Indian Publishers Conference 2026

The Federation of Indian Publishers recently organised the Indian Publishers Conference 2026 at New Delhi on August 22, 2026, a platform that brought together publishers, authors, policymakers, technology leaders, industry professionals, and key stakeholders from across the publishing and knowledge ecosystem. The theme of the conference was India’s Publishing Industry at the Crossroads of AI & Knowledge Economy.

The Welcome Address was given by Ramesh Mittal, President, FIP, who shared that the demand for books will grow as literacy in India improves.

Pranav Gupta, Conference Director, gave the Opening Address, briefing the delegates about what to expect at the conference. He shared, “We are living in an extraordinary moment for publishing. At one end, we have technology that is moving with a speed that very few of us would have imagined the way it has evolved. And on the other hand, we have something that has existed with us for centuries -human imagination, originality and creativity. So the debate is not AI versus publishing or technology versus creativity. The real conversation is about how these forces can work together, responsibly. The publishing ecosystem is much larger than any technology. Publishers across the world are asking the same questions. How do we embrace innovation without compromising capability? How do we use AI to create efficiencies without undervaluing intellectual property? How do we make sustainable licensing models? How do publishers, authors, technology companies, and policymakers work together?”

Keynote Address…

The Keynote Address was given by Sanjay Kumar, IAS (Retd.), who said, “Technology has changed over the years, but the end product, the book has remained, by and large, the same. The technology of printing has been changing almost every decade but the print remains constant.”

He further said that the GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio ) for a secondary education should be 100%, meaning that every child who enters the school should go up till class X and XII. But, it is only 30% and it is estimated that by 2035, the GER for higher education should be 50%.

“So what does that in terms of numbers? It means that every year, approximately 2 crore children will be passing out of class X. This means that textbook publishing will see a huge demand in years to come,” he added.

Fireside Chat …

Sanjay Jain – Head of Google for Education, India, Google, was in conversation with Pranav Gupta, Vice President, FIP in a fireside chat on Publishing and Technology: Building the Future of Learning Together.

Sanjay shared, “One challenge with AI, and I think everybody understands this, is the question that what is the sanctity of the content that the AI engine is providing? Here, publishing industry stands out: it brings authentic content, which is trusted or trust-worthy.”

He further said that tech companies are now working on AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), which a theoretical type of AI that can match or beat humans at almost any cognitive task.

“The future is more about partnerships between publishers and tech-companies,” he added.

SESSION 1: Copyright Licensing & AI | Protecting Rights and Creating Value in the AI Era…

As artificial intelligence increasingly relies on large volumes of high-quality content, questions around copyright, licensing, fair use, attribution and value-sharing have become central to the publishing industry. This session examined how publishers, authors, collective management organisations and technology companies can build sustainable frameworks for the use of copyrighted content in AI systems.

Drawing on recent legal developments, including the ANI Media–OpenAI case, the discussion explored the evolving role of licensing, collective rights management and remuneration.

The session was moderated by Nishtha Sharma – Research and Programme Coordinator, National Law University Delhi while the speakers included Divya Srinivasan – IP Attaché – Senior Intellectual Property Advisor for India, Intellectual Property Office UK (IPO UK), British High Commission; Rahul Goel – Partner, Anant Law; and Nikhil Naren – Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law School, Assistant Director of the Cyril Shroff Centre for AI, Law & Regulation, and Of Counsel at Scriboard.

The session also focused on finding a balanced approach that protects creativity while enabling innovation and responsible technological development.

SESSION 2: AI as an Enabler for Publishing | How Technology Can Help Publishers Grow

Artificial intelligence should not be viewed only as a disruption to publishing, but also as a powerful tool for growth, efficiency and innovation. This session explored how publishers can responsibly use AI across editorial workflows, translation, metadata, discoverability, marketing, accessibility, content development and production.

The session was moderated by Subrahmanian Seshadari, CoFounder and CEO, Overleaf Books LLP while the speakers included Vishal Dani, Executive Vice President & Head Business and Operations Kitaboo; Ashok Giri – Chief Executive Officer, PageMajik and Monica Malhotra Kandhari – Managing Director, MBD Group.

The speakers discussed practical applications that can improve productivity while preserving editorial judgement, creativity and quality. The conversation also examined how AI can help publishers reach new audiences, unlock existing content assets and create more personalised products and services. The focus remained on practical opportunities that strengthen rather than replace the role of publishers.

SESSION 3: Building an AI-Ready Publishing Ecosystem | Policy, Skills, Workflows and Business Models for the Future

Preparing publishing for the AI era requires more than adopting new technology. It demands coordinated action across industry, government, education and technology. This session examined the policy frameworks, skills, investments and business models required to create a competitive and responsible AI-enabled publishing ecosystem in India.

The session was moderated by Vikrant Mathur, Executive Director, Nielsen BookData while the speakers were Yuvraj Malik – Director, National Book Trust; Senthil Nathan, Founder / CEO, Ailaysa Technologies Private Limited and Pranav Gupta.

They deliberated on workforce readiness, digital infrastructure, content and metadata standards, innovation incentives, new revenue models and collaboration between publishers and policymakers. The session looked at how India can create an enabling environment that supports creativity, intellectual property, technological innovation and the long-term growth of its publishing and knowledge economy.

Presentations…

Interesting presentations were given by Chander Shekhar – Founder, Spring Time Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd. on ‘THE CARAVAN – 24 years in the book trade, one relationship at a time’ and Namita Shah – Co-founder & Head – Product & Finance, Presolv360 on ‘Online Dispute Resolution for the Indian Publishing Industry.’

The Vote of Thanks was given by Pushpita Ghosh, General Secretary, FIP.

The Souvenir Released…

The Souvenir, Publishing at the Crossroads: Voices, Vision & the Future of India’s Knowledge Economy, was formally launched in the presence of Hon’ble Mr Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Judge, Supreme Court of India, and Yuvraj Malik, Director, National Book Trust, India.

Bringing together voices and perspectives from the publishing ecosystem, the souvenir captures an industry navigating change, opportunity and the future.