Ananth Padmanabhan, CEO, HarperCollins Publishers India
- Anantha Padmanabhan is Chief Executive Officer of HarperCollins Publishers India.
Podcast
Overview
Martin Luther has said, “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” If not directly changing the world, one can surely do it by changing one’s own life. We know the power of putting thoughts on paper through writing.
And, who doesn’t love their favorite authors who have the power to transport us to a different world? These writers enter our hearts as they relate with us through their stories. It is reading such relatable books that help us develop ideas, inculcate healthy changes, or just feel the emotions we want to feel.
Today, we have the CEO of HarperCollins Publishers India, Ananth Padmanabhan, who talks about his view of relating with the readers.
00:32- About Ananth Padmanabhan
- Anantha Padmanabhan is Chief Executive Officer of HarperCollins Publishers, India.
- Since Ananth’s appointment as CEO, the company has grown its revenues and expanded its publishing footprint in English language publishing in India.
- Strategic initiatives included investing in new categories and voices, imprints, and new capabilities.
- Ananth is Co-Chair of the Publishing Committee within FICCI.
- He has also served on the Executive Committee of the Association of Publishers in India (API), where he was actively involved in activities that aimed at creating a level playing field for Indian publishing, fighting against piracy in the market, and protecting authors against Copyright and Territorial Infringement.
12:20- What makes a good story?
- One that can hold my attention. By the story, you’re referring to fiction, but it can also be applied to good non-fiction.
13:22- What do you look for before you decide to publish a new author?
- We have a room full of editors. Editors publish into their respective categories.
- If it’s a book-compulsive writing, good quality writing, appropriate research on the subject.
- If it’s fiction, I must be interested in the characters, their predicament, and their lives. If I don’t care about the people it doesn’t matter, but if I’m reading about a particular moment in history, I have to care about that moment.
16:05- How is technology changing the world of publishing?
- With the aid of technology, we can reach a lot more people, a lot faster, and deliver what they want.
- The making of the book has changed.
- The biggest changes in the last 15 years are that you can buy an e-book anywhere in the world.
- You can buy an audiobook. Authors can deliver podcasts.
18:55- Reading habits of the younger generation
- I’m looking at India as a very young reluctant reader environment with about 300 million kids in school.
- About 50 to 60 million people buy books. The bulk of the age group that buys the books are between the age of 25 and 45.
- In our country, there have been writers who have changed reading habits in youngsters because you have to catch them young.
25:52- Three life lessons
- Never give up.
- Never be afraid of being embarrassed.
- Always be kind.
RESOURCES:
Visit harpercollins.co.in
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Profile
- Anantha Padmanabhan is Chief Executive Officer of HarperCollins Publishers India.
- Since Ananth’s appointment as CEO, the company has grown its revenues and expanded its publishing footprint in English language publishing in India.
- Strategic initiatives included investing in new categories and voices, imprints, and new capabilities.
- Ananth is Co-Chair of the Publishing Committee within FICCI.
- He has also served on the Executive Committee of the Association of Publishers in India (API), where he was actively involved in activities that aimed at creating a level playing field for Indian publishing, fighting against piracy in the market, and protecting authors against Copyright and Territorial Infringement.
