Bibliofile

Not satisfied with having bought over IndiaInk, Roli's Pramod Kapoor is now eyeing other small publishers. Could one-man publishing house Ravi Dayal be next? Says Kapoor: "He hasn't approached me but I'd love to buy a list like his." Considering the price Kapoor paid for Saith's list, Dayal can probably ask for the moon for his stable of writers that includes Amitav Ghosh, Anita Desai and Khushwant Singh.

Kapoor may be cutting deals worth crores, but authors know him as a hard bargainer. Even the seasoned Khushwant Singh was persuaded into signing a book deal with Roli recently for far below his market price. According to an insider, the only author who seemed to have got the better of him was former BBC man, Satish Jacob. He reportedly signed up his Iraq reportage, From Hotel Palestine with Roli for Rs 1 lakh. It's a feat unlikely to be repeated: the book apparently sold just 1,300 copies.