New Delhi: Celebrity writer Vinod Kumar Shukla went public with a charge in 2022 rarely spoken aloud in the literary world — that his publishers betrayed him. In a video that went viral after actor-writer Manav Kaul posted it on Instagram, the Jnanpith awardee said: “Mujhe dhokha diya gaya hai.” The target of his anger was two of Hindi’s oldest names — Rajkamal Prakashan and Vani Prakashan — accused of hiding sales figures and denying Shukla the royalty he was owed.
Three years on, the story has taken a turn. Shukla recently received a cheque of Rs 30 lakh in Raipur — not from his former publishers, but from Hind Yugm, a decade-old publishing house that thrives on social media buzz and digital marketing. The amount, Hind Yugm claims, is just six months of royalty for Shukla’s novel Deewar Mein Ek Khidki Rahti Thi, which has sold more than 86,000 copies in that period.
Deewar Mein Ek Khidki Rehti Thi follows Raghuvar Prasad and his wife, Sonsi, exploring the quiet rhythms of their everyday life with lyrical, symbolic prose. Its blend of simplicity, subtle humour, and reflection on love and routine has resonated with modern readers, amplified by social media and renewed attention after Shukla received the Jnanpith Award.
For the 88-year-old author, who lives in Raipur with his son, it was an unusual moment — both vindication and a reminder of how Hindi publishing is changing. “My books were read before, and they are still read now. The difference is that now this readership is visible,” he told the audience at Ghumantu Sahitya Utsav, a literary event held in Raipur on 20 September 2025.
The payout has set off a stir among Hindi writers, many of whom continue to allege that publishers keep sales data opaque, leaving authors with little idea of how much their books are actually read — and how much the authors are owed.
While many writers are celebrating the royalties received by Vinod Kumar Shukla, it has also created some tension in the Hindi literary community. Shukla’s novel was published 30 years ago, but it suddenly became popular in the market, and thousands of copies are being sold in a month. A big question is how a publisher like Hind Yugm, with a handful of writers, could achieve what big names such as Rajkamal Prakashan have struggled to do for decades? The answers point less to a sudden surge of readers and more to how digital marketing, aggressive promotion, and transparent contracts are reshaping Hindi publishing.
For writers long disillusioned with opaque royalty statements, Shukla’s Rs 30 lakh has become both a beacon and a provocation — proof that Hindi books can sell, but also a reminder of how little the old guard has done to make it happen.
“When this book came to us, with only minimal marketing efforts, it remained in the top 30 on Amazon’s rankings until December 2024. After the announcement of Vinod Kumar Shukla receiving the Jnanpith Award, its sales saw a tremendous surge. Since then, it has consistently remained number one on the bestseller list,” said Shailesh Bharatwasi, founder of Hind Yugm publishing house.
The success of the book is proof of changing trends.
“I want to emphasise that it is only because of readers across India that I stand here today. And it is through Hind Yugm that I have been able to reach this milestone. For the first time, I felt that my books were reaching readers through a publisher filled with sincerity and integrity,” Shukla told ThePrint.
The case of royalties
Ghumantu Sahitya Utsav has been held annually for the last four years — earlier in Barmer, Bhopal, and Banaras. This year, the publishing house chose Raipur as the venue and used the occasion to highlight the success of Vinod Kumar Shukla.
“I had shared a few months ago in a talk that Shukla ji would receive Rs 30–50 lakh in royalties this year. But the book sold so quickly that he reached this figure by September itself,” said Bharatwasi. “At the time, many people did not believe me. So we decided to make this public — to show that it is possible, and absolutely true.”
For years, publishers rarely shared accurate sales data with their writers. Even Hind Yugm, until 2021, admits it would only give surface-level numbers. But with new software, the company says it now offers authors detailed breakdowns of their book sales.
“We tell writers exactly when their book was sold, to which supplier, and how many copies were sold,” said Bharatwasi. “In the coming days, we’ll also launch a dedicated portal for our authors so they can directly access all their sales information.”
Other publishers, too, acknowledge that readers are buying more books today, and sales have been strong.
“This is not the first such instance in Hindi publishing,” said Alind Maheshwari, founder of Unbound Script. “Earlier too, some books sold in hundreds and thousands within a month. Many first editions were 2,00,000 copies strong — at a time when promotional tools were nowhere near as fast as they are today.”
He added that most Hindi books sold in big numbers gradually, building momentum over time. “Deewar Mein Ek Khidki Rahti Thi is certainly among the fastest-selling books of the last two or three decades. Digital platforms have only accelerated this trend, and our own experience with books has been similar.”
It’s not just the writer and publisher driving sales. The internet has completely changed how books travel to readers. Now, multiple platforms are involved, according to Bharatwasi.
He added that the real shift has been the creation of a new pool of readers. “In the past decade, we’ve built an army of new readers. Back in 2014-2015, people started reading authors like Divya Prakash Dubey and Satya Vyas. Now those same readers have picked up Vinod Kumar Shukla. Nobody can measure exactly which marketing strategy worked — but to me, this growing pool of readers is the biggest reason classics are finding a fresh audience.”
This doesn’t mean newer writers are being ignored. “In fact, both the number of readers and the variety of content in Hindi have grown in the last decade,” he said.
While Maheshwari cautioned against focusing only on sales numbers—as it shifts the attention away from the creativity and depth of a book—he finds the success stories undeniable.
“One of our publications, Professor Ki Diary, sold more than 20,000 copies within 10 days of pre-order and has now crossed 50,000. This year, RJ Kartik’s Kar Dikhao Kuch Aisa sold over 12,000 copies. Another title, Rashtranirman Mein Adivasi, went through three editions in a single month and sold more than 12,000 copies. These are debut works by their respective authors. But beyond such outliers, most books still see average sales in the 2,000–5,000 range,” he said.
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New ways of Hindi literary world
Hind Yugm currently has fewer authors and books than other major publishers. Last year, they sold a total of 3,75,000 copies. Of these, 80 per cent of the books were by just four or five authors. Ashok Pande’s Lapoojhanna, with over 10,000 copies, and Jaun Elia’s Shayad, with over 33,000 copies, have received widespread readership. Not just Vinod Kumar Shukla, the publisher has paid Rs 20-25 lakh in royalties to authors such as Nilotpal Mrinal, Divya Prakash Dubey, and Manav Kaul.
“I estimate that during the book fair season from December to March, Shukla’s book can sell over 2,00,000 copies. This could potentially bring Shukla’s royalties to Rs 60–70 lakh. The Amazon landing page for Deewar Mein Ek Khidki Rahti Thi has been viewed over 1 million times from 1 January to 23 September 2025, of which more than 7,00,000 were unique visitors,” said Bharatwasi.
“Vinod Kumar Shukla’s other books, especially his poetry collections, do not sell as much. Even so, around 5,000–6,000 copies are published annually,” he added.
A few other writers argue that publishers often prioritise established names, leaving new or lesser-known authors to struggle. Shailesh Bharatwasi, however, insists this is not unique to publishing but a pattern across all industries.
“I will be happy the day a new or lesser-known writer also gets an advance for their first book and receives their royalty honestly by April–May. Publishers keep trying to please the established ones anyway,” writer Ashok Kumar Pandey noted in a Facebook post.
Bharatwasi called such reactions unfortunate.
“Responses like these reflect a reluctance to celebrate another writer’s success. If a producer spends heavily on promoting Shah Rukh Khan, it isn’t out of bias—it’s because the investment makes business sense. The same logic applies here. This is the norm everywhere,” he said.
Recently, Delhi-based publisher Rajkamal Prakashan shared in a social media post that it has sold more than 16,000 copies of Kasapa, by Manohar Shyam Joshi. This indicates that the new readers are moving to classic writers after reading the new writers.
“A few months ago, Divya Prakash Dubey shared a reel recommending this novel. He said, ‘You must send this book to your girlfriend or boyfriend.’ I’m not suggesting that’s the only reason for its popularity, but it shows a pattern: after reading contemporary writers, readers are seeking out classics. It’s like eating — after a good meal, you feel satisfied, but after reading something engaging, you want more. This curiosity eventually benefits other publishers, as readers start exploring classic writers and their works,” said Bharatwasi.
However, not all writers are satisfied. They haven’t been paid what they are owed.
“My 70 books have been published with very big publishers, but I haven’t even received ₹70,000 in royalties. They just say the books were returned. Even when they call me a bestseller and release a second edition in 28 days, the writer doesn’t get paid,” said Mamta Kalia, author of Dukkham Sukkham (Vyas Samman, 2017), Beghar and Janch Abhi Jaari Hai. She has won the most Vyas Samman (2017) for her novel Dukkham Sukkham and also been honoured with the Sahitya Bhushan Samman (2016) by the Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan, among others.
She highlighted the persistent gap in transparency and payment practices across the Hindi publishing industry.
“My books are part of the curriculum in more than 15 universities, and still, I don’t receive the money. I am not satisfied with the current situation regarding royalties. What Hind Yugm has done is a strong message to other publishers. But we will have to see if they can maintain this level of transparency and fairness for other writers as well.”
(Edited by Ratan Priya)