At Penguin Random House India and Penguin Random House North Asia, we see our growth potential as vital and vibrant. Penguin Random House India, who last year celebrated its thirtieth anniversary, and Penguin Random House North Asia, our home in the Chinese market, are keenly attuned to their local reading cultures. Both divisions are heavily influenced by the fast-growing English-language book-reading local population.  Editions of U.S. and UK bestsellers and prize winners are avidly sought after and widely discussed in person and online. Commercially, both publishing groups are benefitting from the home-grown boom in e-commerce. Online book buying is prevalent in rural areas in India, where there are few bookstores. In China, there are rising book sales online and with mobile devices, as consumer visits to local bookstores are not very habitual. [caption id="attachment_9979" align="alignright" width="173"] Gaurav Shrinagesh[/caption] Too, both companies are led by dynamic CEOs: Gaurav Shrinagesh is the longtime head of PRH India. Azia Cheng was appointed to lead PRH North Asia last year. Together with their deeply committed staff, they share a passion to maximize the ever-increasing local opportunities to reach larger and new audiences for their authors’ books. As Markus Dohle reported in a companywide blog post upon his return from attending India’s Jaipur Literature Festival in January, “The development of PRH India in the past five years is a great success story.” India is the world’s second-largest English-language market, with some 130 million people fluent in the language. We are the largest English-language trade publisher In India. “Whether we publish in English, Hindi, or other local languages thanks to new publishing opportunities, what matters most is the importance of books in the Indian culture,” he wrote. [caption id="attachment_9980" align="alignright" width="173"] Azia Cheng[/caption] That books matter in India is evident in the solid growth rate for PRH India: overall revenues have increased 23% over the past two years, with the company’s market share at 31%, and its English-language sales growth up 80%, 2005-2017. Its strong local literary program  publishes over 250 titles in English every year. Dohle believes that “India is an exciting market, and with the young demographic and vibrant economy, we are poised for continued growth over the next years and decades.” China, of course, also is one of the world’s largest book markets, whose readers are drawn to many different kinds of books. “The Chinese tend to be brand conscious and heavily influenced by their social environments,” Azia Cheng told BENET at last year’s Frankfurt Book Fair. “In terms of international content for adult audiences, readers are fans of books written by European and U.S. authors, and are attracted to classics by Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and Jane Austen, among many others. Movie tie-ins and Nobel and other prize winners’ works are also popular. “Our consumers appreciate quality content,” Cheng says, and “we tailor our marketing to meet consumer preferences.” They also appreciate children’s books. The beloved Peppa Pig is PRH North Asia’s greatest success. In 2017, they sold 3.75 million Peppa book sets through physical and online retail. The division expects to take great future advantage of the parent company’s worldwide strength in children’s publishing to engage in collaborative projects, such as their recent large acquisition of the rights to several dozen Random House Children’s Books U.S. titles. In China, as well as in India, DK Publishing has achieved a significant increase year on year revenue. It expects further growth this year and next from its Knowledge series and from its Children’s titles in translation and English-language export editions. According to Cheng, an important emerging publishing trend in China is the monetization of creative content through different business models. “As one of the largest providers of content and intellectual property,” she observes, “there are numerous ways for Penguin Random House to experiment and to try new approaches to connect our authors with readers. We always are looking to explore new opportunities for the future.”

[caption id="attachment_9650" align="alignright" width="122"] Devdutt Pattanaik[/caption] [caption id="attachment_9651" align="alignright" width="123"] Singh Khushwant[/caption] Penguin Petits will provide great, quality content to suit a broad range of interests, from fiction, nonfiction, children's literature, mythology to self-help, history and current affairs, and will be available in an e-book format.   [caption id="attachment_9652" align="alignleft" width="252"] Rukun Kaul[/caption]   Rukun Kaul, Associate Vice President, Digital and Business Initiatives, Penguin Random House India, said ‘With Penguin Petit, Penguin Random House India makes a foray into the world of accessible short-form reading. It's designed for an increasingly mobile India that might want to be able to read anywhere and at any time. With its easy downloadability, wide range of content and accessible pricing, Penguin Petit should appeal to many readers. Our books and authors will also benefit from the easy discoverability and increased visibility that comes with making great reads available in a shorter and more affordable format.' With the launch of Penguin Petit, Penguin Random House India reaffirms its commitment to spread the joy of reading – to an ever-expanding readership.

Non-preachy, practical and thought-provoking, EXAM WARRIORS is a handy guide for students in India and across the world.  The book seeks to add to the debate and discourse around the importance of stress-free examinations and the need to pursue knowledge over marks. It aims to be a catalyst that will trigger discussions whose ultimate beneficiaries will be the “Exam Warriors.” A series of asanas and breathing exercises are also included for students to overcome stress. Narendra Modi has been Prime Minister since May 2014, after leading his party to the first full parliamentary majority government in India in three decades.  His victory was propelled by historic support from India's youth, particularly first-time voters.  As Prime Minister, Modi has presided over transformative economic and social sector reforms, which have given a strong boost to India's development journey. The education sector has been particularly close to Modi's heart. He is an inspirational leader for the youth. His monthly radio program, Mann Ki Baat, is extremely popular among all sections of society. It was in this program that he addressed Exam Warriors, first in 2015 and then subsequently in 2016 and 2017. Previously, Modi served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014. He has also held key organizational responsibilities in the Bharatiya Janata Party, including that of the General Secretary (Organization). Modi enjoys reading, writing and interacting with people. He is among the most followed leaders on social media, which he uses regularly. He also connects with people across the world through his own app, the Narendra Modi Mobile App.

One of the leading superstars of the Indian film industry, Ms. Chopra has had a meteoric rise with Bollywood movie roles and on the global stage, propelled by her hit ABC- TV show, Quantico.  Voted “Miss World” 2000, she also won a People’s Choice Award for two consecutive years, was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, and one of Harper Bazaar’s women game changers of the modern era. Ms. Chopra is an icon for today’s young Indians who identify with her drive, passion, intelligence and charisma. She has been a social media trendsetter and has a massive fan base across the globe. Much loved and admired as an artist and also recognized as a global Indian — a woman who has broken the glass ceiling to reach the highest echelons of international stardom — and for her philanthropic work. The Penguin Annual Lecture, hosted by Penguin Random House India, started a decade ago as an initiative to bring leading writers, artists, thinkers and key personalities from India and across the world in direct contact with audiences and admirers in India. The first such event to be organized by a publishing house in India, the event is immensely popular with readers, book lovers, and the youth market, in particular. Penguin Random House India aims to spread the thrill of fresh ideas to a new generation of readers, thinkers and future achievers through this series.  Past speakers have included thought leaders like His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Professor Amartya Sen, Thomas Friedman, Amitabh Bachchan, Ramachandra Guha, and beloved authors from both India and abroad, including Dan Brown, Jeff Kinney and Ruskin Bond.

  Gaurav Shrinagesh, CEO, Penguin Random House India, thanked the organizers of the festival and said that the publishing group will continue to reflect as wide a range of opinions and voices as possible. Mr. Shrinagesh added, “I would like to especially thank the fabulous team at Penguin Random House India – a group of talented individuals across all functions who come together with utmost passion and dedication, and an abiding commitment to connect authors with readers.” The Tata Literature Live Festival is the biggest literary event in Mumbai, and one of the most important international book events in India. More than 130 authors, journalists, and other participants from 15 countries attended this year's three-day program of workshops, panel discussions, book presentations and award ceremonies.  The Tata Literature Live Awards presented at the event alos include Book of the Year, Best First Book of the Year, Business Book of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement Award. Pranay Lal’s Indica, a Penguin Random House India title, won the Best First Book Nonfiction award. The range of outstanding books released by a publisher in the current year, and the number of awards for individual titles at the literary festival, are decisive in determining the winner of the Publisher of the Year award.  Anil Dharker, founder and director of the Tata Literature Live Festival, explained why the award was created: “All over the world, prizes are awarded to authors and their books to honor their outstanding literary work. But publishers provide an essential part of the entire process, without which books could not be made available to the public. It's obvious that there would be no books without publishers.”