The publishing industry of India is one of the largest in the world. It has shown phenomenal growth since past several decades. Publishing industry holds pivotal position in knowledge based economy. These days publishing houses catering to specialized clientele has emerged. The advent of ICT has also affected the various dimensions of publishing. Newer paradigms in copyright issues have emerged in the era of e-books and open educational resources. This necessitate for trained professionals in different areas of publishing such as editing, production, design, sales and marketing. There are several Institutes and organizations which conduct courses on various aspects of publishing.
Importance of ISBN in Book Publishing: The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) system was introduced in the world in 1972 and in India this system was put into operation in January 1985 by Raja Rammohan National Agency for ISBN. ISBN is a unique International Publisher’s Identifier number. It is known throughout the world as a short and clear machine-readable identification number, which marks any book unmistakably. ISBN is the essential instrument in modern distribution and rationalization opportunities in the book trade. The National Agency for ISBN is responsible for registration of Indian Publishers, Authors, Universities, Institutions and Government Departments who are responsible for publishing of books.
Training courses in book publishing
Various Indian institutes have developed courses in book publishing which are aimed towards equipping the interested individual with all the necessary requirements of the field. The courses vary in respect of their time duration, particular area of focus and eligibility criteria. Students have a chance to opt for a two year diploma in press management. A one year P.G. diploma in printing and publishing is also offered. Another P.G diploma course is offered in Printing tech and management. Some institutes even offer short term certificate courses in book publishing ranging from four weeks to a year.
An indicative list include
· 2 year Diploma in Press management including DTP and printing-www. avinashilingam.edu
· 3 months post graduate course in publishing- Shankar's Academy of art & Book Publishing
· 1 year certificate course in Binding & Finishing - Annamalai University- www.annamalaiuniversity.ac.in
National Book Trust (NBT) has been organizing courses in publishing throughout the country. The 4-week training course in Book Publishing aims to give the participants an overview of publishing. Hands-on experience and interactive sessions form an important segment of the course. Besides strengthening the knowledge in different aspects of publishing, the course also helps the participants to take up publishing as a career.
Course Content: The course includes the history of publishing, Editorial processes, Production and printing processes, Design and layout, Business and financial aspects of publishing, Warehousing and inventory, Book promotion and publicity, Sales, marketing and distribution, Copyright issues, Electronic Publishing etc.
Enrolment and Fee
The NBT course is open to graduates in any field, interested in a career in publishing. The application fee is Rs.100 and the course fee is Rs.4000. The folder and application form may be downloaded from NBT’s website.
Career Opportunities in Book Publishing: While the job of a publisher involves everything from selecting and commissioning manuscripts to binding and marketing. A trained professional will be required to deal with the selecting process as well as the commissioning of manuscripts. The publishing process can mainly be divided into editorial, designing, production, advertising, publicity and marketing. Therefore career opportunities in the book publishing industry in India are diverse. The book publishing industry mainly accommodates people interested in creative writing, editing, marketing and also DTP Operators, page makers, designers, cameraperson, printers and binders. One can pursue a career in book publishing as a proof -reader, project assistant, copy editor, assistant editor, sub- editor, subject editor, research editors, authors and editors at the editorial board. In the production area one can enter as an assistant production executive. As marketing is the heart of all flourishing industries one can also pursue a career in book publishing as a sales executive and publicity and promotion officers. There is a plethora of opportunities on the marketing side of the book publishing industry. Apart from all these there also exist self employment opportunities in the book publishing industry in India.
Department of higher education of Ministry of Human Resources Development has a scheme of assistance for book promotional activities. Registered voluntary organizations of writers, publishers and booksellers may get grants upto 75% of the total expenditure for organizing seminars/training courses /workshops related to Book Promotional activities.
No comments:
Post a Comment