32. Why India Needs A Bookselling Revolution, With Ajay Jain

Aishwarya speaks with Andrew James, founder of UK-based Frog Literary Agency, about the need to focus on representing authors from the LGBTQIA+ community. 
How does James choose who to represent? Can literary agencies boost access to the publishing world? What kind of queer books are we seeing in the UK vs India? How can editors and agents establish their expertise in niche categories?

Andrew James has over 12 years of experience working in publishing as a commissioning editor across trade, professional and academic. He founded Frog Literary Agency in 2023 - the UK's first literary agency solely dedicated to representing LGBTQIA+ writers and creators. Frog’s mission is to revolutionise queer writing and champion queer representation in mainstream publishing. Although Frog only represents queer writers, an author’s work does not need to have a queer focus.

Aishwarya Javalgekar is a writer, book editor and podcast producer. As the Head of Originals she specializes in creating stellar content across formats - books, podcasts, newsletters, etc. She is a member of WICCI - Print Media and previous experience in  Zubaan Books and Simon and Schuster Canada. 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishwaryajavalgekar/ 
Email: aishwarya@boundindia.com
Topmate: https://topmate.io/aishwaryajavalgekar 

Brought to you by Bound, a company that helps you grow through stories.
Website: https://boundindia.com/ 
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundindia/ 
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/boundindia/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/boundindia

Produced by Aishwarya Jawalgekar
Edit by Kshitij Jadhav

Aishwarya speaks with Ajay Jain, founder of Kunzum, about the importance of collaboration in the publishing world, and the necessity for the Kunzum Bookselling Reimagined Conference. Why is a community and collaboration important to bookstores?  How did the Kunzum cafe begin? Why does Ajay think Amazon is a toxic force towards social and cultural development? How have pirated books infiltrated the market?

Ajay Jain is a traveller, writer and photographer, and the founder of Kunzum in Hauz Khas, New Delhi. Kunzum started as a gallery to showcase his own photographic art and books over coffee and has now emerged as the most popular community of travellers in India. Ajay studied Mechanical Engineering, did an MBA and finally studied Journalism in London. He has written 9 printed books and over 50 e-books. He is a traveller at heart, both literally and metaphorically.

Aishwarya Javalgekar is a writer, book editor and podcast producer. As the Head of Originals she specializes in creating stellar content across formats - books, podcasts, newsletters, etc. She is a member of WICCI - Print Media and previous experience in  Zubaan Books and Simon and Schuster Canada.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishwaryajavalgekar/
Email: aishwarya@boundindia.com
Topmate: https://topmate.io/aishwaryajavalgekar

Brought to you by Bound, a company that helps you grow through stories.
Website: https://boundindia.com/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundindia/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/boundindia/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/boundindia

Produced by Aishwarya Jawalgekar
Edited by Kshitij Jadhav

The rise in the number of people looking to publish their work has led to a rise in the number of publishing scams. What are these scams, and how do authors fall for these scams? What is vanity publishing? How do fake literary agents scam authors? Aishwarya has all you need to know to not fall into the trap of a fake agency: what are currently most common scams and how can you protect yourself from them?

To book a consultation session with Aishwarya or avail of Bound's writing and editing services, get in touch at aishwarya@boundindia.com.
Aishwarya Javalgekar is a writer, book editor and podcast producer. As the Head of Originals, she specializes in creating stellar content across formats - books, podcasts, newsletters, etc. She is a member of WICCI - Print Media and has previous experience in Zubaan Books and Simon and Schuster Canada.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishwaryajavalgekar/
Email: aishwarya@boundindia.com
Topmate: https://topmate.io/aishwaryajavalgekar

Brought to you by Bound, a company that helps you grow through stories.
Website: https://boundindia.com/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundindia/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/boundindia/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/boundindia

Produced by Aishwarya Jawalgekar
Edited by Kshitij Jadhav

Aishwarya speaks with Arcopol Chaudhuri, Executive Editor - Rights & New Media at HarperCollins India about the process of adapting books into audiobooks and why publishers want to retain audio rights. How much does HarperCollins earn from audiobooks? How does the author benefit if they retain audio rights, according to Arcopol? What do authors earn from film adaptation rights as compared to the book itself?

Watch Part 1 here: https://youtu.be/i1xn7-RDz4c

Arcopol Chaudhuri is a publishing professional, an avid reader, and an audiobook buff. At HarperCollins, India's fastest growing and the world's largest education-to-entertainment publisher, he is a part of the rights & licensing team that generates revenue via sales of Indian and foreign language rights, film & audio rights, across territories and formats. His area of specialization is audio & film rights licensing. He also steers audiobook publishing for their growing audiobooks catalog under Harper Audio. In over a decade in book publishing, he has previously commissioned books, edited them, worked closely with publicity teams on marketing campaigns, and created newsletters.

Do you want to work for Rupa or Notion Press and learn from the experts at HarperCollins and Penguin? Apply for The Bound Publishing Course, a comprehensive 3-month certified course where you will:
- Get a chance to interview with the best creative content companies.
- Immerse yourself in every area of publishing: from editing to design.
- Network with the top experts from the industry.
Early admission confirmations will be sent by June 30th. Apply now: https://www.boundindia.com/the-bound-publishing-course/


Aishwarya Javalgekar is a writer, book editor and podcast producer. As the Head of Originals she specializes in creating stellar content across formats - books, podcasts, newsletters, etc. She is a member of WICCI - Print Media and previous experience in  Zubaan Books and Simon and Schuster Canada.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishwaryajavalgekar/
Email: aishwarya@boundindia.com
Topmate: https://topmate.io/aishwaryajavalgekar

Brought to you by Bound, a company that helps you grow through stories.
Website: https://boundindia.com/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundindia/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/boundindia/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/boundindia


Produced by Aishwarya Jawalgekar
Edit by Kshitij Jadhav

Aishwarya speaks with Arcopol Chaudhuri, Executive Editor - Rights & New Media at HarperCollins India about the exponential growth of the audiobook market in the last 5 years, and other exciting developments in adaptation. How do rights and new media intersect? Why is HarperCollins investing in new media? How do publishers choose which books to adapt for audio and for screen?

Arcopol Chaudhuri is a publishing professional, an avid reader, and an audiobook buff. At HarperCollins, India's fastest growing and the world's largest education-to-entertainment publisher, he is a part of the rights & licensing team that generates revenue via sales of Indian and foreign language rights, film & audio rights, across territories and formats. His area of specialization is audio & film rights licensing. He also steers audiobook publishing for their growing audiobooks catalog under Harper Audio. In over a decade in book publishing, he has previously commissioned books, edited them, worked closely with publicity teams on marketing campaigns, and created newsletters.

Do you want to work for Rupa or Notion Press and learn from the experts at HarperCollins and Penguin? Apply for The Bound Publishing Course, a comprehensive 3-month certified course where you will:
- Get a chance to interview with the best creative content companies.
- Immerse yourself in every area of publishing: from editing to design.
- Network with the top experts from the industry.
Early admission confirmations will be sent by June 30th.
Apply now: https://www.boundindia.com/the-bound-publishing-course/ 

Aishwarya Javalgekar is a writer, book editor and podcast producer. As the Head of Originals she specializes in creating stellar content across formats - books, podcasts, newsletters, etc. She is a member of WICCI - Print Media and previous experience in  Zubaan Books and Simon and Schuster Canada.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishwaryajavalgekar/
Email: aishwarya@boundindia.com
Topmate: https://topmate.io/aishwaryajavalgekar

Brought to you by Bound, a company that helps you grow through stories.
Website: https://boundindia.com/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundindia/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/boundindia/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/boundindia

Produced by Aishwarya Jawalgekar
Edit by Kshitij Jadhav

Tiktok’s parent company, ByteDance, is launching a new publishing arm called 8th Note Press. What does this mean for people who were using TikTok to market their books? Is the new publishing arm going to focus on specific genres? And does this impact Indian authors and publishers in any way? Especially since Tiktok is banned in India? Is social media changing the way the publishing industry works?

In this week’s episode, Aishwarya decodes these pressing questions that surround the latest development in the world of books and publishing. 

Aishwarya Javalgekar is a writer, book editor and podcast producer. As the Head of Originals, she specializes in creating stellar content across formats - books, podcasts, newsletters, etc. She is a member of WICCI - Print Media and has previous experience in Zubaan Books and Simon and Schuster Canada. 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishwaryajavalgekar/

Email: aishwarya@boundindia.com

Topmate: https://topmate.io/aishwaryajavalgekar

Brought to you by Bound, a company that helps you grow through stories.

Website: https://boundindia.com/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundindia/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/boundindia/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/boundindia

Produced by Aishwarya Jawalgekar
Edit by Kshitij Jadhav

Aishwarya speaks with Amit Kumar, Senior Commissioning Editor at Taylor & Francis Books, India. 
What classifies as a bestseller in the academic world? Is academic publishing suffering because of textbook piracy? How do textbooks get commissioned? Why is academic publishing on shaky grounds, and where is it headed in the next five years? 
Listen in as Amit Kumar answers these questions and unravels the secrets of the academic publishing world’s future.


Amit Kumar has almost two decades of experience with five of the best publishing organizations in the country—Tata McGraw Hill Education, Pearson India, Oxford University Press, Orient Longman, SAGE Publications and is presently with Taylor & Francis Books (Routledge India Originals). He is well versed with the basics of publishing: editorial, marketing and sales.
Find him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/invertedimages



Aishwarya Javalgekar is a writer, book editor and podcast producer. As the Head of Originals she specializes in creating stellar content across formats - books, podcasts, newsletters, etc. She is a member of WICCI - Print Media and previous experience in  Zubaan Books and Simon and Schuster Canada. 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishwaryajavalgekar/ 
Email: aishwarya@boundindia.com
Topmate: https://topmate.io/aishwaryajavalgekar 

Brought to you by Bound, a company that helps you grow through stories.
Website: https://boundindia.com/ 
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundindia/ 
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/boundindia/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/boundindia

Produced by Aishwarya Jawalgekar
Edited by Kshitij Jadhav

What is the royalty percentage your publisher is offering? Who keeps the copyright of your book? Do you have any say in the title and cover design?


Aishwarya covers the most essential questions you need to ask your publisher before signing the contract for your book: right from questions about advances and subsidiary payments to marketing and publicity.


Aishwarya Javalgekar is a writer, book editor and podcast producer. As the Head of Originals, she specializes in creating stellar content across formats - books, podcasts, newsletters, etc. She is a member of WICCI - Print Media and has previous experience in Zubaan Books and Simon and Schuster Canada.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishwaryajavalgekar/
Email: aishwarya@boundindia.com
Topmate: https://topmate.io/aishwaryajavalgekar

Brought to you by Bound, a company that helps you grow through stories.
Website: https://boundindia.com/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundindia/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/boundindia/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/boundindia

Produced by Aishwarya Jawalgekar
Edited by Kshitij Jadhav

Aishwarya speaks with Leonard Fernandes, the founder of CinnamonTeal Publishing, the Publishing Next conference and The Dogears Bookshop. Over the years, Leonard has made a name for himself as he is constantly identifying and filling gaps in the publishing industry.

Why did he and his wife, Queenie, start their own publishing house, CinnamonTeal Design and Publishing? What is his take on the rivalry between Amazon and independent bookstores? And what does he see as the most important trends shaping the future of publishing?

Leonard Fernandes is an engineering graduate. After returning to India from the USA, he and his wife saw an opportunity to work in India’s publishing industry. Since then they have founded CinnamonTeal Publishing to ensure high-quality self-published books, started Publishing Next, a conference that gives publishing professionals a chance to meet and discuss key topics, and opened The Dogears Bookshop. Find Leonard on LinkedIn.

Produced by Aishwarya Jawalgekar
Edited by Kshitij Jadhav

What do you think authors earn when publishing their books? A few lakhs? Half a crore if things go really well? But what would you say, if it turns out you are way off the mark?

Aishwarya calculates how much authors can earn from their book, royalties and other income streams, and breaks down what that means given the time invested to write and publish a book.

Aishwarya Javalgekar is a writer, book editor and podcast producer. As the Head of Originals, she specializes in creating stellar content across formats - books, podcasts, newsletters, etc. She is a member of WICCI - Print Media and has a publishing certificate from Humber College and previous experience in Zubaan Books and Simon and Schuster Canada. Follow her on Linkedin, book a consultation call with her or drop her an email at aishwarya@boundindia.com. 

Bound is one of India’s leading storytelling companies that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Produced by Aishwarya Jawalgekar
Edited by Kshitij Jadhav