This article was downloaded by: [134.117.10.200] On: 06 June 2014, At: 09:05 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Wasafizi Wasafiri Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rwas20 South Asian Literature and Global Publishing Sarah Brouillette Published online: 16 Oct 2007. To cite this article: Sarah Brouillette (2007) South Asian Literature and Global Publishing, Wasafiri, 22:3, 34-38, DOI: 10.1080/02690050701565356 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02690050701565356 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the "Content") contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
Downloaded by [134.117.10.200] at 09:05 06 June 2014 South Asian Literature and Global Publishing Sarah Brouillette 'My view for the future of all media is you've got to be location-indifferent, language- indifferent and platform- indifferent.' (Sir Tony O'Reilly) In what follows I highlight developments in publishing that challenge existing understandings of the relationship between South Asian literature and globalisation. 1 In a 2006 statement, cited above, Sir Tony O'Reilly encapsulates these changes while justifying his 'language-indifferent' and 'location- indifferent' interest in expansion into vernacular Indian markets (Robinson). His firm, the Independent News & Media Group, had purchased a twenty-six per cent stake in the company behind the Hindi-language paper Dainik Jagran. This put it at the vanguard of those opening offices to produce materials in vernacular languages instead of in the global English often perceived as one of the bogeymen of global capitalism (Robinson). A correlate to this vernacularising project is publishers' new commitment to accessing niche markets of minority readerships in the West. Another is their interest in outsourcing publishing tasks. Under ultra-liberal trade mandates a growing number of export process zones are cropping up in South Asia, and publishing functions are being annexed to these areas in accord with a larger Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) trend. Key transnational firms are cutting costs by shipping things like book design and editing to