The year in books: Hits and misses of 2024

Indian English-language publishing faces an identity crisis, with readers favouring international bestsellers over homegrown talent. Despite these challenges, 2024 saw the release of several remarkable Indian books that deserve attention

In a recent post on the social media platform X, a leading Indian publisher bemoaned the dwindling fortunes of Englishlanguage fiction in the country.

Despite the proliferation of books from India, readers still prefer international bestsellers or classics-that was the essence of her message. What were Indian publishers doing wrong, she asked.

This is not a novel complaint; it's been aired for more than a decade by a range of stakeholders both inside and outside the industry. First, the culprit was the lack of readers in an age of constant distraction.

Then came the woes of bookstores closing shutters. Paper prices and increased levies led to a steep rise of unit cost of production per title, followed by the monopoly of e-tailers that destroyed the business model. Now, with each passing year, the lament teeters on the brink of panic.

While it's not fair to offer generalisations based on anecdotal evidence, there isn't much else in terms of empirical data to arrive at solid insights on the state of English-language publishing in India. The Nielsen survey, which is the closest indicator of market health, is far from exhaustive. Spots sell at a premium on the bestseller lists put together by airport retailers.

Independent bookshops, some of which have vested interests (either because they have publishing imprints of their own or run agencies), cannot be trusted.

Even the most desperate optimist living inside the bubble of Bookstagram and BookTube will not deny that it's far from hunky dory. If a new indie bookshop opens in the hood, you can count on a loyal handful to dutifully show up and lighten their wallets-though the business acumen of seemingly smart establishments remains questionable.