London Book Fair 2024

Is he the most influential person in the publishing world?

Nihar Malaviya with a colleague at London Book Fair. Pic: Danish Khan

The very first stall one sees entering the London Book Fair 2024 at Olympia is Penguin Random House. Incredibly busy and crowded. I spotted Nihar Malaviya, the chief executive officer at Penguin Random House, engrossed in his phone. Malaviya, who was born in Rajkot, came to the US with his parents when he was 13. He has been with Penguin for over 20 years, but it has been his elevation as the interim CEO in 2023 that brought him into the limelight. Now firmly in the saddle, Malaviya is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable name in the global publishing world. He is described as fab, clever, smart by his colleagues. He told me he visits India and was last there in August.   

Not far from PRH, was Simon & Schuster. In 2020, PRH made a bid to buy Simon & Schuster for just over $2 billion, which did not go through. A US judge blocked the deal and Markus Dohle, Malaviya's larger-than-life predecessor, resigned. Simon & Schuster was then acquired by a private equity firm, but PHR had to pay $200 million termination fee. 

Prof Milind Marathe and Yuvraj Malik. Pic: Danish Khan 

There were quite a few Indian publishers, but the most attractive stall was of National Book Trust (NBT). The NBT functions under the Ministry of Education, and publishes in several Indian languages. Prof Milind Marathe, Chairman, and Yuvraj Malik, Director were manning the stall along with other employees. The NBT is a remarkable institution for there are very few publishers who would publish (slim) volumes on people like Minoo Masani and Abbas Tyabji. The incredible richness of India in terms of culture and languages is best represented by organisations like NBT.

Michael Dwyer at LBF 2024. Pic: Danish Khan 

In the last few years Hurst has solidified its image as a publisher of a wide variety of books and boasts of an eclectic collection. Behind its success is Michael Dwyer, Managing Director, whose visiting card has India and UK phone numbers. Michael's partner is Rachel Dwyer, who knows everything that is needed to be known about Hindi cinema. Together they savour the best biryani London has to offer.

       

Amit Roy

Doing the rounds of the London Book Fair was Amit Roy, editor-at-large of Eastern Eye. Amit has been serving hot diary items for years and they never get stale. He has been/is associated with both, The Telegraph (UK) and Telegraph (Kolkata), along with several stints in UK and Indian national newspapers. For some reason he seems to be wary of penning a book despite repeated requests from friends and admirers. If you know Amit you know what you need to ask him when you meet him next!

Mihir Bose

Also peeping around the LBF 2024 was author, journalist and broadcaster Mihir Bose. Unlike Amit Roy, Mihir, it seems, is constantly thinking about writing a book or two. He is now topping up his list of over 50 published books with an autobiography set to come out later this year. Bose was the first sports editor at BBC and his writings have been published widely in the UK and international press. He is second to none in extolling the virtues of Shakespeare.