Unlike other Asian publishing markets, like Korea or Japan, the Indian book market is nearly unknown by French children’s book publishers, though this industry is actually blooming.
The Indian book market is a very specific one : the country’s size makes book distribution difficult, many languages are spoken and written, and there is a wide gap between urban reading habits and rural ones. Independent publishers in this country adapt business strategies to these difficulties and the solutions they find are original and innovative. In view of the lack of studies and data about Indian publishing, this study is based on a certain number of interviews with booksellers, book fair directors, market specialists, illustrators, distributors, and publishers.
- In the first part ’’Quel paysage pour l’édition indienne ?’’, this study deciphers the socio-economic and statistical data in order to better understand the Indian youth readership (gender, language, economical issues, among others).
- In the second part ’’Le monde de l’édition jeunesse’’, a typology of the different players in Indian publishing is sketched out : multinational companies, state publishing, commercial publishers, independent publishers, NGOs... what are their respective roles ?
- In the third part ’’Quelles perspectives de diffusion et de valorisation ?’’, the study examines the level and the nature of exchanges between Indian publishing and worldwide youth publishing.
An exciting treatise on a little-explored subject... a must read !
Mariette ROBBES, holder of a Master 2 in the World of the Book (Aix-en-Provence University) lived for six months in India in 2009, and returns often ever since. Since 2017, she is a member of the Alliance Board. Mariette concurrently works on several textile and graphic creation projects.