9th edition of Jaipur BookMark (JBM) – 19 – 23 January 2023

South Asia’s publishing conclave

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JBM 2019. Photo JBM
JBM 2019. Photo JBM

Said to be South Asia’s biggest publishing conclave, the Jaipur BookMark (JBM), returns to the pink city for its ninth edition from 19 23 January 2023. The conclave runs parallel to the iconic Jaipur Literature Festival and brings together publishers, literary agents, translation agencies, writers, and major industry players from across the world.

The ninth edition of JBM will host industry delegations across languages and continents, covering themes like translation, rights exchange, and children’s publishing, among others. Since its inception, JBM has provided coveted opportunities to not just talk shop through relevant industry sessions and focused roundtables but also to carve a niche in the literary sector.

Announcing the conclave, Sahitya Akademi awardee and festival co-director, Namita Gokhale, said, “I am thrilled to have the Jaipur BookMark back on ground at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2023. JBM is about the business of books and celebrates the core values of publishing. This year, we study and showcase the world of translations, and explore the creative and commercial ecosystem of books for children; we discuss the challenges of change, and seek to create new publishing connections across languages, cultures, and continents.” 

Sharing her excitement for the conclave, advisor, Jaipur Bookmark, Manisha Chaudhry, said, “The JBM 2023 spotlights some of the most exciting areas in publishing this year. With a roundtable on translation, we are going to catch the buzz in this segment that has received a huge fillip after the Booker win. The children’s publishing roundtable is focused on the latest ideas that can nurture a new generation of readers. There are sessions on audiobooks, ebooks, podcasts, and emerging segments that are sure to gain influence in a changing world. A stellar line-up of speakers ranging from translators, authors, editors, literary agents and new creators promise to make each session alive with ideas and purpose.”

JBM offers an exclusive B2B networking lounge, providing space for one-on-one meetings and constructive networking. The ninth edition of the conclave will focus on the art and business of translation. It also offers a celebratory platform for the publishing fraternity to get together and discuss upcoming trends and achievements.

Jaipur BookMark harnesses the collective energy of authors, literary agents, translators, publishers, designers, marketers, publicists, booksellers, and festival organizers to discuss new ideas and how to take them to the market. For more information on the program, visit https://jaipurbookmark.org/.

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

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