New Delhi: Penguin Random House India’s proposed publishing deal for Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s upcoming memoir has reportedly fallen through after at least two months of discussions over changes and deletions sought in the manuscript.
The disagreement reportedly centred on passages in several chapters that referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the RSS, communal riots, minorities and contemporary developments, including the Galwan standoff.
Talks over changes become difficult
According to reports, lawyers representing Penguin Random House India raised objections to certain passages and proposed changes to the manuscript.
Sonia Gandhi’s team reportedly felt that the suggested edits were excessive and could create differences between the Indian and global editions of the memoir.
The discussions were initially described as cordial but later became difficult as both sides differed over the proposed changes.
Publisher says no external pressure
Penguin Random House India said there was no external pressure behind the disagreement. The publisher said the matter was related to a particular issue concerning the manuscript.
According to the publisher, the author’s team ultimately decided not to proceed with the proposed arrangement, and it respected their decision.
The development means the memoir will not be published by Penguin Random House India under the discussions that had taken place so far.
Memoir remains in focus
The reported disagreement has drawn attention because of the subjects covered in the proposed memoir, including political and contemporary events.
The discussions also highlight the challenges that can arise when publishers and authors differ over editorial changes to politically sensitive material.
At present, details about the memoir’s future publisher or its eventual publication plans have not been provided.