Book Printing and Publishing Industry in India: Growing in New Directions

With the advent of e-books and self publishing, the book printing and publishing services in India have understandably taken a big hit. But experts say that the Indian publishing and printing industry may not be losing momentum. It may simply be growing in another direction. As Hindi and regional languages of India do not have too strong a hold over the Internet as compared to English, there is every chance that the industry may move into the field of indigenous literature and non-fiction in coming years.

Apart from this, India is also a cheap and efficient printing hot spot for other countries. Cheap labour and low operating costs make Indian printing and publishing services a very popular choice for foreign authors who want to cut costs. In fact, outsourcing has caught on big in the Indian printing, publishing and copy-editing field in recent times. Moreover, international publishing companies are also doing brisk business here thanks to the growing momentum of English fiction and non-fiction in India. Local printing business in India has competition from China in terms of pricing and quality, but Indian book printing and publishing services have caught on to the trends fast as well.

They are learning what is acceptable in the export market and what is not. Many printing companies that specialize in outsourcing orders from foreign groups are also bringing in international talent to managerial posts as this can lead to growth in the required direction. International clients would also be more satisfied if local talent was guided by foreign experts. Indian publishing gurus also have a powerful pull in the market. Many of them couple as media journalists too so that they can get a feel of what is happening out there and what the latest trends are. Indian printers are no longer sticking to one mindset. They are diversifying.

Digital printing and educational merchandising have also hopped on to the online bandwagon. Leveraging Indian capabilities to attract domestic as well as international orders has become the mantra of Indian printing and publishing companies. That in itself is not astounding considering that India is the sixth largest industry for publishing in the world. The massive output of the printing services in India in the digital world is another feather in the cap. Digital printing and publishing uses innovative technologies to lower the cost. With the boom in the Internet, online users are becoming hooked to all types of fiction and non-fiction books online.

Whether one considers the real world or the virtual world, book publishing wins. But book printing services can only sustain themselves if they choose to expand their horizons and incorporate regional as well as international languages into their repertoire. With so many high stakes on the line, printing in India will grow from strength to strength as time passes provided growth is in the right direction. Indian book printing can take on a new avatar if it capitalizes on globalization as well as regionalism, however contradictory it may sound. With new avenues for growth, they can get left behind or charge full steam ahead.

The author of this article recommends the book publishing services of BecomeShakespeare.com.