Amid the controversy over former army chief M M Naravane’s “unpublished” memoir, publisher Penguin Random House India (PRHI) on Tuesday clarified that an announcement or a pre-order listing should not be confused with a book’s actual publication.
The clarification came after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi cited a 2023 social media post by Naravane, in which the former chief had said that his memoir Four Stars of Destiny was “available now”, fuelling questions over whether the book had already been published.
In a detailed statement titled “A quick guide to how book publishing works at Penguin Random House India”, the publisher sought to draw a clear distinction between the different stages of the publishing process. “An announced book, a book available for pre-order, and a published book are not the same thing,” PRHI said.
Explaining its position through a set of stipulated points, the publisher said that when a book is announced, it only signals that the publisher has shared plans to publish it at a later date. At that stage, the title is not available for sale, either to readers or retailers.
Similarly, PRHI said, listing a book for pre-order is a standard industry practice that allows readers and sellers to place advance orders ahead of a release. Such listings, it stressed, do not mean that the book has already been published or is available in the market.
The publisher also addressed confusion around scheduled publication dates, saying these merely indicate a planned release timeline. A listed date does not imply that the book is already in circulation or accessible to the public.
“A book is published only when it is available at retail channels for purchase,” the statement said, underlining that publication is defined by availability in the marketplace, not by announcements, listings or timelines.
PRHI added that it remains committed to clarity and transparency in its publishing processes, as the debate over Naravane’s memoir continues to draw political attention.
PRHI had initially said that no copies of the book "in print or digital form -- have been published, distributed, sold".
Speaking with reporters in the Parliament House complex, Rahul Gandhi read out Naravane's 2023 social media post on X (then Twitter), which said, "Hello friends. My book is available now. Just follow the link. Happy reading. Jai Hind." "This is the tweet Mr Naravane has made. The point I am making is either Mr Naravane is lying, and I believe the (former) Army chief, I don't think he will lie, or Penguin is lying. Both cannot be telling the truth," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
"Penguin is saying the book is not published. The book is available on Amazon. Gen Naravane has tweeted, as I just read to you, that please buy my book. He tweeted this in 2023. Do you believe Penguin over Mr Naravane? I believe Mr Naravane," Rahul Gandhi said.
Notably, PRHI on Monday had come out with a statement stating that it holds the exclusive publishing rights to former Army chief's memoir and clarified that the book has not yet been published, amid reports of unauthorised copies in circulation.
Delhi Police has registered an FIR over the alleged illegal circulation of the manuscript in digital and other formats.
Rahul Gandhi was seen flashing a purported copy of the book in the Parliament complex last week. He wanted to cite excerpts from the memoir in Lok Sabha since February 2, but has been stopped as it has not yet been published.
Naravane on Tuesday shared on X a statement issued by the publisher of his memoir "Four Stars of Destiny" that says no copies of the book "in print or digital form have been published, distributed, sold" or otherwise made available to the public.
"This is the status of the book," Naravane wrote.
