Publishing professionals learn about product development

The programme was attended by 30 professionals from the editorial, design, operations and sales and marketing domains of publishing houses such as Scholastic India, HarperCollins India, SAGE India, among others.

The focus of workshop this year was on new ways of trade development in the publishing industry, reaching out to the potential buyers, identifying and catering to the needs of the existing customers and creating new needs by identifying the problem areas of the customers.

Speaking at the occasion, Prashasti Rastogi, director, GBO, said, “This is the first time that a workshop on ‘new product development has been conceptualised in the Indian publishing sector.”

The workshop sought to train mid-career professionals in skills relevant to the changes in the publishing industry and to fill the gap of training and development in the publishing industry in India. “The Young Professionals Programme is the only initiative in the country that addresses the training needs of the professionals engaged in the publishing industry,” Rastogi added.

The training workshop was based on a hands-on exercise format, whereby the participants worked in cross-functional teams. They engaged with their ideas and worked through the various stages of product development by using design thinking method, which is relevant for customer-related creative projects. The exhaustive sessions culminated into a product pitch that took place towards the closure of the programme.

Also present were the CEOs from the publishing companies, who – in addition to the audiences and mentors– offered constructive critiques and feedback to the participants on their business models.

The two-day training workshop was facilitated by R Sriram and Katja Splichal from Germany, both of whom are industry specialists involved in the development of new products and services in the content sector.

R Sriram said, “While it may not be possible for the participants to come up with ready-to-launch business models in a two-day time frame, the workshop has planted a seed for them to cultivate creative thinking and execute ideas.”

The workshop also showcased industry insights from Vikrant Mathur, director, India and Asia Pacific, Nielsen BookScan as well as Anish Chandy, head, business development and sales, Juggernaut Books.

The action-packed programme was successful in inculcating an out-of-the-box approach and an entrepreneurial mindset among the participants, who got a chance to reflect on the challenges facing the publishing industry and identify solutions in the form of profitable business ideas. These solutions addressed a wide range of topics, including outreach, distribution, book reviews and marketing and books for visually challenged to name a few.

The training workshop also played an instrumental role not only in bringing together the Indian and German publishing industry by way of mentorship and idea exchange but also in fostering networking among professionals from the publishing world. The participants remarked that the event was their first experience of a comprehensive boot camp that allowed them an opportunity to innovate outside of their everyday work and devise new strategies for product/ service development in the publishing industry.