fiction.
Academic / technical books and periodicals - these categories are in great
demand and form a large percentage of all books published in India.
Art Books are well illustrated and usually printed in full colour on special
paper. Art books are expensive to produce, but generally have an assured if
select market.Children's Books are largely imported, although now some
privately owned publishing houses are bringing out children's books
based in the Indian tradition, in an effort to meet a huge, unfulfilled demand.
The Feminist Press exists but is limited, and concentrates on works for, by and
about women.Books in this slot range from poetry and fiction to sociological studies.
Publishing
is an industry that converts an author's manuscript into a finished product
marketable to the reader. This necessarily includes the organisation of its
production, distribution and promotion. The work in publishing therefore
covers editorial, production, and distribution or marketing.The responsibilities
of individuals within these areas would vary in accordance with the size and
organisation of the publishing house.
The work of the editorial department includes identifying authors and
commissioning manuscripts, and liasing with authors and dealing
with their contracts. Successful publishing therefore demands business
acumen and an interest in marketing as much as it does creativity and literary
effort.The production department, in consultation with the editor, decides on
the appearance of a book, in terms of its shape, size, cover, number of pages
and chooses the paper and style of typeface and illustrations that will be
used. It also co-ordinates with suppliers like printers, paper merchants and
book binders.
The marketing department handles the sales of the books published. This
involves planning sales campaigns, writing up of 'blurbs', and researching
for review lists. The marketing department sends representatives to schools,
universities, book shops, libraries and other potential customers, to provide
them with information on forthcoming publications and to collect orders.
Apart from editorial, production and marketing personnel the publishing
industry constantly requires:
Writers or authors who are, of course, central to the industry. With the exception of
literary and creative works of fiction, poetry and drama, most manuscripts are
commissioned only after careful consideration of their substance, author and likely
market response.
Translators, either on free-lance or full-time positions commissioned for
undertaking English and Hindi translations from, and to a regional language.
There is also considerable opportunity in most publishing houses, especiall
those publishing children's books, for free-lance or full-time illustrators who
provide the artwork for books. Artists design book jackets and covers and
also develop graphicsand illustrations to enhance their contents.
Publishing also covers a number of allied activities.
Distribution is an area which is exclusive to sales and marketing. There are
some organisations that only handle the distribution of books and
periodicals. Their work involves promotion, supply and retail of all kinds
of books.
Desktop Publishing is a recent development, involving a personal computer
which makes it possible to edit, design, layout and typeset copy. Due to its
substantial cost advantage, desktop publishing has become immensely
popular. It is being increasingly used by companies to produce brochures and newsletters
for their internal circulation as well as for books with small print
orders and limited sales.
ENTRY
Fresh graduates in any discipline are often recruited by most publishing
houses and given on-the-job training.
Eligibility:
A BA degree in any discipline is usually the minimum requirement for entry into
publishing, although in specialist publishing as for art, technical or educational
books, the minimum entry requirement is a university degree in the relevant
subject .Certain institutions do provide short-term, post-graduate courses in
publishing, which require a basic degree in any discipline.
There are many more courses available in printing. These are diploma
certificate courses offered after the +2 level, and normally combine graphic
arts and printing technology.
Duration :
The courses in publishing are of 3 months to 3 years' duration.
The duration of diploma and certificate courses in Printing varies from
1 to 3 years.
Selection :
Selection for a position is normally on the basis of a simple written test and
a personal interview, to gauge the candidate's awareness of and aptitude
for their chosen area.
For Production posts special qualifications in printing are necessary for gaining
entry into this field. Larger publishing houses sometimes also prefer candidates
with previous work experience.
Institutions:
There are very few institutions that offer specialised courses in publishing,
although it is a vocational subject offered by some schools and colleges
at the +2 and degree level. Important institutions include :
- The Federation of Indian Publishers
- The Federation of Publishers & Booksellers Association in India
- Shankar Institute of Book Publishing, New Delhi
- Delhi University, Delhi
- Madras Christian College, Chennai.
JOB PROSPECTS
Those looking for a career in publishing and with the required qualifications
could find a job in the following areas :
Private publishing houses.
In the publication department of any organisation that undertakes its own
publishing.
Some central and state government agencies such as the Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting , and of Education and Culture, also have their own publication
divisions.
There are other government organisations involved in publishing educational and
cultural publications - these include the Sahitya Akademi, Indian Council for
Cultural Relations and the Indian Council of Social Science Research.
Publishing houses of organisations that are subsidised or run by public trust funds
are the National Book Trust, NCERT and the Children's Book Trust.
Some major universities have also set up publishing departments that bring out
academic works as do private educational and charitable institutions, as well as
cultural and religious trusts.
