THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ‘Copyright Table’ organised at the 3rd Thiruvananthapuram Book Fair which is on at Kanakakkunnu Palace here has turned out to be a blessing for the Kerala State Balasahithya Institute. The major Hindi publishing house Vani Prakash has the bought rights of 21 titles from the Institute. It was for the first time that the ‘Copyright Table’ was being introduced in a book fair in India. Vani Prakash also bought rights from every children’s book publisher present at the copyright table.
And what happens at a copyright table? Publishers from all over the country meet and exchange copyrights, says Rubin D’Cruz, director of the Balasahitya Institute. ``I hope to make Thiruvananthapuram the centre of copyright trade in India, just like Frankfurt is in Germany,’’ adds Rubin. He feels that this will be a huge profit-making business and will also give Kerala publishing industry an access to national and international book fairs.
As many as 23 publishers from outside Kerala have arrived to attend the copyright table. However, very few Malayalam publishers have turned up. Those present include the Balasahitya Institute, DC Books and Chintha. The copyright table, inaugurated by writer and former director of the National Book Institute Nirmal Kanti Bhattacharya, saw on Monday Alice Gregory of the French Book Development talk about the potential of trading copyrights of French books in India.
The copyright table would conclude on Tuesday, with a seminar addressed by German publisher Renata Reishtein and Indian editor and book reviewer Kabita Dhara.
The book fair reflects the diversity of its publishers in its stalls, that number more than 150. One of them would give you membership of the American Library in Chennai for Rs 200. Another treat is a German pavilion that screens films every evening.
trivandrum@expressbuzz.com