‘Fiction Addiction Dhamaka’ Celebrates Indian Storytelling
PRH India is spotlighting Indian fiction authors and boosting their visibility with a six-month campaign.
Penguin Random House India has launched a six-month campaign titled Fiction Addiction Dhamaka to celebrate and further fuel the growing interest in Indian popular fiction. Running through December, the campaign brings together some of the most exciting voices in contemporary Indian storytelling. It aims to deepen engagement with loyal fans while attracting new readers to the world of Indian fiction.
The campaign reflects a clear trend in the Indian book market: according to recent figures, the adult fiction category was the fastest-growing segment last year. PRH India’s share of this market rose from 20 percent in 2022 to 27 percent in 2024. Particularly popular are thrillers, romance, and mythology—genres that combine cultural depth with mass appeal.
‘Create sustained impact’
“Fiction Addiction Dhamaka spotlights the stories and voices that readers are truly connecting with right now,” says Manoj Satti, Senior Vice President, Sales, Product & Marketing at PRH India. “. 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.”
The campaign segments its featured books and authors into three clusters:
- Love, Lies, Laash – Thrillers that blend psychological suspense with gripping Indian narratives
- India’s Mythoverse – Contemporary retellings and bold reinterpretations of India’s mythological heritage
- Desi Romance – Stories of love, identity, and connection set in modern-day India
Campaign spotlights most popular genres
“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,” says bestselling author Durjoy Datta. “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.”
Nona Uppal, whose 2024 debut novel “Fool Me Twice” became a national bestseller, underscores the importance of culturally rooted narratives: “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.”
Multi-channel campaign strategy
The campaign is backed by a comprehensive marketing strategy. In bookstores, dedicated display areas highlight the featured titles. Author events, online promotions, influencer collaborations, and partnerships with other brands are also part of the mix. Curated merchandise and wide visibility across traditional and digital media will help ensure that these stories reach as many people as possible.
