The Hindu Business Line : Booking gains

The children's books market has as many drawbacks as it does good news: The market is scattered, marketing budgets are small and distribution is a challenge, but books set in the Indian ethos and curiosity generated by Pottermania is slowly making for a bigger market.

EIGHT-year-old Madhu is all excited. She has just finished reading the book My Friend, The Sea and runs to her mother to narrate the story. As her mom listens with obvious pride, little Madhu can't wait to get hold of her next book.

Till then, she is busy devouring the book all over again — this time taking time to feel the smooth pages with her tiny fingers and poring over the illustrations with greater curiosity.

My Friend, The Sea is Chennai-based publishers Tulika's recent production, which narrates a poignant tale in the backdrop of the tsunami. Tulika may be a fledgling in the Indian publishing scene but is sure making the right noises. And so are a few other players such as Katha and Tara, trying to find their feet in a market currently under a Potter siege.

Says Sandhya Rao, Editor, Tulika, "Indian literature for children has really opened up in the last few years. There are a lot more options and awareness today. There are many writers exploring new themes and breaking new ground."

Agrees V.K. Karthika, Executive Editor, Penguin India (which re-launched its children's imprint Puffin in the country in 2002). "Today there are several books that Indian kids can easily connect with, with themes closer to reality. Indian writing these days is quirky and books are so lavishly illustrated," she says.

Small market, big challenges

However, a closer look at the market reveals mixed trends. While the market is flooded with options from Indian publishers, the trend simply does not translate into actual sales.

Although publishers are optimistic about their prospects, they aren't carried away. There is reason to cheer, "but the relationship between the hype and reality is not balanced," says Gita Wolf, Publisher, Chennai-based Tara Publishing.

The market for Indian literature for children is scattered, with players getting localised. "The size of children's books in the country is clearly unknown. If you compile data from children's publishers, most major players are in curriculum/activity books. Hence, comparisons are complex," says C. P. Viswanath, Director, Karadi Tales, makers of audiobooks for children.

For now, publishers of children's fiction seem to have just "scratched the surface" of the market. There aren't many publishers who sell over 10,000 copies of their books consistently (an ideal bestseller scenario) as they grapple with distribution challenges and marketing constraints. The spokesperson for Landmark, the Chennai-based books and gifts chain, says most Indian books sell about 5,000 copies. And even for seasoned players such as Rupa and Penguin, it is more a case of hit-and-miss, with an odd book here and there doing well, he says.

But Karadi, according to Viswanath, has managed to sell over eight lakh copies of its 36 titles in the children's segment at "20,000-30,000 copies each." However, even with a better national retail presence than most other entities operating exclusively in the children's market, with 500 stores across 11 cities, Karadi, which has a turnover of Rs 1.5 crore, hasn't managed to tap the market's full potential.

Indian publishers just do not have the kind of marketing budget required to become runaway hits, reasons Tara Publishing's Wolf.

Tara is a Rs 35-lakh company, which has brought out 60 titles so far. Mahabharata, released in 1997, is its biggest hit, having sold over 12,000 copies. In India, Tara is present in about 60 stores, with a greater presence in South India, and is distributed by Rupa. In the US, Tara is present in 100 stores and 300 in the UK. Besides, countries such as Japan, Germany, Italy and France have been given `rights sale' for its works.

Encouraging trends

The numbers may not be highly encouraging, but there is no reason to be pessimistic. "There are a lot of reprints happening today. There are more players in the children's market than before," says Krishnakumar Nair, Assistant Buyer (books), Odyssey, Chennai-based gifts and books store. "And thanks to the Potter mania, more and more children are visiting bookstores. Earlier, parents wouldn't bring their children to the stores that often." Children's books account for about 50 per cent of Odyssey's book sales; about half of that is from Indian books.

While the Potter hype surrounds its every release, there are certain "non-seasonal" favourites among children. The redeeming feature is that Indian books too figure in that list. Comic books like Amar Chitra Katha and the Ruskin Bond and Satyajit Ray series are perennial bestsellers at most stores.

For Rupa, which mainly deals with Indian books, the children's segment contributes significantly to overall sales — in Tamil Nadu, it is 20-30 per cent, says R. Mahendran, Manager (Chennai office). Rupa's bestsellers include Ruskin Bond, Panchatantra and Vikram and Vetal and Akbar and Birbal.

Apart from mythology, modern fiction too has takers. Says Penguin's Karthika, "Our focus is to shift from the mythology mould and get children to read more contemporary stuff. People have to realise that Indian writing can be exciting too." Some of the contemporary releases under the Puffin imprint that have done well include Maya Running by Anjali Banerjee, and Jaldi's Friend by Kalpana Swaminathan.

At Landmark, Young Uncle Comes to Town by Vandana Singh, published by Delhi-based Young Zubaan; Mouse Attack by Manjula Padma' and Chitra Divakaruni Banerjee's Conchman do brisk business. Rupa's recent launch Tales My Grandmother ToldMe, translated by Rina Pritish Nandy, is also "doing good."

Grabbing attention

Today's children seem to know exactly what they want. Which is why catering to their needs gains importance. Says the Landmark spokesperson, "Children these days are quite savvy and knowledgeable. The other day when I suggested a particular book to a 12-year-old, she thought hard before saying, `I will browse the Net about it and then come back'."

While it is important that children grow up reading books set in their context and cultural milieu, it is equally important that they are presented attractively - a fact some Indian publishers have realised.

"Even a simple story can capture a child's attention and imagination if presented beautifully," says Tulika's Rao.

"Children today don't want to be taught. There is no need to talk down or sound moralistic. Hanuman is as exciting as Batman, if presented well. When we present a story from mythology, there is no lord or god; it need not be specific to religion. It's just a beautiful story with lots of interesting happenings," says Karadi's Viswanath.

Apart from the core concept, design is also an important component of books. For instance, Tara has come out with creative ideas such as books in a scroll-format and those made from handmade paper to give a `touch and feel' experience. Besides, Tara works with local artisans such as kalamkari artists, puppeteers, Gond tribes and Pattachitra artists to unearth local talent and promote various art forms. The result is rustic yet sophisticated.

For its part, Tulika engages in activities such as art and craft, book reading and theatre - with each activity encouraging children to read more.

Future beckons

But how do publishers propose to create a bigger stir? While they agree the onus lies on them to intensify branding activity, they also say a concerted effort is required so that more books are bought and read.

Tara's Wolf says the library movement in the country needs to pick up. "I know schools where books are locked up in racks. Parents must also encourage children to read more."

Rao too agrees one must get into hard-core marketing, without compromising on values. "We just have to get into all bookstores and get after distributors to push our books. Battling for a good display at stores is a constant effort. One can also have the book reviewed in as many newspapers and magazines, and not just be looked at as a `cute' little book."

Tulika is also toying with the idea of corporate tie-ups such as the one it had for its book Takdir The Tiger Cub, which the publisher brought out in association with HSBC.

Banking big on its plans to diversify by entering film and television production, beef up presence in the US and produce more audiobooks for adults, Karadi is most bullish about the future. The company believes it has the platform to make a "quantum jump in revenues" and become a Rs 50-crore company in 3-4 years, aided by "private investments."

"An explosion is waiting to happen and it will happen," signs off Viswanath optimistically.

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