The business of books

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May 29 2005, 00:00 IST

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The three serious art book publishers in India are Marg, India Book House and Mapin Publishing. Marg was founded in 1946 by Mulk Raj Anand and five other intellectuals. But by 1951, the group found it very difficult to keep the magazine afloat and Tata Sons provided an anchor from 1951 through to 1986. In 1986, when the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) was formed as a trust, the magazine has since then been funded by it. Marg is a quarterly that comes out with four issues a year and four books as well. Besides, they come out with special editions, publish single author titles, serious guides on Indian art, and have produced a few films as well.

Radhika Sabavala, general manager, Marg, says the art book publishing world is not ‘financially viable.’ “We spent Rs 10 to Rs 15 lakh to publish the quarterly and this is without taking into account the overheads. We have been forced to bring out art calendars and diaries to sustain us.

Mapin Publishing, set up 20 years ago by danseuse Mallika Sarabhai and Bipin Shah in Ahmedabad, focusses on publishing books on Indian art and culture. Around eight years ago, the company geared to publish contemporary art books and museums collections. “Economic viability of selling art publications vis-a-vis fiction or any other genre is quite different. The investments as far as art books are concerned are huge. For instance, if we publish a 250 page art book and come out with 3,000 copies with

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