The Publishing Horizon

Keep your editors, if you want to keep your authors

So says David Goodwin in Outlook Bibliofile, on the topic of authors following editors who hop from one publishing house to another. The Outlook piece also suggests that HarperCollins' coup will be quite damaging to Penguin India.

At last a Face—in fact two—for famously faceless HarperCollins India. So what if both are borrowed from their rival's stable—they're capable of carrying away dozens of top writers from Penguin's envied list of writers. Penguin's well-known fiction editor, head of Puffins and of trading rights, V.K. Karthika, will join as chief editor at HC. Before Penguin could recover from the shock, HC managed to steal away yet another top editor it had unsuccessfully tried to woo: its non-fiction editor, Krishen Chopra, who counts several PMs and Presidents among his illustrious list of authors.

How easy is it for an author to move out with his editor? In the West, according to lit agent David Godwin, author-editor loyalty invariably wins over contractual obligations. He should know: remember how he wriggled Arundhati Roy out from her contract with HarperCollins India when Pankaj Mishra quit? "If they want to keep their authors, they must keep the editors who got them the authors in the first place," is his take on the issue. Insiders claim the half-dozen titles that HarperCollins lost when Ashok Chopra quit is a mere nosebleed compared to what will ensue now.

Will Penguin's authors follow Karthika and Krishen Chopra to HarperCollins? Time will tell.

HarperCollins India hires away two of Penguin India's top people

The Bookseller reports on top level changes in the Indian publishing industry.

HarperCollins has recruited two Penguin publishers to lead its expansion in the Indian market. V K Karthika takes on the role of publisher and chief editor at HarperCollins India, overseeing its local publishing programme, while Krishan Chopra is joining as publisher and chief editor of Collins Business and Fourth Estate.

Both come from Penguin India, where Karthika was executive editor and rights director, with additional roles of publisher for Puffin, Ladybird and Penguin Malayalam. Chopra was executive editor and publisher for the Portfolio imprint. Karthika will be responsible for the “growth and vision” of the local publishing program, including the management of the editorial and rights teams at HarperCollins India. Chopra will develop the Collins Business list in India, with titles focused on management, finance and economics. His list will also include span current affairs and politics. The pair will report to HarperCollins India chief executive P M Sukumar.

“Strong, experienced local leadership is critical in achieving our goal of becoming a true global publisher,” said HC Worldwide president and chief executive Jane Friedman. “We are excited about the growth potential of India’s burgeoning publishing industry. These appointments will help HarperCollins define its presence in India, as well as support the company’s global objectives.”

HarperCollins India had earlier announced its plans of publishing in Indian languages.

Publisher's Weekly adds,

Karthika’s responsibilities include the publishing of fiction, self-help, new-age, religion, spirituality, children’s, narrative non-fiction, and travelogues. Chopra will develop the Collins Business list in India with titles focused on management, finance and economics. In addition Chopra’s list will include select titles across a number of general categories such as current affairs, politics, biographies, science, and technology.