New Delhi World Book Fair begins on 5 January 2019

The New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF), the country’s biggest book-related event, will be held from 5 to 13 January 2019 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The Fair is organised by the National Book Trust, India, an autonomous organisation of the government of India under the ministry of human resource development. India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), the nodal agency of the government of India, under the ministry of commerce, is the co-organiser.

19 Dec 2018 | By Dibyajyoti Sarma

The Sahitya Akademi stall during NDWBF 2018

With Indian publishing poised for growth, the NDWBF offers exhibitors a unique opportunity for business. It is also an ideal venue for promoting titles, co-publication arrangements, and trade. Besides the many literary and publishing conferences and programmes held during the Fair, it also opens up a gateway to the publishing and intellectual world of South Asia.

The Fair attracts participation from major publishing houses across the globe. In 2018, the Fair, spread over an area of 40,000-sqmt, attracted nearly 1,000 Indian exhibitors and more than 40 foreign exhibitors.

This year, Sharjah is the Guest of Honour country, while the theme presentation will be Books for Readers with Special Needs.

For publishers, two important features of the Fair are New Delhi Rights Table and CEOSpeak.

The New Delhi Rights Table, told be held on 7 and 8 January 2019, offers B2B matchmaking sessions among publishers in a refreshingly new business ambiance. The unique format of this event enables exhibitors to book their own Rights Table, meet each other, present their products and ideas, and also finalise their interests and agreements for transfer of translation and other rights of books available in English, Hindi and other Indian languages.

 On the other hand, CEOSpeak is for the CEOs and senior executives. It is a B2B event over Chairman’s Breakfast organised by National Book Trust, India, and Ficci, on the sidelines of the Fair to share and exchange ideas about Indian and international book trade.

Other regular feature of the Fair include Authors Corners, where four aesthetically designed venues provide the right platform for dialogues, panel discussions, book launches for the domestic publishers, authors and book lovers. Named Lekhak Manch, Sahitya Manch, Conversations, and Reflections, these corners have now become an integral part of the event.

There will also be an international events corner, an engaging platform for sharing ideas and enhancing literary understanding for foreign exhibitors, missions, embassies, cultural centres, book promotion agencies and so on.