Bio Redux
The reissue of Sanjay Gandhi's biography The Sanjay Story by Vinod Mehta has turned out to be a surprise hit. The story of the controversial Gandhi family scion, perhaps the only one who really wanted to be in politics but whose life was cut short, is finding new takers so many years later. More than 5,000 copies in hardback have already sold, many of them in the Delhi Book Fair recently, and it has been on the publisher HarperCollins top ten for weeks now. “All of this is quite unusual for a book that was first published three decades ago. We are planning a reprint now," says HarperCollins honcho Karthika V.K. Other publishers can take a cue and start dusting old biographies from their catalogues for reissue.
Character & Spirit
Here is a new trick to grab the attention of the books editor or critic. A letter lands on your desk written by one Uma, who, it turns out, is the lead character of a book. It gets all up close and personal. "I have never written to you like this before, but now you better get used to it. I thought you told me everything. But it seems you tell me nothing." And ends with "I know how puzzled you must be, your mind bursting forth with questions about who I am and why have I written to you." For answers, pick up The Other Side Of The Table by Madhumita Mukherjee. Nice try, Finger Print (their tagline is: 'Paperback Publishers of Interesting').
Leaps From Shelves
If Vinod Mehta's old books are finding takers, ex-Outlook editors are on a roll too. Former managing editor Sandipan Deb has churned out three in quick succession: The Last War, a book on Rajat Gupta, and now A Billion Brave Hearts, on the winners of Godphrey Phillips bravery awards. Ex-business editor Alam Srinivas's Women of Vision, interviews with nine business ladies, is also just out.