By the Book: Chitwan Mittal of AdiDev Press on setting up a viable indie publishing house for children’s books during the pandemic

The name AdiDev Press comes from my sons’ names: Aditya and Dev! They were the original source of my inspiration and continue to be my guiding stars and my most valued critics.

How has the journey been so far?

The journey, so far, has been both challenging and rewarding. Despite COVID-19 restrictions, we managed to put together our very talented team. Social media was a great boon. It was due to platforms such as Instagram and Behance that we were able to identify so many talented South Asian illustrators, living in India and different parts of the world. Right from our inception, we have been focused on providing children’s books which match the highest standards of printing globally. Our search for a suitable printing partner made us look far and wide. We commissioned samples for many printers in India, China and Singapore. In the early stages, we spent many months in getting samples from several vendors. Finally, we were lucky to have found a good print partner close to home, in Delhi. I am happy to say that the demand for good quality children’s picture books is greater than ever before. Thanks to social media, parents of young children are able to engage directly with independent publishers like us. Two of our earliest published titles, Are Your Emotions Like Mine? and My First Hanuman Chalisa, have done extremely well in the Indian market — they are already being reprinted.

Who is your target reader?

We are currently focussing on creating books for children between 0 and 8 years old. Our books are aimed at anyone who is interested in and curious about South Asian culture, including parents, children and educators in India or abroad.

Chitwan Mittal, founder and editorial director, Adidev Press

Is there any particular kind of books that you want to focus on?

We want our books to showcase South Asian culture in a vibrant, fun new way, from food to culture to festivals, languages and inspirational people. Our themes are varied, but the goal is always to expose children to big ideas in a way that’s accessible. I think it’s important to try and imagine the child’s world when putting books together, to think about what they would find interesting or relatable, rather than just focusing on morals and lessons they should learn. For instance, our Saints series breaks down the teachings of three of India’s most revered spiritual figures (Guru Nanak, Buddha, Mahavira) into terms that children can understand, like kindness, peace and service. Our My first Hanuman Chalisa book is an accessible picture book that features a beloved Hindu prayer with gorgeous, modern illustrations. Our board-book biographies tell short stories in verse about pioneering South Asian women in science and sports, with each one centred on a different value such as resilience, trust, commitment and so on.

What are obstacles that an indie publisher faces in India?

Most indie publishers struggle with making their financials work, but AdiDev Press was not started with the profit-maximising goal. To me, it is ‘seva’ or service to create meaningful books. I hope that our books will help bridge the gap in the market for beautiful, high-quality books that connect children with South Asian culture. Another big challenge for indie publishers is distribution and marketing, but we’ve used social media to overcome this in a big way. In India, we are working with multiple distributors for different regions and are also collaborating with independent bookstores and building an online presence. We are also participating in book fairs and literature festivals. It is an exciting time to be in the children’s book space. Parents are more aware and more engaged than ever before. With the growth in social-media platforms, this is the best time ever for finding quality content. We can now reach beyond the big names in publishing and find young and upcoming authors and illustrators across the country and globally.

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