In his new role as head of FPBA, Sethi, who is also director of the Delhi-based Jaico Publishing House, plans to approach the government for grant of industry status to the domestic publishing industry. ``The publishing industry should be granted small-scale industry status. This will enable the players to gain access to capital at competitive interest rates. In the long run, this will act as a level playing field vis-a-vis multinational entrants,'' he says.

Payment of royalty is another issue that figuresprominently on Sethi's agenda. ``Quite often, we hear of publishers and authors wrangling over payment of royalty. To streamline the process of payment, FPBA will form a committee comprising six members, three each from the authors' and publishers' associations. The committee will meet on a regular basis and resolve all issues pertaining to royalty to the satisfaction of the authors,'' he says.

The committee will also take up the task of popularising works of Indian authors abroad.

Quality is a key concern in the publishing industry. To overcome problems related to this, FPBA plans to set up a joint action committee (JAC) comprising representatives of libraries and booksellers in the country. ``This is one of the best ways of keeping a check on production and distribution of poor quality publications,'' says Sethi.

Sethi laments the poor implementation of copyright laws in the country. The Copyright Board in the Union ministry of human resources development needs to take fresh stock of the new methodsof piracy that are being devised in the country.

``Right now, it is fairly easily for piracy offenders to escape the law. Implementation of copyright laws need to be tightened,'' he says.

FPBA plans to launch a nationwide campaign against piracy. ``We will hold seminars and workshops in the main cities and involve the public and police in the campaign,'' says Sethi.

Sethi is also looking at boosting the export business of the industry. ``South-East Asia is the major export destination for our publishing houses. We are now looking at the American, European, Japanese and Australian markets,'' he says. ``Once we get industry status, our cost of production will go down. This will enable our textbook publishers to make a dent in the African book market,'' he adds.

Sethi will also explore possibilities for meaningful interaction between Indian universities and book publishers. ``We could make it easier for universities to access books for their various courses,'' he says.