8th edition of the Publishing Next Industry Awards

HarperCollins India wins ‘Publisher of the Year Award’

419
Publishing
Sebastian and Sons: A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers, by T M Krishna published by Westland Books won in the Printed Book of the Year (English) category while Ghalib: A Wilderness at My Doorstep: A Critical Biography, by Mehr Afshan Farooqi published by Penguin Random House India was the runner-up.

HarperCollins Publishers India — the Gurgaon-based publishing house emerged the winner in the Publisher of the Year category of Publishing Next Industry Awards 2021. The eighth edition of the annual Awards were announced on Sunday, 27 March 2021. The Awards were presented in 10 categories as mentioned below.

HarperCollins Publishers India was adjudged Publisher of the Year 2021, for “refusing to rest on its past laurels, and continue to do what publishers must – engage new authors, develop new genres, and reach out to readers, during what was a particularly tough time for the publishing business. Its digital initiatives and social media campaigns have been notable and illustrate how publishers can, and should, adapt to the new environment. A strong frontlist, and a good focus on its mid and backlists, as also its partnerships with several other publishers, demonstrates that HarperCollins India is determined to continue making good books accessible to its readers.”

Pratham Books, the Bangalore-based nonprofit publisher was declared runner-up in this category.

Since its inception in 2014, the annual Publishing Next Industry Awards (PNIA) recognize and reward talent, initiative, entrepreneurship, and quality in book publishing, across publishers of all sizes, and in all Indian languages. Established under the aegis of the Publishing Next Conference, a platform furthering discussion and networking within the book publishing industry, the Publishing Next Industry Awards seek to celebrate innovation and leadership in the Indian book trade. Based in Goa, the Conference is driven by its two co-founders, Queenie Rodrigues and Leonard Fernandes, and by an advisory body that includes Vinutha Mallya and Rubin D’Cruz.

Besides being awarded to books in various categories, PNIA also acknowledges the importance and contributions of professionals in allied fields. The Bookstore of the Year 2021 was awarded to Eureka Bookstore, which is based in Delhi, with the Mumbai-based bookstore, Kitab Khana, emerging as the runner-up this year.

The winners and runners-up of Publishing Next Industry Awards 2021:

Richa Burman from Penguin Random House India won the Editor of the Year. Swati Chopra from HarperCollins Publishers India came in a close second. Archana Sreenivasan secured the Illustrator of the Year title, while Karen Haydock came in second.

Rohit Kokil won the Book Cover of the Year (Indian Languages) for his design of the cover of Jeevan ki Bahaar, published by Eklavya Publications. Kanak Shashi secured the runner-up position for her design of the cover of Ummeed Ke Rang, published by Eklavya Publications.

Sukruti Anah Staneley won the Book Cover of the Year (English) for her design of the cover of Intimate City, published by Zubaan. Rashmi Gupta secured the runner-up position for her design of the cover of A Mirror Made of Rain, published by HarperCollins Publishers India.

Still Life, by Anoushka Khan, published by Penguin Random House India won the title of Illustrated Book of the Year while Shaheen Bagh: A Graphic Recollection by, Ita Mehrotra published by Yoda Press/Persepolis (in Hindi), by Marjane Satrapi, translated and published by Vani Prakashan secured second place.

publishing
When Adil Speaks, Words Dance, by Lavanya Karthik published by Penguin Random House India won in the Children’s Book of the Year (Ages 0-8), and Chiknik Choon, by Sushil Shukla, published by Eklavya Publications came in second in this category.

When Adil Speaks, Words Dance, by Lavanya Karthik published by Penguin Random House India won in the Children’s Book of the Year (Ages 0-8), and Chiknik Choon, by Sushil Shukla, published by Eklavya Publications came in second in this category.

They Made What/They Found What, by Shweta Taneja published by Hachette India secured the top place in the Children’s Book of the Year (Ages 8+) while Pongal, by Bama published by Muskaan came in a close second.

Biplabi Rasbehari Basu O Japan, by Takeshi Nakajima translated by Kazuhiro Watanabe and published by Jadavpur University Press won the Printed Book of the Year (Indian Languages) while Akkai, by Akkai Padmashali, Dominic D published by Bahuroopi secured the second place in this category.

Sebastian and Sons: A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers, by T M Krishna published by Westland Books won in the Printed Book of the Year (English) category while Ghalib: A Wilderness at My Doorstep: A Critical Biography, by Mehr Afshan Farooqi published by Penguin Random House India was the runner-up.

2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India

Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.

The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry. While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.

The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.

Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.

Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.

Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.

– Naresh Khanna

Subscribe Now

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here