Self-publishing picks up among children, young adults; few go mainstream

Self-publishing picks up among the young; mainstream book deals remain largely elusive

As the teacher welcomed the audience and turned the mic to one of the panelists, the budding author simply shook her head. Perhaps because she had already put what she had to say into words and images.

It is perfectly permissible, and even cute, if you are only five or six years old and among a bunch of schoolchildren getting a first taste of writerly attention. The event was an informal launch for 19 students of Shiv Nadar School in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, who had come up with independently published or self-published books.

The pandemic and its forced isolation have