Ankur Warikoo is a publisher’s dream + two unusual fundraises

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Editor's note: This is Pradip, and I have some good news for those who love books. Word on the street is that Westland—the Amazon-owned Indian publisher that the e-commerce company decided to shut down in February—might survive. All we know at this point is that the potential buyer is an unusual one but has deep pockets, and a deal might be signed within this month. Fingers crossed.  While working on a potential story about Westland’s closure a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon the latest sensation in the publishing industry—Ankur Warikoo’s debut book Do Epic Shit, published by Juggernaut on 27 December 2021. According to Nielsen BookScan, the most reliable quantitative dataset for the publishing industry, Warikoo’s book has sold 61,096 copies till 12 February, earning Rs 2.04 crore. Let that sink in. These are outstanding numbers for any author in India, more so for a debutant. Especially when you consider that any book that sells beyond 3,000-5,000 copies in India is called a bestseller.   In comparison, Chetan Bhagat, the bestselling Indian author, sold 82,030 copies of 400 Days—his latest book published …