An integral part of the Jaipur Literature Festival, the Jaipur BookMark (JBM) – a platform where books and business intertwine – will run concurrently with the fest from 1 to 5 February.
JBM is in its 11th edition, while the lit fest has been held for 16 years.
In a release to the media, the organisers said over the past 10 years the JBM “has brought together the best of publishers, literary agents, editors, writers, translators, and booksellers under one roof. The platform has been the nerve centre for forging business relationships and fostering collaboration”.
Writer and publisher Namita Gokhale, who is the Co-Director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, said, “Jaipur BookMark continues to contribute to new synergies and exchange in the business of books. Our 2024 edition has seasoned speakers and attentive audiences from across India and around the world. We shall also be releasing our Rights Catalogue and be meaningfully asserting our belief in translations and world literature.”
JBM Director Manisha Chaudhry said, “The JBM 2024 brings together a vibrant programme featuring some of the leading lights of the publishing industry. Mainstream publishers, iconic Indies from India and abroad and Indian language publishers rub shoulders to start new conversations and infuse old friendships with new vigour. We aim to have five days of book-love shaken well with book-business.”
Here are the key highlights of JBM, 2024:
*Advancing its commitment to translation and showcasing the rich diversity of Indian publishing, JBM will release the Rights Catalogue with over fifty titles from five different languages.
This extensive catalogue features a list of books in Indian languages and English from various publishers, showcasing their availability for rights’ sales. It carries detailed information such as cover thumbnails, book blurbs, author/translator details, pagination, and the status of rights available for sale.
*Scanning the horizon of the future are sessions on AI and publishing, podcasts, and the growing closeness between publishing and OTT.
*There are conversations focused on the achievements of stalwarts in Indian publishing, celebrating milestones that inspire a new generation.
*Diverse sessions on educational publishing, little known stories of dictionaries, and the vivid world of children’s picture books.
*JBM will also host an eclectic group of publishers from Germany, Spain, Nigeria, Maldives, Mauritius, USA, and the UK, in sessions that explore possibilities of collaboration across borders.
As Jaipur BookMark celebrates a decade of influence, it continues to be a driving force in the world of publishing, propelling the business of books towards new frontiers.
The programme highlights:
1. To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before: 40 years of Feminist Publishing in India: Urvashi Butalia and Ritu Menon will be in conversation with Sivapriya R.
2. Sniffing the Future: AI and Publishing: Meru Gokhale, Marcus du Sautoy, Charles Collier, Safir Anand will be in conversation with Amit Varma.
3. The Language Toolbox: Lexicons, Dictionaries, Thesaurus: Meeta Lall, Diana Mickevičienė, Oscar Pujol, in conversation with Udaya Narayana Singh, will discuss why we all owe a huge debt to lexicographers – the unsung heroes.
4. Deep Connections: Podcasts and Books: Amit Varma and William Dalrymple will be in conversation with Hemali Sodhi, about how podcasts bring a unique connection between voice and text.
5. Growing and How? Educational Publishing in India:
Atiya Zaidi and Neeraj Jain will talk to Ananth Padmanabhan about how educational publishing remains the commercial backbone of the Indian book industry.
6. Beauty and the Book: Sunandini Banerjee, Ahlawat Gunjan, SveinStørksen will talk with Priya Kapoor about how a book’s beauty takes shape under the discerning eye of outstanding designers.
7. The Alchemy of Bookselling: Aakash Gupta, Ajay Jain, Aditi Maheshwari Goyal, Vishal Pinjani, Priya Kapoor will speak about curation and display with Rahul Dixit.
8. Taking Wing: Publishing across Borders: Lena Luczak, Anna Katharina Fröhlich, Franziska Otto, Naveen Kishore, Shailesh Bharatwasi, Trisha de Niyogi, Annette Michael, Kannan Sundaram, Alvaro Enterria, Parminder Singh Shonkey, Milee Aishwarya, and Ravi Deecee will be in conversation with Arcopol Chaudhuri to invite publishers from India and abroad to share information about their eclectic lists.
9. Connecting Flights: Indie Publishing in the UK and India: This session, supported by the British Council, will see Gita Ramaswamy and Rosemarie Hudson in conversation with Ruchira Das on the flourishing Indie publishing scene in the UK.
10. Mirrors of the World: Luise Braunschweig, Jan Karsten and Alvaro Enterria, Gabriella Page-Fort will speak with Naveen Kishore about how “books signpost the zeitgeist of nations and seek out universalities across the world”. Publishers from different countries will share what inspires them to grow their lists and what the future holds for reading communities.