Scholastic India's Neeraj Jain: Building a reading culture for kids

Dibyajyoti Sarma (DS): In a world dominated by digital distractions, what strategies do you think are most effective in increasing readership, particularly among the younger demographic?
Neeraj Jain (NJ): We often use digital distractions as an excuse for declining readership. In my view, if we focus on strengthening the four pillars of forging a reading habit, the results would be visibly transformative. These pillars are access, choice, involvement, and practice.

Books need to be easy to find, whether it’s at school, online, or in local libraries. Let them pick what they want to read. Forcing ‘classics’ on kids might put them off instead of drawing them in.

Make reading a social thing – book clubs, fun challenges. Also talking about what they’re reading can help. Like anything else, reading gets better with habit. It doesn’t have to be hours; just a few pages daily can make a lot of difference.

DS: You mentioned the difference between literacy and a reading culture. What steps can publishers, educators, and policymakers take to bridge the gap?
NJ: To build a real reading culture, we need to be very honest in our efforts to give kids the right environment both at home and in school. It’s not just teaching them to read – the idea is to make them love it. There are some ways this can be done at home and school. Kids follow what they see; if you (as a parent or an educator) are a reader yourself, your child is more likely to pick up reading, so lead by example.

You can start the practice of reading out loud to your kids early; even as early as pre-birth (Think Mahabharata’s Abhimanyu learning about how to enter the Chakravyuh when he was in the womb). In schools, these read-aloud sessions can be done by teachers, principals and senior students or parent volunteers.

Create open, libraries at home and school, welcoming spaces for collaborative reading and exploration. Let kids make the choice of what they want to pick up; it makes the experience way more engaging. Organise activities, discussions and challenges around books to keep it engaging and interactive.

DS: How can publishers work with schools and communities to embed a culture of storytelling and reading? (You highlighted the lack of environments conducive to reading.)
NJ: At schools, we often find that reading is confused with the library period, wherein teachers tend to dictate what kids should read, and often, there’s more focus on trophies that are displayed all around than on books that students actually enjoy. 

Reading is seen as a solo activity that merits little celebration, and so we see that involvement around reading is missing. Instead of treating it as yet another activity we have to be evaluated upon, reading could be made more collaborative and fun – something that the kids could genuinely look forward to.

DS: How can India’s publishing industry, institutions and corporates collaborate to invest in research about what children want to read and make reading more engaging? Are there any CSR initiatives in that direction?
NJ: Some CSR initiatives and NGOs are working to improve access to books, but in my view, the key issue is involvement. It’s not just about making books available, but also very much about creating engagement around them; volunteer hours could prove more important than sole funding in such initiatives.

Publishers, corporates and local authorities should combine forces to create vibrant community libraries, where reading is an experience and not just an option. CSR initiatives should also direct funding to volunteer hours on an annual basis.

DS: Beyond selling books, how do you think publishers can contribute to fostering storytelling traditions in India? Are there innovative formats or partnerships you foresee?
NJ: The need of the hour is a proper movement that gets everyone involved; one that not only brings together all stakeholders but also creates spaces for storytelling (reading zones, library hubs) and interactive forums. We could call this ‘Let’s Read’, and run a campaign where the entire industry gets involved, much like the ‘Let’s Shave’ one.

Within this, digital resources could play a big role, helping both readers and facilitators. Crowdsourcing user-generated content or resources would also be a fun and innovative way to build the movement into an interactive community effort.

DS: You emphasised the importance of parental reading habits. What strategies could publishers adopt to engage parents and encourage them to model reading behaviour?
NJ: Publishers need to bring parents into the fold with a focused outreach programme. Once the parent community is on board and understands what works and how they could help ‘Raising Readers,’ we will definitely see a huge shift. It’s about creating a community of parents who are just as excited about books as their kids.

DS: How do you balance creating books that entertain versus those that educate? Do you see a growing demand for books that integrate both?
NJ: Honestly, I’ve not yet come across a book that was created to entertain and did not educate (although the reverse might not be true). Let kids pick up the books they want to read – and re-read, there’s no harm in that. 
Once they are into reading already, it’s much easier for them to expand their horizons and read what others recommend. I feel that in most cases, if could make educational books also fun, we’d be able to achieve more than anything else.

DS: You shared themes like humour and problem-solving in children’s book preferences. Any examples?
NJ: Sure, some examples are the books within these series: Geronimo Stilton; DogMan; Diary of a Wimpy Kid; Tom Gates; Horrid Henry and Bad Guys.

DS: How do you see the expansion of regional language content reshaping the Indian book market, particularly for young readers?
NJ: Regional language publishing is still growing and contributes a much lower percentage to the overall market size, but with the recent rollout of the new National Education Policy, I believe this will pick up steadily. These days, there’s a lot more buzz around regional language publishing and stories inspired by Indian culture, as opposed to a few years ago. We can expect to see a growth in readership as we address these gaps, learning from the social media experience.

DS: What value can physical books offer in the age of OTT platforms, video games, and social media? How can publishers position books as an alternative?
NJ: Physical books offer something unique – they blend themselves well with imagination and creativity. There’s nothing like curling up with a physical book in a cosy corner and moving through it at our own pace.

Of course, publishers must continue an experimentative approach to both content and formats, to ensure maximum engagement for different kinds of readers. Investing in consumer research and analytics will help drive future product development in a way that resonates with the audience.

DS: Do you believe incorporating technology into books, such as augmented reality or gamified elements, can help them compete with other entertainment mediums? Are Indian publishers ready for such a shift?
NJ: Much like everything else, consumer behaviour drives the change in this industry too. So, in my opinion, yes, all of us need to be open to using technology, but as a facilitator and not the focus. One constant concern of mine is the idea of content getting compromised for the sake of flashy tech advancements, which doesn’t help anyone. If anything, it can even be detrimental to the industry itself in the long run.

DS: From a market perspective, how do Indian consumers perceive novelty books (pop-ups, interactive designs)? Is there a significant demand, or is it largely export-driven?
NJ: The market for novelty books is growing, because these can bring a lot more engagement than the standard, plain vanilla format. Especially, for the 0-5 age group, where tactile learning is crucial, these books are quickly catching the attention of both readers and their parents. The appeal of these books lies in how they make reading much more playful, and they’re more about engaging curiosity and motor skills than storytelling itself.

Right now, it’s mostly export-driven, but we’re starting to see a rising interest in the Indian market too. As parents seek for creative ways to keep their kids off-screen in this post-Covid era, novelty books may become a go-to choice.

DS: Given India’s technical capabilities and cost advantages, do you think Indian publishers and printers are positioned to lead globally in producing novelty books? What gaps need to be addressed?
NJ: At this point in time, I’d say Indian publishers and printers are well-placed to lead globally. The earlier disparity in quality is no longer a concern anymore.

A big concern would be the paper required for producing these novelty books, or their cost quotient. Considering how we import this paper, it leads to a cost disadvantage compared to countries that do not rely on imports. Methods and technology to improve local production of the same would need to be addressed to cover this gap.n