Ep 13 How to Grow Readership

Publishing Perspectives Podcast by Roli Pulse

12-10-2020 • 41 mins

The ongoing pandemic, especially the period of lockdown, significantly affected the sale of books through brick and mortar stores. Yet, at the same time, it also gifted the publishers with the opportunity to increase their readership. The lockdown may have surged the popularity of ebooks and audiobooks, but print books still hold the ground, which has witnessed growth in sale post-lockdown. But how has readership altered across genres and different age groups? What kind of preferences do readers have, or has it evolved during lockdown? How has the pandemic affected independent publishers and their readership? Does the digital platform hold the power to influence readers? Durba Chattaraj, Manasi Subramaniam, Vikrant Mathur and Rukmini Banerji, in conversation with Sayoni Basu, share their insights. Durba Chattaraj is faculty at Ashoka University. Manasi Subramaniam is the Executive Editor and the Head of Literary Rights at Penguin Random House India. Rukmini Banerji is the CEO of Pratham Education Foundation. Vikrant Mathur is the Director of Nielsen BookScan India Sayoni Basu is the co-founder of Duckbill, and Consulting Editor at Penguin Random House India.