‘What is in life cannot be ignored in books’: Duckbill editor Sayoni Basu on publishing for children

For publisher Sayoni Basu, her young readers always come first. She has published for children for more than 20 years, shaping new generations into curious, intelligent readers. She made her way from Oxford University Press and Penguin India to children’s imprint Puffin. She was also the publishing director at Scholastic India (2005–11) and Amar Chitra Katha (2011–12).

However, 2012 saw Basu take a giant leap of faith. Along with children’s author Anushka Ravishankar, she started Duckbill, an independent publisher of books for children and young adults. Eight years after its inception, Duckbill became an imprint of Penguin Random House, but Basu and her team continue to – independently – make decisions on what they publish. In the 13 years of its existence, Duckbill has an built an enviable list of fiction (and nonfiction) across genres with entertaining stories, humour, and memorable characters that appeal to young and adult readers alike. Keeping up with the times, Duckbill has also published books of interest to a new generation of readers – about sexuality, human behaviour, disability, forgotten history, tolerance, and true equality among all sections of society.

In a conversation with Scroll, Basu talked about why the proliferation of various forms of media encourages Duckbill to publish...

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