I next to bring out Leisure Time series of books

I next, the bilingual daily from Jagran Prakashan, has launched Khoob Kahi, a collection of satire published in the daily

I next, the bilingual daily from Jagran Prakashan, is bringing out a Leisure Time series of books. The first in the series, Khoob Kahi, has already been launched.

Khoob Kahi is a collection of Hindi satire published in I next, in a column by the same name. The book was released last week in Kanpur, at the Jagran Institute of Mass Communication.

I next to bring out Leisure Time series of books

Twenty thousand copies of Khoob Kahi have been brought out in the market, as part of the first edition. The hardcover book is priced at Rs 99. According to Alok Sanwal, project head, I next, the paperback edition, too, will be brought out soon, which will sell at a lower price. "Khoob Kahi has been one of the very popular columns in I next. The attempt to bring it out in book form is not only a branding exercise for us, but an additional revenue stream as well," he says.

The initiative is also part of the merchandising vertical I next ventured into, earlier this year.

Khoob Kahi will be available in bookshops in I next markets: Lucknow, Kanpur, Meerut, Agra, Varanasi, Allahabad, Dehradun, Patna and Ranchi. It will also be available through Wheeler's at railway stations.

Y M Gupta, chairman, Jagran Prakashan, says in an official release, "Khoob Kahi is one of the initiatives to generate interest in Hindi reading. Satire conveys everything in minimal words and interests all. People will surely appreciate the effort."

The second book in the series is a compilation of jokes, and will be out in the market in a couple of months. The jokes would be both in Hindi and English.

The third book is a compilation of Hindi short stories. I next will soon invite budding writers to submit their short stories for the book.

According to Sanwal, about 20 per cent of the stories in the book will be from young and budding writers. "The rest could be published/unpublished work -- with credits, wherever applicable -- from established and well-known Hindi writers," he adds.

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