The Jaipur BookMark (JBM), South Asia’s leading B2B platform for the publishing industry, will be held from January 15 to 19. The official line-up of speakers brings together distinguished voices from across the literary and publishing spectrum in India and the world.
This edition features names such as Ananth Padmanabhan, Arcopol Chaudhuri, Arti Jain, Arunava Sinha, Deepa Bhasthi, Dhruv Singh, Emma House, Gunjan Ahlawat, Harsha Bhatkal, Hemali Sodhi, Jay Prakash Pandey, Jayapriya Vasudevan, Jeet Thayil, Kanishka Gupta, Karuna Gokhale, Martin Puchner, Neeraj Jain, Richa Jha, Rita Kothari, Sanjiv Gupta, Shailesh Bharatwasi, Sohini Mitra, Sugata Ghosh, Trisha Das, Vaishali Mathur, Vivek Shanbhag, William Sieghart, Yoshitoki Oima, and Yoshiaki Koga.
The Jaipur BookMark is also continuing its joint initiative with the British Council: the India – UK Publishing Fellowship that aims to deepen professional collaboration and expand global exposure for independent publishers.
For the 2026 edition, two outstanding fellows have been selected for the fellowship. The first, Harriet Hirshman is Publishing Manager at Dead Ink Books in Liverpool, where she commissions and edits titles while overseeing production and rights. She was recently shortlisted for Future Leader of the Year at the FutureBook Awards.
The second recipient of the Fellowship is Ruby Hembrom, an Adivasi publisher, cultural documentarian and practitioner, who founded the non-profit publishing house, adivaani, in 2012. She is recognised for her work in asserting Adivasi presence and advocacy through knowledge production. Both fellows will participate in the programmes at Jaipur BookMark 2026 and the London Book Fair 2026 (10 – 12 March 2026) with the support of the British Council.
Speaking about the upcoming edition, Manisha Chaudhry, Director of the Jaipur BookMark, emphasized JBM’s evolution to meet the needs of a rapidly transforming industry. She said, “Jaipur BookMark has always evolved in step with the publishing industry, and the 2026 edition builds on this commitment with a focus on rights exchange, translation, and spotting trends across the industry.
“This year, we are opening new conversations on digital innovation, emerging markets, and the ever-changing landscape of storytelling. As the industry transforms, JBM remains a vital space for meaningful dialogue, professional collaboration, and future-oriented publishing practices.”
Namita Gokhale, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, Director of the Jaipur BookMark, highlighted the essential role JBM plays in shaping the global publishing ecosystem. She added, “Jaipur BookMark has evolved into an essential and vital meeting ground for members of the global publishing community. We bring together editors, translators, writers, and rights professionals in an ecosystem that sparks creativity and long-term collaboration. JBM is where ideas travel across languages and cultures, where partnerships take root, and where publishing finds new synergies and inspiration.”
Jaipur BookMark, the publishing industry forum of the Jaipur Literature Festival, draws together stakeholders from across the book trade and has, for over a decade, championed conversations on the business and future of books.