Priyanka Malhotra
Director, Full Circle Publishing
Known for: Non-fiction-inspirational subjects, spirituality, religion, philosophy and natural health. Runs four bookstores and music cafés in Delhi.

With her ethereal looks and focussed ambition, Priyanka Malhotra injects a unique joie de vivre to publishing. Growing up in a family surrounded by overflowing bookshelves, it was the perfect career choice for her. “Back in school during summer holidays, I would go to my parents’ office and spend time with the editors and DTP operators and involve myself in some way – looking up a word in the dictionary, or checking proofs. It was fascinating.”

Just before completing her formal school education, Priyanka’s father advised her, ‘You must do only what you want...you have to love what you do and never feel pressurised to join the family publishing profession…learn music if you want, anything.’ “I think secretly he was hoping I would choose music; it’s what he wanted to do but couldn’t.”

But Priyanka had made up her mind and was clear about what she wanted to do. She wanted to immerse herself in the world of books, so she did her BA HONS in Publishing from the London College of Printing and then an MSc in Media and Communciations from the London School of Economics (LSE). She interned with Simon and Schuster UK and Pan Macmillam UK and officially started work in 2007.

Teething troubles: “I was concerned whether employees would accept me as the boss and not as the ‘boss’s daughter’. My qualifications would have been overlooked. But they gave me a chance. I did find myself trying hard to get people in the profession to take me seriously!”

Perks of the job: “The warmth in our small editorial office, birthday celebrations with over-frosted chocolate cakes, and the special poem composed by our Hindi editor for the occasion.”

Greatest challenge: “Sometimes, ‘the first time’ for certain things have been a bit daunting – first solo book fair or first presentation on the publishing industry, my first TV interview, first book published, the first time I went on an author tour.”

Big dream: “I want to produce beautiful books, content and production wise. I want to be focussed, niche and stand out for excellence in quality, new ideas and a certain work ethic.”

In free time: “I’m learning French, the grammar is gruelling. I like to cook. The cold watermelon, cucumber and mint soup I made the other day was pretty good. I practise Yoga, it helps me feel good in my head. And of course, reading. Nothing compares to a comfy couch with a book. Heaven.”

Loves: “Delhi for its generous trees. Paris for its charm, chocolat chaud and baguettes. London for its dreary, romantic rain. Palo Alto for its baskets of fruit that lie outside homes for sharing with everyone and Mumbai for accepting you as you are.”

Best lines from a book: “For what are we looking for if not to please? I do not know if the desire to attract others comes from a superabundance of vitality, possessiveness, or the hidden, unspoken need to be reassured.” – Bonjour Tristesse by Francois Sagan.

Most proud of: “Publishing Elegance of the Hedgehog by French novelist, Muriel Barbery. A beautiful story set in Paris of a concierge and a young girl who are closet intellectuals.”

Preeti Vyas
CEO and Founder, FunOkPlease
Known for: Children and parents’ books and The Adventures of Toto the Auto. Organises workshops and storytelling sessions at bookstores for kids and parents in Mumbai.

Sitting in her office in suburban Mumbai, Preeti Vyas is dreaming of a vibrant catalogue with over 500 well-produced titles that will touch the lives of Indian children in a real and meaningful way. She wants her books to be a memorable part of every Indian’s childhood. Being at the helm of a publishing house, Preeti hasn’t forgotten the less fortunate. About 25 per cent of her company’s profits are committed to children’s NGOs in India. “Someday I hope to be able to make a significant enough contribution to support a school for underprivileged children.”

A voracious reader since childhood, her interest in publishing was evident. In her 15 years of professional life, she gained valuable experience in retail, publishing, children’s industry and books. After her son Neel was born in 2009, she just didn’t want to return to a high-pressure corporate job. And then, the entrepreneurial bug bit. She decided to start living life on her own terms, doing something she was passionate about and hopefully be good at it too. She decided to venture into children’s publishing. “What struck me was the huge gap in the market for contemporary Indian content for children growing up in a modern and rapidly urbanising India. This led to the birth of FunOKPlease in 2010. In fact our tagline is ‘Books for the curious little Indian’.

The publishing house that’s still in its start-up phase has 12 titles that are already out. “Getting noticed and building awareness and a portfolio is a real challenge. There is no outside funding to the business. I want it to grow organically.”

The ‘smile’ factor: “Being an entrepreneur and working on your own terms means you are never short of smiles at work, there are so many little things every single day! But what stands out is really the whole creative process. In publishing, every title, every project you start is a new beginning and hence it’s very exciting. I feel blessed to be in a situation where I can make a difference to the lives of Indian children.”

Greatest challenge: “Limited funds for marketing and limited awareness of our content, which circles back to marketing, a real catch-22 situation. Also ensuring that the books are available at stores consistently.”

Loves to: Read, listen to music, cook and indulge in photography. “There isn’t much free time these days, thanks to the start-up, managing home as well as a talkative, curious three-year-old. Neel and I love getting outdoors and checking out new parks, museums, new experiences in the city. My husband Amish (Author of The Immortals of Meluha and The Secret of the Nagas) and I also love travelling so we try and take off on vacations as often as possible.”

Much-loved city: “Melbourne, Australia. I spent two wonderful years there as a student and cherish the memories of living alone and discovering myself. It’s truly one of the world’s most beautiful cities and I will never tire of it.”

Best lines from a book: “Let it go, let it out, let it all unravel; Let it free and it can be a path on which to travel” – Poems by Michael Leunig (Australian philosopher and cartoonist).

Most proud of: “The soon-to-be-released general knowledge and picture book series on Indian cities called 366 Words in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata. They are fully illustrated, beautiful non-fiction books on major Indian cities that cover everything about each city from the parks, landmarks, history to culture, cuisine and festivals.”

Arpita Das
Publisher, Yoda Press
Known for: Dynamic non-fiction – urban studies, sexuality, gender, cinema, contemporary art and popular culture, and new perspectives in history. Runs a bookstore in Hauz Khas Village, Delhi.

It’s a quaint little bookshop, in the tiny lanes of the ever-mesmerising Hauz Khas village where Arpita Das, who is still on her maternity leave, meets us with a big grin. There are books by independent and lesser-known publishers: “The idea was to give them a platform for better visibility”.

Arpita’s columns and takes on books in several news magazines makes for interesting reads, but in the end, it is publishing that’s her stronghold. “I wasn’t the fun kid who climbed trees in my childhood. I was the boring one who liked to lock myself in the room and read!” She started Yoda Press after being in the publishing industry for seven years. “I commissioned the first set of books over one year, got my seed capital together and began.”

The biggest hiccup, especially when she first started was the fact that “nobody in the trade took a 29-year-old woman seriously when she said she ran a publishing house. I had to earn their respect and good faith. This was particularly true of the production people, printing presses and booksellers.”

But even today, it’s “working with language and being able to read all the time” that makes her smile at work.

Big dreams: “Getting my books into as many bookstores as possible. Distribution is the toughest thing for an Indian publisher. I want to be known as a publishing house which tried to take the niche read to as many people as possible.

In free time: “Reading, of course, listening to music, singing, travelling (but with two kids and a dog and two companies to run, I never can do enough), and watching good cinema.”

Much-loved city: “Delhi has always been home, and London as a student was so much fun, but my most favourite little town in the world is Ranikhet.”

Best lines from a book: ‘Anything may happen when womanhood ceases to be a protected occupation.’ – A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf.

Publishing in India: The publishing end is mostly peopled by women in big houses as well as small. However, there is still space for more women in production, marketing and sales.

Most proud of: The sexualities series at Yoda Press which has some of the most cutting-edge gay and lesbian writing in South Asia.

Other remarkable women publishers in India

CHIKI SARKAR Penguin India	V. K KARTHIKA HarperCollins	PRIYA KAPOOR Roli Books

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