Books should not merely reflect society but should pave the way to create society – Chairman, NBT, India

New Delhi: Prof Govind Prasad Sharma, Chairman, National Book Trust, India, today said that books are not just reflection of the society, but also the guiding force to give direction that will pave the way forward to a new society.

Speaking at ‘PubliCon 2020 – Economics of Publishing’, organized by FICCI, Prof Sharma said that books are often termed as soft power and highlight the current challenges of the society in order to create future society. “Whenever we try to create a new society through the help of books, not only the society gets reflected but also efforts are made to guide the society as well.” He added that publishers should also keep society in mind while publishing books.

Highlighting the challenges of the publishing industry, Prof Sharma said that one of the important issues is with regard to the pricing of book and profits. “While deciding on the price points of the books, we should consider the target market for which we are publishing,” Prof Sharma added.

He said that on one hand, some publishers print limited copies of a book at higher price while some print more number of copies at lower rate. “Publishers can either opt for publishing less copies of a book at higher price or more copies at lesser price in order to make profits. In India, we should focus on printing a greater number of copies of a book at lesser cost and still make profits,” Prof Sharma emphasized.

Maj Gen G D Bakshi (Retd), Author and Renowned TV Commentator, said, “Even today the printed page makes a huge difference, changes the narratives and changes the discourse.” He added that books have the power to generate images and create imaginations which digital world don’t have.

Mr Birad Rajaram Yajnik, Founder Director and Curator, Mahatma Gandhi Digital Museums, said that innovation and seeing the invisible are two key aspects of the publication industry to survive and do better.

Mr Ratnesh Jha, Chair, FICCI Publishing Committee and Managing Director – South Asia, Cambridge University Press said publishing is one industry which goes beyond the boundaries of various countries. FICCI will play an important role in building the society and soft power and the nation to nation relationship using the medium of publishing.

Ms Karthika V K, Co-Chair, FICCI Publishing Committee and Publisher, Westland Publications, said that one of the important things that book can do is to resist and offer plurality of views and multiculturalism.

FICCI Publishing Awards were also given away during the event.