Books & People had the opportunity to interview Sage India's managing director and CEO, Mr. Vivek Mehra, who has recently been to Pakistan, to seek his views about the future of publishing industry in Pakistan and India. Following is the text of the interview:

B&P: It is widely believed that the book reading culture is fast evaporating into thin air. Do you agree?

VM: I don't agree. The first thing that hits you when you visit any bookstore is the sheer number of books on the shelves. I believe the digital age where communication is faster, and more accurate, has actually helped books get their due. The flip side is that the reader has become more demanding and won't settle for what his local bookstore has to offer. He has the power to choose and hence the pressure is on publishing houses to address the needs of the customer as opposed to determining what the customer should be reading.

B&P: Do you see challange of opportunity in the information technology boom?

VM: Like I stated earlier, the information boom is an opportunity, not a deterrent. The reader is more aware and hence become more discerning. It is up to publishers to adapt to this change and seize the opportunity (of reaching to the reader). It is encouraging to see corporate houses venturing into book retailing which automatically means someone will have to produce the books to stock their shelves!

B&P: You have recently been to the Lahore Book Fair, how was the experience?

VM: I didn't expect to be amazed in the manner I was. The number of stalls was not large when compared to say a World Book Fair in New Delhi or the recently concluded Kolkata Book Fair, but the range of material on display was equally impressive. I particularly liked the enthusiasm displayed by the stall owners and was happy at the turnout of visitors, especially faculty. On a more personal note, I would like to thank the organisers for making us feel welcome and for the hospitality extended to us. I have left a part of me in Lahore and brought back a part that I will cherish forever.

B&P: Being a publisher how do you see the publishing scene in Pakistan?

VM: While it may be true that the indigenous publishing programme is small, I believe it is publishers like Sage who will view this as a growth opportunity. I visited the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and was amazed at their library. This clearly tells me that there is a nascent demand for good books. I have heard that the government is encouraging publishing and with technology keeping pace. I believe Pakistan's publishing industry has the right ingredients to be 'the next big thing' in Asia.

B&P: In what way the recent thaw in Pakistan-India relations can benefit the publishing industry in the two countries?

VM: I am hoping that this eases the process of getting visas on both sides and the practice of issuing city-based visas is dispensed with. I was sorry I couldn't visit Karachi and Islamabad on this trip but am hoping things will change. India has a lot to offer in terms of publishing technology and Pakistan can surely be a big beneficiary. I believe that education should be encouraged in the local language even if English is the chosen mode of communication. To this effect Sage has already embarked on the path of publishing in regional languages. In time I am sure Urdu would be on our list and I would be thrilled to see Sage books in Urdu on Pakistani bookshelves.

B&P: The recent legislative changes have opened up the Indian publishing industry to foreign investors and many American and European publishers are eyeing the Indian market of about 600 million readers. How can the local publishers compete in this scenario?

VM: It is this scenario that has now made Sage India a fully owned subsidiary of Sage UK. There will always be room for regional publishers but the pie will be sliced by the discerning customer and not by publishers. The information age will bring about this change faster than most think it will.

B&P: What does Sage Publications plan in an era where publishing houses are mushrooming in India?

VM: We plan to leverage on our core skills and move into markets which we haven't explored earlier. Like I said earlier, regional language publishing is one such area; we hope to bring out translations in Urdu too and expect Pakistan to be a key market for us. We believe we are nimble when it comes to adopting and adapting cutting edge publishing technologies, a move we hope will reduce production costs and hence keep us within reach of our customers.

B&P: India had been the Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair, 2006 -- the world's biggest book fair with 6,700 exhibitors from around 110 countries. Did Sage Publications attend the event? If yes, how was the response?

VM: Sage was present in the India pavilion and received a lot of visitors. This particular book fair is geared towards trading rights and given that our books are marketed worldwide by the Sage group of companies we don't expect a significant change in levels of interest. We have received some translation enquiries. The fair did however expose the potential of India both for independent book publishing and as a destination of choice for quality and inexpensive book production.

B&P: India is perhaps the only country in the world which publishes books in 24 languages of the world. How do you see the future of English book publishing in India?

VM: English is fast becoming the key medium of instruction and in that sense the market is growing. It is true that in per cent terms the English speaking population is small but then a small per cent of a billion is still quite a few million!

B&P: The $685 million Indian publishing industry exports books and journals to over 80 countries and earn Rs 4,290 million annually. What is the contribution of Sage?

VM: Sage India contributes through various streams: as an independent publisher it makes a contribution by its publishing programme which is growing at the rate of 17 per cent annually. As a key member of a global publishing powerhouse it offers services to group companies at a significant saving to the corporate bottom-line. As a trader in South Asia, it sells books and journals produced by its group companies.

B&P: How do you see the future?

VM: It is only recently that the world has taken notice of India as a publishing destination. Sage in that sense has been here for 'ages'. There are challenges in distribution and variances in trade practices. I for one am optimistic in the sense that I see opportunity in this seemingly chaotic atmosphere.


Courtesy by The News April 2007.