2020! Annus Horribilis! A year that took away so much—the way we have lived thus far, our loved ones in the case of many, our freedom, livelihoods, businesses. A year when set targets didn’t matter; if you survived, you did well! As I do my annual ritual and look back to the publishing year that 2020 was, I am just grateful that Readomania survived the maelstrom that nipped many a small business. We were struck badly but we are still standing. And for that we deserve a pat on our backs.
The year started on a high. In January, Readomania had a wonderful time at the World Book Fair in New Delhi. The response was tremendous and gave us a huge boost. We had great sales and good visibility. For a small and independent publisher like us, this is as exciting as it can get.
Our first print release of the year was Atima Mankotia’s Better Than Sex. This quirky tale asks a potential question: Can some feelings be better than sex? The answer was a revelation for new bride, Meenu. In the hustle-bustle of the vidai ceremony, her mother Kamlesh forgot her signature parting shot for anyone who left the house. By the time both mother and daughter remembered, it was too late. What transpires in the bus journey that makes Meenu discover that there is a satisfaction better than sex?
Next was another high for us, bestselling author Sutapa Basu raised the Readomania mast high by winning the Times of India – JK Paper AutHer 2020 award for Best Fiction for The Curse of Nader Shah.
Lockdown happened in March when four of our fiction titles were ready to hit the press. The launch dates had been fixed and we were all set. As the nation came to a standstill, so did the publishing industry. Brick and mortar stores were closed and Amazon wasn’t delivering non-essentials. People were stuck at home and needed to read. We then decided that e-books were the way forward.
We decided to use the time to the best of our abilities. We started the first online festival, way back in March itself—The Readomania Stay at Home Festival, from March 20 to April 1. It was a resounding success and the videos garnered around 75K+ cumulative views.
We then started working and releasing ebooks. We initiated the Readomania Book series under which we released several anthologies, namely the Readomania Books of Horror, Erotica, Mythology, Historical Fiction, Romance, Crime, and Folk Tales. These genre-specific, rich anthologies with stories contributed by several talented authors were an instant hit with the readers.
Mira Saraf’s The Boundaries of Sanity was released under the Readomania Shots imprint. Five distinct imperfect people battle with the monsters within their minds—anxiety, alcoholism, and guilt, among others. Can they win against their own demons? Or will they succumb?
We decided to release three of our print books, in ebook format—Blasphemy by Osman Haneef, A Killer Among Us by Ushasi Sen Basu and It Happens by Bhaswar Mukherjee. Two of these, Blasphemy and A Killer Among Us, were also picked up by Audible and converted into audiobooks.
What is the vision that the word ‘Kashmir’ first brings to your mind? Paradise on earth? Childhood holidays? Political unrest and terrorism? There’s more to Kashmir than its present reality―its rich, not-so-distant past. Kashmir was a cauldron of modernity, philosophy, spirituality, rich culture, and progressiveness. Avanti Sopori’s The Kashmir That Was is a collection of those flashback moments. These stories of a golden state and its simple people are bound to bring smiles and joyous nostalgia.
Deepti Menon came up with a collection of tales with twisted ending, Where Shadows Follow. How would you feel if you meandered into a tale and suddenly found it leading you up a twisted path of intrigue and evil? The stories in this anthology did just that. They keep you wondering where they are leading you till the shadows catch up with you.
May started with Anupama Jain’s Masala Mix, a lighted-hearted potpourri of tales that made for good reading during the worst days of lockdown. The book has 15 tales that are stories of you and me, just a slice of the everyday life that bring out love in all forms.
Mona Verma was one of our busiest authors this year. She had two e-book releases and was also part of multiple anthologies. We acquire things, treasure them and as time passes, we just start ignoring them. But have you ever wondered when do we actually become these things? You v/s Yours—Tales of Biases & Compromises brings you three stories about tightly held prejudices and human fluidity.
She gave us all a reason to chuckle at the end of the year with Laughter Lines—the stories of three lives, three situations, and loads to laugh about. Mona is also working on a very interesting ‘mythology’ book, to be announced in 2021.
Anurag Anand’s Once Upon a Lockdown is a collection of three not-so-short stories, connected by the thread of the unexpected pandemic-induced lockdown. The realistic characters and their very real problems are artfully woven in a manner that promises to keep its readers on tenterhooks till the very end.
The ever-prolific Sutapa Basu has been working through the year on her next book in the ‘Princess’ series after Padmavati. The announcement will be made in January 2021. Meanwhile, she also put together two brilliant short story collections, that we published as ebooks.
Has it ever happened to you that just when you have tied up all the loose ends in a story, you are hit by a thunderbolt out of the blue? And the story just twists on its head? Out of the Blue is a collection of seven stories that do exactly that. Set in the urban landscape, the tales meander through common dilemmas that city dwellers combat every day. As each story pans out, there comes a moment when readers believe that they have it all wrapped up. It is then that a twister hits them with the impact of a lightning strike. It is this distinctive feature that unifies these seven renditions.
Basu’s The Anatomy Of Affection is a collection of seven stories that deal with myriad emotions emanating from affection. The protagonists of the stories come from different social segments, age group, gender, and experience, but are unified in their response to the play of affection in their lives.
We also had Nithya Rajagopal writing the perfect tea time read. Over a Samosa! is a collection of ten very short stories, each of which you can read as an accompaniment to your tea-time snacks.
During the pandemic, most families faced issues dealing with their children who were stuck at home and coming to terms with the new normal. Readomania came out with a book that would ease parenting woes till the vaccine comes. Better Parenting—For the Children of Tomorrow is a book by parents for parents. Nine authors discuss real parenting issues, especially during the time of Corona, and offer doable and practical suggestions. You will be surprised at how smooth your journey as a parent becomes once you emulate these.
Our youngest author, teenager Keshav Mohta’s futuristic tale Amigos in Space was released. Living on Mars and traveling to Saturn for lunch? Or holidaying on one of Jupiter’s moons? This potential reality is being played out in the year 2065, where interplanetary travel and habitation is the next step. Best friends, Akaash, Akshay, Arun, and Arnav—the Four Aces—are excited about space travel and becoming the first settlers on far-flung planets. The future is an interesting mix of meteorite space crafts and domed cities on Mars and Saturn.
In our endeavour to make classics popular again, we started work on a set of classics. We launched a three-book collection on Rabindranath Tagore’s short stories. Each and every story in this collection rings of classic Tagore. If you want to delve into the kaleidoscopic universe of India’s greatest writer, poet, and thinker, Selected Short Stories - Books 1, Book 2, and Book 3, is the best place to begin.
This was followed by a collection of Panchatantra Tales by Deepti Menon. She brought out 15 good stories from Panchatantra and created some wonderful illustrations. Deepti is also working on another ‘Classics’ project, to be announced in 2021.
We launched our new e-imprint for longer short stories and novellas, Readomania Singles. What can be more pleasurable than finishing a story! We all lead busy lives and sometimes completing a book becomes a challenge. No worries! Presenting Readomania Singles—where you can savour novellas that are short enough to finish in one sitting. Explore multiple authors, varied genres, exciting and thought-provoking plots—perfect to read in your break time or relish between two full novels.
The first book under this imprint was Hari Ram Narayanan’s Agent Sinha. This edge of the seat psychological thriller creates a virtual universe and inspires you to think beyond the tragedies of life. The suspense will surely keep you on your toes!
This was followed by the Mo-Mystery series by Ushasi Sen Basu. Mo, short for Mohini, is highly intelligent, hyper-observant. but without the swollen head and patronising manner of many of the detectives in literature. Mo is not a professional detective. Her natural abilities attract people with problems to her like flies. She falls into one case after the other without ever seeking them out.
The Mo-series has seen two releases this year—When Push Comes to Shove and The Cursed Stone. Many more are expected in 2021.
Things started to look up from October onwards when the distribution channels stabilized considerably and we finally started printing.
Master short storyteller Bhaswar Mukherjee’s It Happens―Stories of Human Relationships is a collection about people and their interactions that define the world we live in, either themselves or in the manner they influence us. These stories will make you live the characters and experience their relationships.
Ushasi Sen Basu’s A Killer Among Us stripped away the polite veneer of neighbourliness when a dead body is found in the elevator of an apartment complex. A whole world of secrets and lies is laid bare when suspicion falls on every resident.
Osman Haneef’s Blasphemy-The Trial of Danesh Masih is a hard-hitting commentary on Pakistan’s diabolical blasphemy law. A Christian boy in Pakistan is accused of blasphemy. Haunted by a tragic past, a young lawyer named Sikander Ghaznavi returns to Pakistan after many years abroad and takes on the defence of the boy. He reaches out to the sharpest human rights lawyer he knows―the woman he has loved for years, but now another man’s wife. As they deal with their unresolved feelings, the lawyers confront a corrupt system, a town turned against them, and a prophecy that predicts their death. Will they save the boy?
We also launched Reado Junior, our imprint for children’s and young adult books. We have some exciting titles coming up to keep our young readers completely hooked.
Whoa! That was quite a lot of work for a pandemic year, don’t you think? I am so proud that Readomania kept churning worthy titles in all genres and catering to hungry readers and making them happy in a year when a smile was hard to come by.
Hope is a powerful thing. It makes us do impossible things and carry on in difficult times. Hope can come in different forms, even as a good book. And that is our pledge going forward, we shall keep telling great stories and bring hope and happiness to all.
I on behalf of Team Readomania wish everyone a healthy and hopeful year ahead. May good literature continue to make us introspect and make the world a better place!
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