Here’s a fun article on Lulu, “the iTunes of literature“, from the Times of London. The author argues in favour of Print-On-Demand, a service recently introduced in India by CinnamonTeal Print & Publishing Services. Put simply, Print-On-Demand allows one book to be printed at a time. That avoids the need for investments in expensive inventories. Further, Print-On-Demand allows the author to be in direct control of her manuscript and allows for extremely low turnaround times of about a week. Contrast that with the traditional publishing process, which takes one-to-two years from contract to finished book (if one is lucky enough to get a contract in the first place).
Could something like this happen in India?
India is already one of the largest markets for books in the world. Yet there are thousands, perhaps millions of people who still want to read a book but cannot get access to one. One way of getting to people the books they want would be to have a mobile library. However, the lack of all-weather roads in most rural areas would hamper an initiative like that.
Perhaps time to ride off a donkey’s back?
While one may wonder what all the excitement over Harry Potter and his friends is all about, readers in India still prefer the books of old. Agatha Christie and Enid Blyton are still preferred as this article points out.
An interesting article that caught my eye…gives you reason enough to want to write
http://www.sellingpower.com/article/display.asp?aid=SP5128488 (may require registration)
Book Title: “Superhero - The Fabulous Adventures of Rocket Kumar and Other Indian Superheroes”
Authors: Anita Roy, Indrajit Hazra and Samit Basu
Publisher: Scholastic India Pvt. Ltd.
Place : The Landmark Book Store, DLF Grand Mall, Mehrauli – Gurgaon Road, Gurgaon – 122 002
Date and Time: 7th July 2007, 6:30 p.m. onwards
If there are book launches, signings or meet-the-author sessions you wish to have covered, do email us at contact@dogearsetc.com
With many authors expected to market their books by writing their own blogs or contributing to one, the guys at Penguin have an interesting take on the subject.
I came across this interesting article in the Times of India this morning:
Peter, a burly South African, is hunting for books on India. And no, it’s not the usual coffee table book on the Taj, tigers or Rajasthan. What Peter’s after are comics, and to be more specific, Indian comics. “Last year, I stayed over at a friend’s home in Delhi where I started reading Indian mythological comics. The stories fascinated me so, now, whenever I come here I make it a point to pick them up.”
Peter is part of a growing tribe of foreigners who feel that comics are the best and easiest way to understand Indian culture. From stories of the Mughal period to the Ramayana, from tales of various gods to the Panchatantra, booksellers in various parts of the country say demand is going up, slowly but surely.
For more on this article, click here
Self-Publishing authors have this dilemma staring in their faces: How do I promote my book? In this information-age how do you cut to the chase and get your book noticed by your customer. Perhaps, just perhaps, one way would be to develop your own promotional video. With cellphones, that should not be too big a deal. Simply develop one and upload it on youtube and, voila!…you have your own commercial right there. Perhaps, you could have someone interview you and have that clip uploaded.
Out there, it’s only your imagination that limits you.
For one such video, follow this link.
