PRH India acquires Hind Pocket Books

The acquisition of Hind Pocket Books should give the company the access to an enviable backlist of titles. Penguin started its Hindi publishing programme in India in 2005, and has built a significant catalogue of titles over the years.

Established in 1958, Hind Pocket Books is widely considered a pioneer in publishing Hindi and Urdu paperbacks in India, and has an impressive list of critically acclaimed and commercially successful titles. It’s award-winning authors include writers like Amrita Pritam, Shivani, Acharya Chatursen, Gulshan Nanda, Narendra Kohli, Khushwant Singh and RK Narayan, among others.

“This acquisition represents our commitment to expand our local-language publishing as we continue to implement our global strategy of growing in our key markets such as India,” said Markus Dohle, CEO, Penguin Random House.
Shekhar Malhotra, managing director of Hind Pocket Books, added, “It’s only fitting that today our company chooses to hand over its legacy to Penguin Random House India, which will build on this remarkable publishing programme and bring to the forefront our rich cultural heritage of literature and the arts.”

Gaurav Shrinagesh, CEO, Penguin Random House India called it a landmark development which “reiterates our commitment and passion to grow publishing and readership” in the region. “Malhotra will be advising our team over the course of the next 12 months, as this will allow us to gain from his rich experience to further build a platform for original language publishing and translations,” he added.

Vaishali Mathur, previously responsible for Indian language publishing and rights at Penguin Random House India will be the editor-in-chief of Hind Pocket Books.

Nandan Jha, senior vice-president at PRH India, will in his expanded role have the additional responsibility of building the Indian language publishing programme, in addition to heading sales and product for the company.