New Delhi, June 2025 – According to Nielsen’s latest industry report, the adult fiction category emerged as the fastest-growing segment in India’s trade publishing market in the past year. Penguin Random House India’s adult fiction has seen a consistent rise in value—from 20% in 2022 to 27% in 2024—demonstrating a strong and growing appetite for fiction. Popular sub-genres within Indian fiction, such as thrillers, romance, and mythology, are seeing a distinct uptick in value, reflecting both cultural resonance and increasing reader enthusiasm.
Recognising this momentum, Penguin has crafted a compelling campaign that brings together its most addictive voices in Indian popular fiction. #FictionAddictionDhamaka, is a multi-pronged, six-month celebration of India’s most exciting voices in popular fiction. From heart-thumping thrillers and divine mythology to sweeping romances, this campaign puts the spotlight on the books and authors that have shaped, and are redefining, the pulse of modern Indian storytelling. The campaign is a celebration of the diversity and dynamism of Indian storytelling, rooted in the belief that homegrown stories can be as thrilling, moving, and unputdownable as their global counterparts.
Commenting on the strategy, Manoj Satti, SVP – Sales, Product, and Marketing Sales, Penguin Random House India, says, ‘#FictionAddictionDhamaka spotlights the stories and voices that readers are truly connecting with in present times. Our goal with this campaign is twofold: to deepen engagement with loyal readers and to bring in new audiences who may not yet see Indian popular fiction as their first choice. By driving discoverability, building cultural relevance, and establishing fiction as a key driver of growth, Penguin aims to create sustained impact, both in terms of topline revenue and building a stronger readership. We’re not just amplifying what’s popular, we are investing in what’s next.’
Running from June to December 2025, this initiative segments India’s most commercially successful and culturally resonant fiction into three clusters:
- Love, Lies, Laash: Thrillers that blend psychological suspense with gripping Indian narratives.
- India’s Mythoverse: Contemporary retellings and bold interpretations of India’s rich mythological heritage.
- Desi Romance: Stories of love, connection, self-discovery, and relationships set in today’s India
*The complete information about these themes can be found in the annexure.
Bestselling author Durjoy Datta says ‘When I wrote my first book eighteen years ago, I never imagined how deeply readers would connect with stories about love, drama, heartbreak, and hope. What’s changed over the years in India isn’t just the writing, it’s the readers. They have grown with us, asking for stories that are more honest, more real; stories that don’t have to be perfect, but ones that reflect their world and, at the same time, take them somewhere unexpected. There has been this incredible cultural shift where homegrown fiction isn’t just read, it’s celebrated. And that’s exactly what Fiction Addiction Dhamaka is all about: celebrating stories we can truly call our own. I am excited to see where this journey takes us next.’ A household name for millions of young Indian readers, Durjoy Datta has played a defining role in shaping the popular romance genre in India. For many, the love for reading began with the love for his stories, making him one of the most influential voices in contemporary Indian fiction.
Nona Uppal, one of India’s most exciting new voices in contemporary romance, says, ‘Desi Romance was an uncharted category a few years back—the pickings were great, but slim. As a young girl experiencing love so culturally rooted in Indian eccentricities, it was alienating to read romances where nothing fit: not the name, not the face, not the struggles. Now, at 26, getting to write romance for Indians—born out of my experiences with love and heartbreak in India—is not only a passion project. It’s also making possible what I desperately craved as a teenager (and still do). As long as I can fill that gap for one person, my work is done well.’
Her debut novel Fool Me Twice became a national bestseller in 2024, marking the arrival of a fresh, bold perspective that’s already resonating with a new generation of readers.
The strategy is rooted in a multi-channel, high-impact business growth approach that includes retail activation through independent and chain bookstores, targeted performance marketing, experiential events, influencer engagement, strategic brand partnerships, curated merchandise, and full-scale digital and media outreach.
At a time when storytelling is increasingly localised, visual, and immersive.
About Penguin Random House India
Penguin Random House India publishes over 250 new titles every year and has an active backlist of over 3000 titles. With a strong fiction and non-fiction list, it publishes across every segment including biography, travel, business, politics, history, religion and philosophy, lifestyle, cookery, health and fitness, sports and leisure, visual books, and children’s books. The children’s titles are published under the Puffin imprint.
Penguin Random House India’s illustrious list includes Booker Prize-winning novels and winners of virtually every major literary prize, including the Nobel Prize, the Magsaysay Award, the Jnanpith Award, the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. Several of PRHI’s authors are also recipients of the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, India’s highest civilian honours.
Penguin Random House India is also the exclusive distribution partner for several leading local and international publishing houses in India and the sub-continent.
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