A new forum bringing together publishers, agents, rights holders and literary content producers, has been launched by Teamwork Arts. The Jaipur BookMark born of huge interest shown by the international publishing industry in the Jaipur Literature Festival, will run in parallel to the main festival at the sunny lawns of nearby Narain Niwas Palace.

To be held between 18 – 20 January 2014, the three day conference will host six sessions, each looking at different aspects of the publishing industry, from self-publishing to e-books, digital content to distribution.

An extended networking lunch with scope for meeting and personal interaction will be followed by sessions, panels and talks by prominent publishing figures. There will be a cocktail reception in the evenings, which will provide further opportunities to circulate and interact. It is expected that the Jaipur BookMark will bring together 100 key publishing professionals in its first edition.

Norway will be the official country partner for Jaipur BookMark 2014, which will be supported by NORLA, (Norwegian Fiction and Non-Fiction Abroad). NORLA is a government-funded, non-commercial foundation which promotes Norwegian literature to other countries.

The publishing industry in India is counted among the top seven in the world, and ranks third after the US and the UK in the English language sector. India is also a major outsourcing hub for print and pre-publishing services in the world, be it print, design or editorial. Unlike other territories, India is one of the few major markets that is still experiencing growth in both print and digital publishing.

Over three days, the Jaipur BookMark will be assessing the role of industry giants and game-changers, hosting roundtable discussions on the challenges the industry faces in a constantly changing market.

Namita Gokhale, author and Co-Director of the Jaipur Literature Festival who helped conceive and programme the event says, “The Jaipur BookMark venue is a natural progression of the interest shown in the annual publishing sessions at Jaipur. This is a modest beginning and I am convinced that it will provide a welcome and much-needed haven for informal interactions within the publishing industry.”

Ms Margit Walsø, Director, Norla, said, “NORLA, together with the Norwegian Embassy, is very excited to take part in the new initiative- Jaipur BookMark. We are very grateful for this unique chance to take part in a very important venue for literature, translation and publishing at the Jaipur Literature Festival. We look forward to exploring more possibilities for Norwegian literature in India through this partnership, and welcome everyone to meet us at the BookMark.”

Neeta Gupta, Publisher at Yatra Books, who also helped organise the event, adds, “Every year the Jaipur Literature Festival draws not just book lovers, but also publishers, international agents and other trade professionals from across the world. Jaipur BookMark is our way of recognising Jaipur’s place in the global publishing map.”

Sanjoy K. Roy of Teamwork Arts says, “Teamwork Arts is proud to present the first edition of the Jaipur BookMark. There is huge interest shown in the Jaipur Literature Festival, by the publishing industry in India and abroad. This event will help further the industry at a time when the literary world’s focus is on Jaipur.”