Casting Couch in Publishing?

Powerful (or overworked) editors; starving (or glamorous) authors; a dying (or booming) industry — publishing can look mystifying from the outside. We put your questions to Ravi Singh, Publisher at Penguin Books, India

Two writers: One a brilliant writer, the other crappy, but with a much greater understanding of what today’s audience wants. Who would you publish?
Publish the brilliant writer, because that’s better long-term strategy. Then go find a writer who isn’t stupid enough to believe one must write badly to be popular.

Is there a casting couch in the publishing industry?
No. (Boggles the mind.) There’s little fame and even less money in books, at least in India, so not worth the trouble for anyone.

How many copies sold make a book a bestseller? 
Used to be 5000 copies till about 10 years ago. Now, at least 15,000 in hardcover. Some books have sold a million copies, we hear, but there’s still no reliable data from the retail, so only the author and publisher will know.

What’s the hit rate for a typical publisher?
I’d say 20 percent would be the maximum for any publisher.

Full interview here Forbes India