1. The Era of the Proteur Changing Roles of Editors A.T. Bulathsinghala

2.  Chief Editor- S&T Group  BSc (Hons), MSc  Has written 04 astronomy books  Has translated 03 SF novels by Sir Arthur C. Clarke  The chief editor in “Tharulowa”- Astronomy magazine in Sri Lanka (2000- 2002)  Freelance writer in “Vidusara”- Science magazine in Sri Lanka (1997-2000)

3. Sri Lanka  Population: 21.6m  Territory : 65,610 Sq km  09 provinces, 25 districts  The constitution of SL provides for education as a fundamental right  Literacy rate is 98.1 % higher than that expected for a developing nation the highest literacy rate in South Asia one of the highest literacy rates in Asia  10,390 government schools. The curriculum offered is approved by the Ministry of Education  15 universities  Languages- Sinhala, Tamil, English

4. Total number of new books and new booklets published in Sri Lanka each year Year20102011201220132014 Number82378839858499679941 Average- 9114 E books in Sri Lanka- Book Hub by M.D. Gunasena Publishing statistics from National Library Services and Documentation Board

5. Science & Technology  Vision of Ministry of Science and Technology- Sri Lanka becomes a scientifically and technologically advanced country by the year 2020  Upon an acceptance that the Ministry has a significant role to play in making Sri Lanka a knowledge hub We, As a private company

6. S & T Group  Aim- Popularize Science and Astronomy in Sri Lanka  Established in – 2002  Publishing items- Books- Astronomy and science books Science fiction novels, DVDs, star maps  A member of the Sri Lanka Book Publishers’ Association since 2006  Actively participates in Colombo International Book Fair since 2005  Actively participates in regional Book Fairs-Kandy Book fair, Mathara Book Fair -organize annually by Sri Lanka Book Publishers’ Association  Publish SFs from 2009 including SFs from local writers and Sinhala translations of international SFs  Hold Sinhala copy rights for most of Sir Arthur C. Clarkes Science Fictions including Clarke’s final book- The Last Theorem

7. Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association  Established in 1985  27 founder members  Currently union of 178 publishers  Main organizer of Colombo International Book Fair- 1 million people visit  Organize regional book fairs- Kandy and Mathara  Organise Swarnapusthaka- Book Award Ceremony – LKR 500000/= to the author

8. Astronomy Books, Science Fictions, books with DVDs

9. Being a science publisher, we believe that people need new ideas No one wants to travel past but to FUTURE…………

10. Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British - Sri Lankan science fiction writer, science writer and futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. Born in Minehead, UK,December 16, 1917 and died in 19, March 2008 Colombo- 17 novels, 11 short stories and 13 nonfictions.

11. Want to be a writer?  Dash off your piece  Publish it on your blog  Link it to your twitter account  Post it on your face book page & tag as many as you know Count the hits  Written a book?  Blog, Flikr, Pinterest, FB

12. Are traditional publishers then redundant? No longer agonize about  What to choose  What fonts to use  What paper  What sort of cover  Will it translate in to popular film, tele-drama or merchandise tie-ins…..?  And Editors?

13. ‘ Some philosopher of history had once said that man kind never completely abandons any of its ancient tools.’ Titan civilian -Karl’s sketchbook remains with a pencil attached in the year 2276. -Imperial Earth by Arthur C. Clarke

14. An editor  polishes and refines  directs the focus of the story along a particular course  checks out what is non essential  cuts out what doesn’t fit  enhances the major points to draw attention  conveys the message properly Responsibility Conservation of trends in this era for Future

15. Conserving trends from stone plaque to nanoscreens

16. also…………………. Editor should be aware of  the global market  the behavioral patterns of readers  sophisticated electronic devices - whether the content is compatible  basic concepts of new technologies

17. Challenges facing science editors in Sri Lanka  Limited market segment –few love science  Modern Science is far from public- An agricultural country Cultural and Religious impact Problems in Education System  Language barriers, hard to find good science translators  Lacking editors with international working experience  In acquiring copyrights from overseas publishers- price & lack of professionals  Should be involved in production, marketing and advertising process  Book reading behavior decline dramatically-blog sphere, e-books, face book, twitter

18. Overcoming Challenges How to Popularize science? Public  ‘A SF per 2 months’ – Publish a Sinhala translation of a world famous science fiction bimonthly  Sky News SMS alert service Schools & Universities  Night Sky Observation Camps in schools  Science Quiz programs- books to be donated to winners

19. Night Sky Observation Camps

20. Astro news to idea apps- SMS

21. The Book App  Customer need a book  Text – the title or author  Send SMS  System select the nearest bookstore from GPS  Reply –  the nearest bookshop  The distance between the customer and the shop in km  Price  ISBN number  The publisher

22. Thank you