Relevance of publishing industry to a nation

Newly elected President of the SLBPA Dinesh Kulatunga

We are about to usher in the month of September that is heralded as the month designated for the promotion of national literacy and inculcating the love of reading. Every year from September to the end of the year the national libraries of the country and those working in the field of publishing devote their time to organising diverse activities across the nation to boost the appreciation of knowledge dissemination through reading. This year the annual theme of the reading month/s revolves around the aspect of renewal.

Reading, writing, scholarship and literature in all its genre can survive only because there are publishers. The world will not have books if there were no publishers. The publishing arena is a vibrant segment of entrepreneurship, business and industry functioning at different levels from small, medium to large scale operations and involves the art and science of book selling, marketing and promotions. 

In Sri Lanka books are published in Sinhala, Tamil and English, and each publisher or book seller will choose their own niche, according to either language or particular thematic area of concentration. 

Books and the publishing of books are central to the stimulus and development of a national economy, as they carry the seed of inspiration and knowledge dissemination. Thereby books can be also described as a harbinger of insights and information that assist leaders of a country to bring in meaningful policies and parameters for the masses, by reading published works on issues, solutions and varied factors that are relevant for the best possible nurturing of the country. 

Thereby we today speak to the newly elected President of the Sri Lanka Book Publishers’ Association (SLBPA), the apex body that is responsible for the proliferation of the printed word in the form of books. The SLBPA, which has a membership of around 150 publishers and responsible for organising book related events, the most notable of which is the International Book Fair and the Kandy Book Fair, last week elected Dinesh Kulatunga, a veteran publisher and the SLBPA secretary general since 2022, as the organisation’s new President. 

In this interview with the new SLBPA head, we look at many integral factors associated with publishing and its relevance as a form of entrepreneurship.

Q: You were elected as the President of the Book Publishers Association last week. Could you elaborate about the process and significance of this role?

A: Yes. I got elected by 19 votes against a giant of the publishing and book trading industry. The only strategy that I used was expressing my honesty and truth about the history of the association and possibilities of progression. Finally, it is all about cooperation for a common cause, which is to improve the nation, its infrastructure, quality of life, the rights of its people through the expansion and encouragement of knowledge. 

Q: Who can be a member of the association and how many members do you have currently?

A: Any publishing company who has published multiple genres of books for a period of time can become a member when they prove their professionalism in the industry. 

We have at present over 150 active members and there are an additional number of publishers who are seeking membership from the association. The majority of the current members are medium and small-scale publishers. The responsibility of the SLBPA is to innovatively and consistently support their development at district and national level. 

Q: Could you explain the significance of the publishing industry for a country?

A: For the publishing industry to grow and contribute meaningfully to the country, it must advance both economically and through the production of high-quality content and presentations. The world of printing is a vast and competitive one where quality of printing and the connected technology advances fast. There is much that a new publisher needs to know when entering the business of printing and launching books to the world. Sri Lanka although a small country has much potential to enter into the global arena of publishing. We just have to separate our mindset from the size of the country or the national readership. What is required of a country, any country, is to understand the world of books and then decide where it wants to focus on. Sri Lanka may have a smaller readership within its territory but someone entering the publishing field within the country may realise the potential in printing for the world at large. This has not been recognised as there are certain limitations such as advanced technology for printing but that does not mean that we cannot enter the global publishing arena.

Strengthening awareness and training of publishers will enable us to access international markets—an effort we have been pursuing over the years by participating in various international book fairs. A key step forward is translating original and quality local works into English, thereby creating opportunities to promote and sell such copyrights abroad.

Q: Two years back the SLBPA was lobby for the reduction of taxes on books. Has there been a change?

A: In 2024 an 18% Value Added Tax (VAT) was imposed on books, ending a prior tax-exempt status. This new tax increased book prices in a major way. The SLBPA last year took action to protest against this VAT tax which made books unaffordable, threatened the survival of small publishers, and made access to knowledge and education a luxury. We stated last year that this tax violated international agreements like the UNESCO Florence Agreement when books are imported. We as publishers are still to date advocating for the removal of this tax and we hope to take this matter up anew with the present Government.

Q: Could you explain what the SLBPA hopes to do to strengthen the contribution of publishers to the national economy?

A: We are planning to launch a five-year development plan for the industry, which is the first ever plan for the industry which will include the many different features of printing and publishing and look at the highest standards that are trending in the world. Within this plan, we also must look at the global trends in publishing, the hot topic is digital publishing and how AI supports it.

Q: Should not quality be not just the quality of paper and advancement of printing technologies but rather the intellectual or artistic quality and output?

A: Definitely. However I would say, that from a business point of view, that it is both. You can publish something of great intellectual worth in the cheapest possible paper and yes, it will still be appreciated solely for its stature in scholarship but if we are looking at publishing from a lens of industry, its competitive nature lies in the qualitative measure tying up the intellectual with the presentation that includes texture of paper and its potential to last through time as long as possible in best form. 

Q: How do you see the link between democracy and a well-read public?

A: Publishing can be described as a dangerous business. It is dangerous because it wipes out ignorance and slavishness. A nation that has a large number of people who cannot or do not want to read, can be easily controlled or manipulated. Therefore, democracy is not merely a system of governance but a well-considered process that requires citizens to have a clear understanding of the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities they enjoy. Books – the printed form of knowledge, creates an informed society which is the foundation of a healthy democracy. Publishing, across the world has historically played a vital role in this regard. For centuries, publishing has acted as a democratising force, making knowledge accessible to wider sets of people, nurturing critical thought, and facilitating the free exchange of ideas.

Q: The international book fair in Colombo and Kandy are purely city centric. There are thousands of people in far flung areas of the country who cannot afford the long distance of travel, let alone purchasing books which are now costing akin to luxury items. Will the SLBPA look anew at the concept of book fairs and possibly the relevance of publishing for intellectual worth and affordability rather than sheen and shine paper quality?

A: Well, these are things that we are seriously looking at in our five-year plan centred discussions. We would like to introduce ways and means for village and district level publishers to rise in number and skill. Thereby we wish to promote the talent of thinking, writing and analysing amongst children and youth so that we create a consistent flow of and for the written word. As I said earlier translations play a key role. 

The SLBPA initiated an annual book donation program in 2022 to school libraries in remote villages under the ‘Daru Diriya Scholarship’ program. In the past three years we have donated books in the Southern Province, North Central Province, and Uva Province. 

Q: Would you say Sri Lanka is an active translation focused publishing industry?

A: Yes. If we look at many of the world renowned books, you will see that they are translated to Sinhala and Tamil. The Tamil translation industry in Sri Lanka is also active. It is our aim to come up with ideas that will encourage translation of books across language divides so that the world is brought closer through knowledge and not kept divided by language.

Q: Could you speak of the connection between tourism promotion, rural economy and having a vibrant local publishing industry?

A: I believe personally that tourism is about people as publishing is about people. Books and the printing of books carry the voices and images of people. Tourism is thought of as representing places and history. This is one segment of tourism. The overarching resonance of tourism is its representation of the local people and it is books especially by district level writers who can bring to life stories of people which will inspire connection and linking with other people. 

From another dimension tourism is also about comfort and also luxury. Accurate information about such places are also important so that it can inform tourists interested in such getaways. Overall, the publishing industry plays a massive role in tourism. I think Sri Lanka has not fully realised how crucial a role the publicity industry plays in tourism.

Q: In your own role as a publisher have you focused on tourism?

A: My publishing company, Neptune Publishers started out by focusing on tourism, producing detailed travel guides. We publish a wide range of books and the core themes include culture, history and especially heritage linked topics.