Chiki Sarkar leads Penguin Random House in India and was named one of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders. She agreed to do a Q&A for aspiring authors who visit Karan Bajaj's blog. In the Q&A, Sarkar discusses how she decides when a book is right for her list by reading as a reader rather than a publisher. She also notes that most established authors are less receptive to editorial feedback than newer authors. Finally, Sarkar comments that there is still demand in India for popular histories, thrillers, and big idea books.

2. 6 Questions with Penguin
Random House’s Head of
Publishing

4. Chiki Sarkar leads Penguin-Random House in India and
was named one of World Economic Forum’s Young
Global Leaders (I don’t what the latter means but it
sounds pretty fancy, right?). She’s also my editor for
THE SEEKER and has been a terrific partner in the
publishing process—an enthusiastic cheerleader, an
unrelenting critic, a deep, thoughtful editor, a savvy
business leader—all-in-all a dream publisher for a
writer. She agreed to do a Q&A for aspiring authors who
visit this blog

5. KB: Chiki, I was incredibly impressed by how
quickly you made an offer for THE SEEKER after
reading it, barely two days after submission. How
can you tell when a book is “right” for your list? Do
you view the book as a reader or as a publisher
before you decide to buy it?

6. CS: Always always as a reader. If you love a
book, chances are that others will love it too. And
remember, an editor has to be a wide and
informed reader – so in a way we are super-
readers. I never trust an editor who doesn’t read a
huge amount. It’s the foundation for everything.

7. KB: Have you ever had a “gut” feel that one of
your author’s books will find a place in literary
history? What made it so special?
CS: You know we think all our books are special!
And we’re heartbroken when they don’t find
success.

8. KB: I’ve been delighted by how thoughtfully you
nurtured THE SEEKER to its current state. I’m
curious. Are most authors receptive to editorial
feedback or is it an uphill battle to get them to see
your point-of-view?

9. CS: You were an amazing author to edit and I
found myself in awe of your openness to changing
your manuscript. Some authors are good at this,
others less so. On the whole the more established
you are, the less likely you are to want people
fiddling with your work. Many writers also have a
particular person/s they trust and listen to such as
a friend or a spouse who give them their
feedback.

10. They then don’t demand the same attention from
their editor. The editor’s role in the book, then, is
to publish it well – give it a good package, garner
support for it within the company and outside.

11. KB: It’s been 5 years since JOHNNY GONE DOWN
was published. Has Indian publishing changed since
2010? Is there a genre more in demand now than
before?

12. CS: So much. There’s been a rise in homegrown
commercial fiction and non-fiction and where once
international bestsellers dominated the charts, you
find the top ten bestseller list populated by Indian
writers. Indians want to hear their own stories.
KB: A lot of aspiring authors visit my blog. What is
the one thing you wished they thought about
before they sent in a submission to you?

13. CS: Writers always ask to meet me so they can
talk about the book before they send me the
manuscript. It’s just not necessary. For an editor
the work has to speak for itself and meeting the
author before we have begun to read the text is
not only a waste of both our times but achieves
the opposite.

14. KB: Finally, is there a book you’re wishing
someone would write in India and hasn’t crossed
your desk yet?
CS: Oh so many. We still don’t have enough good
works of popular history, no great thrillers, not
enough big idea books.

15. You’ve heard from Chiki—she’s waiting for your
big book. And if decide to write it today, don’t
forget to sign up for my full video course on How
to get a Top 5 publishing deal here.

16. For more details
Visit us @
http://www.karanbajaj.com/