Hind Pocket Books
Hind Pocket Books, established in 1958 by D. N. Malhotra, is one of the oldest Hindi-language publishers in India. It is widely known for publishing the first mass-market Hindi and Urdu paperbacks in the country. It was also involved in establishing the first voluntary all-India body of publishers, the Federation of Publishers and Booksellers of India, where Malhotra served as president during 1967–69.[1]
On June 28, 2018, Hind was acquired by Penguin Random House India with the aim of increasing the latter’s influence in local-language publishing.
History
Inspired by Allen Lane's achievement with Penguin Books, D. N. Malhotra travelled to Britain to meet Lane in 1956 with O. P. Ghai, another leading Indian publisher who was to create Sterling. While Ghai was skeptical about the success of paperbacks in India, Malhotra, backed by the family firm, Rajpal and Sons, was optimistic about the experiment.
Returning to India, D. N. Malhotra launched six Hindi paperbacks within a year with his brother Vishwanath. It already had a production department and a distribution network. Initially, the target readership was the middle class. The six books consisted of both serious and light fiction and included translations of Gitanjali and works by Ghalib. The print run was six thousand, and each title was priced at one rupee. The experiment proved successful—the books sold out in three weeks.[2]
Hind continued to publish six titles monthly. One of its major distribution channels was a book club called the Gharelu Library Yojana. This strategy would later be widely emulated. Membership reached 47,500, and members received books at a 20% discount. Besides the club, Hind had five hundred outlets in pavement stalls, bookstores, and, most importantly, outlets frequented by the travelling public, such as bus stations and railway stations, especially A.H. Wheeler stalls. This idea might have been inspired by Allen Lane’s ‘Penguincubator’.[3]
Mass Market
The success of Hind's distribution allowed it to move into mass-market titles in 1959. It developed "pen name" authors such as "Colonel Ranjit," whose detective fiction gained a following of 100,000. Its most successful author was Gulshan Nanda, whose romantic escapist fiction sold 300,000 copies. Nanda's novel, *Jhil Ke Us Par*, which topped his sales at 500,000, was later adapted into a film.
Following its mass-market success, Hind expanded its list to include Punjabi, Urdu, and English books. By the late 1960s, it had a backlist of two thousand titles. Although it faced new competitors in the mass market, like Star, established by Amarnath in Delhi in 1958, who were attracting members of Gharelu Library Yojana, it remained successful. In 1976, the two brothers divided their assets, and Vishwanath Malhotra formed a separate firm, Vision Books.[4]
Toward the end of the century, Hind published six to eight Hindi titles a month, priced around five rupees. They published a similar number of titles in Urdu, Punjabi, and English in alternate months.
Acquisition by Penguin
Penguin Random House India, which began its Hindi publishing program in India in 2005 and has built a substantial catalog of acclaimed titles over the years, announced its acquisition of Hind on June 28, 2018.
Previously heading the Indian Language Publishing and Rights department at Penguin Random House India, Vaishali Mathur is now the Editor-in-Chief of Hind Pocket Books.
Shekhar Malhotra, son of D. N. Malhotra and Managing Director of Hind Pocket Books stated, “It is a great honor for us that this pioneering legacy is now in the reputed hands of Penguin Random House India. The Hind Pocket Books Group has nurtured some of the finest local-language publishing across decades, making available quality literature throughout the country with its motto: Books for the Millions. In 1956, my father met with Sir Allen Lane the year Penguin was celebrating its 21st anniversary, and here began a great association between two eminent visionaries. It is only fitting that today our company chooses to hand over its legacy to Penguin Random House India, under the inspired leadership of Markus Dohle and Gaurav Shrinagesh, who will build on this remarkable publishing program and bring to the forefront our rich cultural heritage of literature and the arts.”[5]
Genres and Imprints
Hind has primarily published literary fiction. However, it also publishes titles on spirituality, health, self-help, poetry, biographies, and translations of international titles. Presently, its imprints include Clarion Books, Global Business Press, Saraswati Press, Professional Managers Library, and Mainstreet.[1] The company had another imprint, India Book Company, established in Delhi in 1945, which published authors like K.M. Munshi and Jawaharlal Nehru.
Authors
References
- ↑ "An overview on the state of Indian publishing". http://printweek.in. Retrieved 2019-05-08. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ Sen, Mandira; Bhowmik, Moushumi (March 2002). "Publishing women's studies in India: Stree's experience". Women's Studies International Forum. 25 (2): 185–192. doi:10.1016/s0277-5395(02)00229-7. ISSN 0277-5395.
- ↑ "The Penguincubator: The 1937 Vending Machine for Books". mentalfloss.com. 2010-08-09. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
- ↑ Choudhury, Uttara (1997-11-15). "Earning Greenbacks From Paperbacks". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
- ↑ "Penguin Random House India buys publisher of Hindi books". VCCircle. 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
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