Read On Little One

As a world meet on children's books kicks off in India, the mood is upbeat for publishers and their young readers.

When the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBYP) begins its world congress in Delhi on September 20, the hosts will have two reasons to be happy. First, that the congress is taking place at all comes as a relief to the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children (AWIC) -- IBBYP's Indian arm. Following Pokhran II some countries expressed their discomfort at a nuclear nation being a venue for a meeting which sees global understanding as part of its larger agenda. At last count AWIC had received confirmations from 176 organisations from 51 countries, a far cry from the 400 originally expected.

Even so, the broader mood is upbeat. For Indian children's publishers, business is booming. The critical event has really been the entry of MNCs. In a market earlier dominated by unattractive low-priced books, there is now a wider range. The books are visually more appealing -- and more expensive.

Where They Score

HarperCollins: Getting authors of adult books to write for children.
Scholastic India: Its book clubs reach children through schools.
CBT: Indianness, pricing and reach. Publishes in 14 Indian languages.
Dorlink-Kinderslay: Quality production, diverse non-fiction titles.

With competition has come marketing innovation. MNC Scholastic set up shop here about a year ago and launched book clubs aimed at reaching children through their schools. "Parents find this an easy way of buying books," says Arvind Kumar, who heads Scholastic India. Chennai-based publisher Tulika even has an exciting website for children to browse through. HarperCollins' imprint Indus Peacock released three titles last month. Renuka Chatterjee, editor-in-chief, is excited: "It is a section of readership that is difficult to get. But even with television, reading can never die out." Her team is also getting authors of adult books to write for children -- Farrukh Dhondy, for instance. In 1999, it hopes to diversify into books to supplement classroom reading as well as a series of biographies of famous people.

This may be an apt move as the action is really in the non-fiction segment: books on maths, science, puzzles and the like. Close to 80 per cent of the Delhi-based Sterling Publishers' children's titles are non-fiction. At Scholastic too, a recent bestseller has been an activity-based book called Looking at the Planets. It sold 100 copies in its first fortnight, in a market where selling 10 copies is par for the course.

Social themes are also making an appearance -- tales of valour during riots, on domestic violence and so on. Paro Anand, editor of the Delhi-based National Centre for Children's Literature, sees this as educative. Her Babloo Bhavi is about a young boy who sees his sister-in-law abused at home and tries to change his family's attitudes.

Such books are likely to remain the preserve of homegrown publishers. So what does the MNC entry mean to them? At the Children's Book Trust (CBT) there isn't a hint of worry. Says C.G.R. Kurup, CBT's chief editor: "Our strengths are our Indianness, our pricing and our reach." To an extent, the confidence is justified. Over 40 years, the CBT has built a huge network and produces roughly 150 titles annually. Its USP is low pricing. The CBT scores by publishing in 14 Indian languages as well. The state-owned National Book Trust (NBT) has similar arguments. Bearing books in 16 Indian languages, NBT's vans take the printed word well into rural India. Nevertheless, the first challenge may come soon: Scholastic's Hindi books are on the anvil.

So does the market have space for all? Says Bikram Grewal, Dorling-Kinderslay's (DK) chief in India: "There is such a big need for children's books that Indian publishers have no reason to feel threatened." In four-odd months, DK has already put 60 children's titles on bookshelves. The response has been encouraging, despite high prices. The li'l ones aren't complaining.