Today homegrown children?s literature is a flourishing segment at bookstores across the country as a new breed of Indian authors builds themes and characters in contemporary settings.
The Indian authored children?s books section is growing steadily at a rate of 10% year-on-year with newer authors and publishers entering the space with more relevant story lines. According to experts, India?s English publishing industry was estimated at R1,200 crore in 2010, of which children?s category accounted for about 15%. However, of the total books market, excluding the academic books, the children?s books share is estimated to around 25%.
Leading bookstores in the country say there has been a surge in the growth of kids? books authored by Indian writers in the last few years. ?We see an increasing demand and that?s why we are stocking more of such books. Indian authored books for children is a fast moving category, followed by comics,? says Dipak Marwah, VP and business head, Reliance TimeOut.
At Reliance TimeOut, out of the total book stocks, 30% constitutes children?s books. ?It?s an optimistic start and the segment is bound to grow over time. In last two months alone we organised the launch of three children books ? Toto The Auto, Growing Up In Pandupur, and Tiger By The Tale ? by Indian authors. The response was good,? says Marwah.
For Crossword, the children?s section contributes almost 30% of its books sale, of which over 15% are Indian books. Sivaraman Balakrishnan of Crossword Bookstore points out that in recent times the segment has grown ten-fold over the last ten years. ?Indian authored children?s books are definitely growing steadily as publishers have realised the potential of homegrown stories. Around five new Indian authors were introduced across publishers,? he says.
Similarly, at Landmark Bookstores, children?s books constitute an important category and occupy over 1,000 sq ft, with around 40 racks ranging from board books for toddlers to fantasies for young adults.
?We foresee a surge in the growth of children?s books in Landmark, which contributes to 25% of the entire books sales. Kids love to read books by Indian authors and can generally relate to their protagonists,? says V Rajesh, head, buying for books, Landmark.
Industry experts feel organising story telling sessions and activities around a book can generate more interest. The themes of the books should be able to strike a ready connect and capture the attention of a child, especially in the age of electronic media and gaming.
?Children?s publishing holds immense potential as the new crop of young Indian authors understands the needs of children in the current society and are now more focused on creative writing, artwork, production quality and characterisation set in the Indian milieu,? says Marwah.
Today Indian authors like Anushka Ravishankar, Sudha Murthy, Manjula Padmanaban, Devdutt Pattanaik, Siddhartha Sarma, Paro Anand, Chatura Rao and Adithi Rao are popular names in the children?s books market.
Penguin, which has been publishing children?s books for over ten years, is also seeing a surge in the category.
?Today there are more publishers of children?s books. Retailers are also providing more space in their stores. And parents and schools encourage reading more actively,? says Sudeshna Shome Ghosh, editorial director, Puffin, Penguin?s children?s imprint. Puffin, which published Fun In Devlok in March sold about 4,000 copies of it across the country.
There is a constant innovation not only in artworks but also in the themes and the way they are being presented to appeal to young readers.
?Now there is a greater awareness about Indian authors than few years ago. Parents want their kids to connect with Indian culture, tradition and characters who are more real,? says Bangalore-based author Deepti Ganapathy, who wrote 366 Words In Bengaluru.
Ghosh says that there has to be a collective effort from publishers, retailers and book forums to take that this trend forward. ?Publishers need to choose book carefully in terms of connecting with children, while retailers need to be proactive in the way books are displayed in the stores and create more awareness for Indian authored books. We also need more forums and platforms for authors in India to promote this segment.?