Relevance of publishing industry to a nation

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.

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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.