In Beawar, Rajasthan, April 19, 2021. Image – Getty iStockphoto: Sumit Saraswat
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
‘The New Environment’
In the Publishing Next book-industry awards program’s 8th cycle, the Gurgaon-based HarperCollins India has won the top honor, as Publisher of the Year, with Bangalore’s Pratham Books, an independent nonprofit press, named as runner-up in the category.
The awards were announced on Sunday (March 27), and presented in 11 categories. The Publishing Next Industry Awards, a program started in 2014, are organized by Cinnamon Teal Publishing, based in Goa. The program also has produced conference events in association with the National Book Trust of India, and the awards normally have occurred in the framework of the conference series.
In naming HarperCollins India as Publisher of the Year, the jury rationale said that the company has declined “to rest on its past laurels, and continues to do what publishers must—engage new authors, develop new genres, and reach out to readers, during a particularly tough time for the publishing business. Its digital initiatives, and social media campaigns have been notable and illustrate how publishers can, and should, adapt to the new environment.”
Harper has, the jury report says, “a strong frontlist, and a good focus on its mid- and backlists, as well as partnerships with several other publishers, demonstrates that HarperCollins India is determined to continue making good books accessible to its readers.”
In a statement released by HarperCollins India, CEO Ananth Padmanabhan says, “We are over the moon! Thank you Publishing Next and the jury for this recognition. A good year of books won’t be possible without our authors trusting us with their work, so a big thank you to our authors. I feel especially privileged to be part of the fantastic team here at HarperCollins and want to thank everyone of our colleagues for the passion and commitment with which we publish books here!”
This is, like some others in the world industry, a prize program that names its previous year’s winners in the first part of the new year. The current class of winners are for the 2021 cycle.
Publishing Next Industry Awards 2021
Winning titles in the newly announced 2021 cycle of Publishing Next Awards in India
| Category | Winner | Runner-Up |
| Bookstore | Eureka Bookstore, Delhi | Kitab Khana, Mumbai |
| Editor | Richa Burman, Penguin Random House India | Swati Chopra, HarperCollins India |
| Illustrator | Archana Sreenivasan | Karen Haydock |
| Book Cover (Indian Languages) | Rohit Kokil for ‘Jeevan ki Bahaar,’ Eklavya Publications | Kanak Shashi for ‘Ummeed Ke Rang, Eklayva Publications |
| Book Cover (English) | Sukruti Anah Staneley, for ‘Intimate City,’ by Zubaan | Rashmi Gupta, for ‘A Mirror Made of Rain,’ published by HarperCollins India |
| Illustrated Book | ‘Still Life’ by Anoushka Khan, Penguin Random House India | ‘Shaheen Bagh: A Graphic Recollection’ by Ita Mehrotra, Yoda Press. Also ‘Persepolis’ (in Hindi) by Marjane Satrapi, translated and published by Vani Prakashan |
| Children’s Book (Ages 0 to 8) | ‘When Adil Speaks, Words Dance’ by Lavanya Karthik, Penguin Random House India | ‘Chiknik Choon’ by Sushil Shukla, Eklavya Publications |
| Children’s Book (Ages 8 and older) | ‘They Made What/They Found What’ by Shweta Taneja, Hachette India | ‘Pongal’ by Bama, Muskaan |
| Print Book (Indian Languages) | ‘Biplabi Rasbehari Basu O Japan’ by Takeshi Nakajima, translated by Kazuhiro Watanabe, Jadavpur University Press | ‘Akkai’ by Akkai Padmashali, Dominic D., Bahuroopi |
| Print Book (English) | ‘Sebastian and Sons: A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers,’ by TM Krishna, Westland Books | ‘Ghalib: A Wilderness at My Doorstep: A Critical Biography’ by Mehr Afshan Farooqi, Penguin Random House India |
| Publisher | HarperCollins India | Pratham Books |
This is Publishing Perspectives’ 62nd awards report published in the 62 days since our 2022 operations began on January 3.
More from Publishing Perspectives on India and its market is here, and more on the many international book and publishing awards is here.
More from us on the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on international book publishing is here.