As part of a global expansion, Simon & Schuster is opening a new division in New Delhi. Simon & Schuster India will be overseen by Ian Chapman, who is managing director and chief executive of Simon & Schuster UK. The announcement was made by Chapman and S&S CEO Carolyn Reidy.
The new India outpost of the publisher, which will focus on sales, marketing and formatting its existing lists for sale in the country, will consider publishing local projects if the right book comes along, said S&S spokesperson Adam Rothberg. And, while the e-book market in the country is in its infancy, Rothberg said S&S will become involved in this area as it evolves there. S&SI will open with a staff of six.
S&S's branching out into India makes it the last of the "big six" to establish a division in the country, as Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, Penguin and Macmillan all have operations in India. Speaking to the expasnion, Reidy said: "India is a rapidly developing market for English language books, with a growing retail bookstore presence, and a deep-seated culture that prizes books and literacy, and we are very excited to bring more of our authors’ books to India’s expanding audience of English readers.”
Locally, Rahul Srivastava, who previously handled sales for the publisher in the region, will be director of sales and marketing at S&S India. Srivastava will report to Kerr McRae, an executive driector at S&S UK. HarperCollins India will handle distribution for S&S India.
