Tag: Penguin Random House India

  • Kuku FM and Penguin India launch 15 exclusive Hindi audiobooks

    Kuku FM and Penguin India launch 15 exclusive Hindi audiobooks

    MUMBAI: Kuku FM has joined hands with publishing giant Penguin Random House India (PRHI) to launch 15 exclusive Hindi audiobooks adapted from Penguin’s bestselling titles.

    This partnership not only expands both brands’ storytelling universe but also caters to India’s booming demand for regional audio content. With digital audio consumption skyrocketing, the collaboration brings a treasure trove of literary works to life in a more immersive and accessible format.

    The curated collection includes works by some of India’s most celebrated voices Gaur Gopal Das, Devdutt Pattanaik, Harish Bhat, Indra Nooyi, Raghuram Rajan, Ankur Warikoo, and Neena Gupta, among others. These audiobooks, produced and adapted by Kuku FM, promise high-quality narration, cultural resonance, and a deeply engaging listener experience.

    “Our customers have higher expectations from us every day, and at Kuku FM, we love rising to that challenge. They know what they want and need plenty of choices. We aim to bring the best books to them in their language and give them a unique yet engaging listening experience,” said Kuku FM CEO & co-founder  Lal Chand Bisu.

    “We are excited to partner with an iconic publisher like Penguin to not only expand our library but also ensure that we’re opening up a whole new world of entertainment and knowledge for every Indian in more accessible formats.”

    Titles will be available on the Kuku FM Android app from April 2025, priced from Rs 175 making bestselling reads more affordable than ever in audio format.

    PRH India vice president  & product Vijesh Kumar added, “At Penguin, we are committed to making books more accessible and inclusive, ensuring they reach readers in the formats they love. Our exclusive partnership with Kuku FM marks an exciting milestone as we bring some of our most celebrated titles to Hindi audiobooks for the first time. With storytelling evolving beyond the page, audiobooks offer a dynamic and immersive way to experience books welcoming both avid readers and new audiences alike.”

    The collaboration aligns perfectly with the projected growth of India’s OTT audio market expected to hit $1.8 billion by 2025 with over 100 million users.

    “The collaboration is a critical extension of Kuku FM’s highly curated portfolio of stories and we are excited to expand this universe further with PRH India who are known to have some of the most storied authors and books in their library,” said Kuku FM head of content acquisition Prerna Vohra.

    PRH India manager & audio Vidhi Nangia added, “Audiobooks are seeing tremendous growth globally, and India is no exception, with the market expected to grow over 30 per cent annually. Recognising this shift in how audiences engage with literature, Penguin is thrilled to partner with Kuku FM to introduce 15 Hindi audiobooks by beloved authors such as Bhat, Warikoo, and Nooyi. Kuku FM’s commitment to exceptional curation and production ensures that our cherished works are presented with the utmost quality. This collaboration marks the beginning of a promising journey to make our stories accessible to an even broader audience.”

    The exclusive collection of Hindi audiobooks includes Tata Stories by Bhat, Bravehearts of Bharat by Vikram Sampath, and My Life in Full by Nooyi. Listeners can also enjoy Jeevan ke Adbhut Rahasya and Energise Your Mind by Das, along with India’s Most Fearless 1 and India’s Most Fearless 2 by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh. The line-up features Mythakon se Vigyan Tak by Gauhar Raza, Jaya and The Book of Ram by Pattanaik, and Breaking the Mould by Rajan and Rohit Lamba. Also included are Make Epic Money and Build an Epic Career by Warikoo, Sach Kahun Toh by Gupta, and Manoj Bajpayee by Piyush Pandey.

  • Penguin Random House India partners with Wattpad

    Penguin Random House India partners with Wattpad

    MUMBAI: Penguin Random House India announced a new collaboration with Wattpad, the world’s largest social storytelling platform. In this partnership, authors of the publishing house will be featured on the storytelling platform, interacting with a global community of 70 million readers and writers.

    Wattpad’s massive community of story-lovers will now have the opportunity to preview exclusive content from Penguin authors about their upcoming books. The publishing house will also bring their authors and editors for ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA) sessions on Wattpad, where they will interact and answer questions posed by Wattpad followers.

    Commenting on the association, Penguin Random House India spokesperson said, “This is a symbiotic relationship where we join forces to inspire, inform and entertain. Wattpad is an excellent platform for our authors and editors to connect with a large and relevant audience base. We are looking forward to engaging with readers and writers; sharing exciting content and helping people discover new books.”

    Wattpad India country manager Devashish Sharma said, “All over the world, writers have built a massive community of followers on Wattpad. We are working every day to create opportunities for Indian writers, so it’s amazing to see prestigious names like star fantasy fiction writer Krishna Udayasankar, bestselling authors Durjoy Datta and Sudeep Nagarkar and debut writer Roshan Ali joining the Wattpad community.”

    Times Bridge senior VP operations Viral Jani added, “We are happy to see Wattpad welcoming writers from one of the world’s biggest publishing houses. By joining Wattpad, Penguin’s roster of literary trailblazers will be able to inspire and encourage published authors, budding writers and enthusiastic readers to interact and create a more vibrant literary community. Penguin’s enviable list of authors and content and Wattpad’s worldwide audience of literary enthusiasts makes for a perfect match. We are confident this will be a success and aim to bring more unique collaborations on the table for Wattpad this year.”

  • Romedy Now launches #LoveIsInTheStories with penguin random house india

    Romedy Now launches #LoveIsInTheStories with penguin random house india

    MUMBAI: Romedy Now, India’s favourite English Entertainment Channel launches #LoveIsInTheStories in partnership with Penguin Random House India (PRHI). The digital series celebrates this season of love, by connecting the world of books and movies, through the unifying theme of storytelling. Starting 9th February, this month-long Valentine’s special property will bring together the country’s four bestselling romance authors – Ravinder Singh, Durjoy Datta, Sudeep Nagarkar and Novoneel Chakraborty to narrate stories of love, in this one-of-a-kind initiative.

    While their written word has been read, and loved by millions, for the first time ever, they can be seen and heard, bringing their inimitable styles to narrate stories for their fans. Hosted on the Facebook Page of Romedy Now, each author will narrate a story on why we should first love ourselves, their favourite movie from V – Day line up on Romedy Now, a quick synopsis of their latest book and a very special session on their own love story.

    Commenting on the initiative, Vivek Srivastava, EVP and Head – Entertainment Cluster, Times Network, said, “Romedy Now has always narrated the ‘Love. Laugh. Live’ stories by bringing the best of rom-coms to our viewers. We are extremely delighted to partner with Penguin Random House India (PRHI) for #LoveIsInTheStories, a unique celebration of movie and books. I hope this one of a kind initiative will bring forth the essence of storytelling instrumented through the most sought after romance novelists in the country.”

    As a part of the series, Romedy Now will host a special Valentine’s Day contest on channel’s social media handles encouraging fans to share their ‘#LoveYourself’ stories. Each author will pick their most favourite story from among the entries and the selected can win an incomparable experience of spending quality time with the author.

  • Bloomberg|Quint partners with Penguin Random House India to delve into India’s unique business history

    Bloomberg|Quint partners with Penguin Random House India to delve into India’s unique business history

    MUMBAI: India’s premier business and financial news brand Bloomberg|Quint in partnership with Penguin Random House India is taking its coverage of India’s business ecosystem back to the beginning with an exclusive six-part show titled ‘Tales of Trade’, edited by management guru Gurcharan Das. Based on a book series by leading academicians and scholars, ‘Tales of Trade’ will have the authors delve into some of the most fascinating stories in the history of Indian business with an episode every week, starting February 24 with Bibek Debroy. Through the series, Bloomberg|Quint will introduce its audience to the startling and delightful ways in which these historical events are relevant to modern-day institutions and has an impact on the practice of doing business in the country today.

    The ‘Indian way of doing business’ – with all its infinite cultural, regional, and linguistic variations – is the product of a rich legacy full of adventure, risk, and romance, tempered by Indian principles and values. The series’ 6 episodes will use provide an immersive, in-depth snapshot of India’s business history with an engaging narrative. The episodes will cover the Indian Railways, the East India Company, Managing Agencies, Mumbai’s 19th century merchants, the Marwari community, and the interplay of dharma and business in medieval India. Gurcharan Das will be joined by Bibek Debroy, Tirthankar Roy, Omkar Goswami, Lakshmi Subramanian, Thomas Timberg, and Donald Davis in his explorations of the rich and complex tapestry of India’s economic history.

    Commenting on the show, Gurcharan Das said, “Tales of Trade is a six-part documentary series based on Penguin’s ‘Story of Indian Business’ conceived, edited and curated at my end. It is an exciting tale of adventures in the bazaar and the romance on the high seas beginning from ancient times of trade with the Roman world to today’s most successful business communities. The series takes you on exciting journey through conversations with scholars who reveal forgotten fables and rediscovered texts. With a 5000 mile coastline, the tales cover ancient Tamils who carried Indian culture to greater Asia; the caravans of 20,000 camels on the Silk Route who crossed the Hindu Kush mountains to trade with Central Asia and Russia; of risk taking Marwaris who spread across India in the 19th century with the coming of the railways; of the trail blazing merchants who shaped modern Mumbai; of Gujarati merchants from Kachch who traded along the golden triangle of Mandavi, Muscat, and Zanzibar;  and of course, the story of the world’s first and most powerful corporation the East India Company.”

    Talking about the partnership, Preeti Chaturvedi, AVP- Marketing and Publicity, Penguin Random House India, said “We are constantly looking for ways to make our books more discoverable and accessible to a wider readership. Tales of Trade is a series we are really proud of and we are confident that the partnership with BloombergQuint will help a relevant audience engage with the stories in an exciting format.”

    Bloomberg|Quint reaches more than 2 million monthly users across its on-site and partner platforms. More than 50% of Bloomberg|Quint’s audience comprises of C-level executives and entrepreneurs. During Budget 2017, Bloomberg|Quint delivered over 50 million in reach, including 15 million video views and more than 25k shares on social media, ahead of several legacy players in the space. (Source: Google Analytics, Partner & Social Analytics). It was also recently rated as the most viewed business news brand on Facebook amongst new-age publishers. (Source: Vidooly, Facebook Video Report) and has been voted ‘Business Website Of The Year’ (Digipub Awards 2017)

  • Applause Entertainment to produce series on 2016 surgical strikes

    Applause Entertainment to produce series on 2016 surgical strikes

    MUMBAI: Applause Entertainment is making all the right moves.

    The Kumar Mangalam Birla-led outfit is all set to produce its first series based on the cross-border surgical strikes conducted by the Indian army in 2016, according to a media report.

    The 10-part drama series, which is being produced by Irada Entertainment for Applause Entertainment, is being planned for a 2018 launch.

    The company has acquired the rights of the first chapter of Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh’s book ‘India’s Most Fearless’ published by Penguin Random House India. Samar Khan, who has several movies to his credit, will direct the series.

    The book covers fourteen true stories of extraordinary courage and fearlessness, providing a glimpse into the kind of heroism our soldiers display in unthinkably hostile conditions and under grave provocation. The first chapter deals with the September 2016 surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC).

    Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair is keen to produce content that’s not just great storytelling but also deeply rooted in history and reality.

    “We are most excited to be telling this story. A 10-part drama series will bring to life India’s most audacious military action in recent times, taking the battle deep into the enemy camp. I believe that the stories about homeland security and unsung heroes help make us appreciate their sacrifices and sensitize us as an audience to the enemy within and outside. We are looking forward to working with the authors of the book, and Samar Khan who is leading this Project for us,” Nair was quoted as saying.

    Also read:

    Kumar Mangalam Birla charges into content creation, hires  TV vet Sameer Nair

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