In addition to detailed book reviews, YourStory presents key author insights on their journeys, interpretations of successful leadership, and messages for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Launched in 2012, YourStory’s Book Review section features over 350 titles on entrepreneurship, innovation, startups, leadership, and tech trends. See also our list of ‘Top 10 Books of the Year for Entrepreneurs’ for 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.
Following up on our book reviews, YourStory has interviewed dozens of these authors over the years as well. Here is our pick of Top 20 Author Interviews of 2022, with direct insights and tips from the experts.
See also our Top Author Interviews from earlier years: 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018. Click through on the links below for each full-length interview, and follow through to see the full reviews of their books.
We thank all these authors and publishers for their compelling and informative books, and for spreading the creative movement far and wide! We wish the authors and our readers a Happy New Year ahead, and look forward to more books and interviews in 2023!
Courage, creativity, capacity – design and founder tips from Blinkit’s Ashish Goel
Ashish Goel is the author of Drawing on Courage: Risks Worth Taking and Stands Worth Making. A former teaching fellow at Stanford’s d.school, he currently heads product at BlinkIt. He was earlier head of product design at Zomato, and also founded Boca Beverages. In this insightful interview, Ashish shares insights on creative cultures, trends in the app world, and managing design teams. See full interview here.
Women, networking, mentors, and dissent: Shark Namita Thapar tells all in her new book
Namita Thapar, Executive Director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals, is author of The Dolphin and the Shark: Lessons in Entrepreneurship. The book describes her business journey, leadership learnings, and her Shark Tank India experience. In this interview, she talks about what prompted the book, the role of a mentor, and encouraging a culture of dissent. See full interview here.
‘Persevere. Just lean against the wall until it crumbles’ – founder tips by Ujwal Kalra, co-author, Startup Compass
Ujwal Kalra and Shobhit Shubhankar are co-authors of Startup Compass: How Iconic Entrepreneurs Got it Right. Ujwal works with the Boston Consulting Group in India, and is a graduate of IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Guwahati. He co-founded and ran two startups. In this wide-ranging interview, Ujwal shares insights on startup profitability, mentoring, resilience, and ecosystems. See full interview here.
If you are passionate about what you are doing, the money will come, says author Dhruv Nath
Dhruv Nath is the author of The DREAM Founder: Creating a Successful Startup and co-author of Funding Your Startup. Dhruv is an IIT Delhi graduate and professor at the Management Development Institute, Gurugram. In this in-depth interview, Dhruv shares success insights on startup scalability, corporate accelerators, and entrepreneurship education strategies. See full interview here.
Social contribution, environmental impact, effective governance – author Meena Raghunathan on the power of CSR
Meena Raghunathan is the author of Doing Good: Navigating the CSR Maze in India, and visiting faculty at the MYRA School of Business. She serves on the boards of Vikram Sarabhai Community Science Centre and The Association for the Mentally Challenged. In this interview, Meena shares insights on CSR initiatives and impacts in India, media coverage, and even book reading habits. See full interview here.
Resources are not the differentiator, your culture is, says author Daniel Strode on fostering innovation
Daniel Strode is Global Director of Culture and Strategy at Banco Santander, based in Madrid. He is the author of The Culture Advantage: Empowering Your People to Drive Innovation. Daniel joins us in this interview on how leaders create cultural direction, the creative mindset, innovation cultures across the world, and tips for aspiring entrepreneurs. See full interview here.
Innovation ecosystems and corporate-startup partnerships – in conversation with Shameen Prashantham, author of ‘Gorillas Can Dance’
Shameen Prashantham is a Professor of International Business and Strategy, and Associate Dean (MBA), at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai, China. He is the author of Gorillas Can Dance: Lessons from Microsoft and Other Corporations on Partnering with Startups. In this conversation, Shameen shares his views of innovation journeys, risks of failure, and the power of corporate-startup collaborations. See full interview here.
Art, design, creativity – Bengaluru Design Festival insights from author-educator Emma Roberts
Dr Emma Roberts is Associate Dean for Global Engagement for the Faculty of Arts, Professional and Social Studies at Liverpool John Moores University. She has written five books, including Art and the Sea. Emma joins us in this extensive interview on design of art spaces, the journey of creativity, and the changing role of designers. See full interview here.
India is being recognised globally for its innovation: Bhaskar Majumdar on startup opportunities
Bhaskar Majumdar is the Founder and Managing Partner of Unicorn India Ventures. He is the author of Everything Started as Nothing: How to Win the Startup Battle. Bhaskar joins us in this interview on his investor bets, pandemic resilience, founder mentoring, and startup tips. See full interview here.
Entrepreneurship, education, empathy: Tips from TN Hari, co-author, ‘Winning Middle India’
TN Hari is the co-author of Winning Middle India: The Story of India’s New-Age Entrepreneurs and Saying No to Jugaad: The Making of Bigbasket. He is an angel investor, advisor to VCs and founders, and mentor to startup accelerators. In this in-depth interview, Hari share insights on entrepreneurship education, startup ecosystems, and success tips for founders. See full interview here.
We should have faith in ourselves and the power of STEAM, say authors of ‘The IT Story of India’
Kris Gopalakrishnan, N Dayasindhu, and Krishnan Narayanan are the co-authors of Against All Odds: The IT Story Of India. Kris Gopalakrishnan co-founded Infosys; N Dayasindhu and Krishnan Narayanan are co-founders of itihaasa Research and Digital. In this insightful interview, the co-authors share success tips for entrepreneurs, the growth of India’s startup ecosystem, and opportunities in hardware. See full interview here.
There is no way to scale a business without marketing, says Jessie Paul, author, ‘Marketing without Money’
Jessie Paul is author of Marketing without Money, a guidebook packed with frameworks, tables, and case studies of marketing in action. Jessie has 25 years of experience in marketing, and was at leading roles in Infosys, iGATE and Wipro Technologies. In this insightful interview, Jessie shares tips on marketing frameworks, case studies, and trends in the metaverse. See full interview here.
Hospitality will be a very important part of the healing process of the world, says masterchef Vikas Khanna
Michelin-star chef Vikas Khanna is the author of Barkat: The inspiration and story behind one of the world’s largest food drives, FEED INDIA. Now based in New York city, he is the host of TV shows MasterChef India, Twist of Taste, and Mega Kitchens. In this insightful and inspiring interview, Vikas shares his views on community giving through food, tips for aspiring innovators and food entrepreneurs, and even his favourite garlic recipes! See full interview here.
Techie, musician, author of bestseller ‘Masala Lab’ – meet Krish Ashok at DesignUp 2022
Krish Ashok is the Global Head of Digital Workplace at TCS. A graduate of Delhi University, Krish is a columnist, classical violinist, guitarist, and cellist. He also writes about Indian food, and his book — Masala Lab: The Science of Indian Cooking — has become a bestseller. Krish joins us in this interview on the future of work, food trends, creativity tips, and advice for startups. See full interview here.
How digital platforms transform business: strategy insights from author Timo Vuori
Tero Ojanperä and Timo O Vuori are co-authors of Platform Strategy: Transform Your Business with AI, Platforms, and Human Intelligence. The authors present a seven-step framework for leaders to transform their businesses via platform strategies. Timo O Vuori is a strategy consultant and professor at Aalto University. Timo shares insights on trends in the platform space, success tips for business leaders, and useful online resources. See full interview here.
Digital platforms, tech literacy, and regulation – DesignUp 2022 insights from Rahul Matthan of Trilegal
Rahul Matthan is a Partner in Trilegal’s Bengaluru office and heads the TMT (Technology, Media and Telecommunications) practice of the firm. A graduate of National Law School of India, he is also author of Privacy 3.0: Unlocking Our Data-Driven Future. Rahul joins us in this interview on tech regulation, digital literacy, and startup tips. See full interview here.
During the pandemic, we learned how Samaaj, Sarkaar, and Bazaar work together in a crisis: Rohini Nilekani
Philanthropist Rohini Nilekani is Chairperson of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, Director of EkStep, Co-founder of Arghyam, and earlier Founder-Chairperson of Pratham Books. She is the author of Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar – A Citizen-First Approach. In this interview, she talks of strategic philanthropy, volunteerism, clickvitism, and partnerships with government agencies. See full interview here.
From customer research to founder resilience: Entrepreneur tips from Shirish Nadkarni, author of ‘From Startup to Exit’
Shirish Nadkarni is the author of From Startup to Exit: An Insider’s Guide to Launching and Scaling Your Tech Business. He has over 20 years of experience in the tech startup space. In this conversation, Shirish shares his views on customer empathy, product pivots, and IPO strategies. See full interview here.
‘Define who you aspire to be and then become that person’ – life tips from Vivek Mansingh, author, ‘Achieving Meaningful Success’
Vivek Mansingh is the author of Achieving Meaningful Success: Unleash the Power of Me! He is a tech leader, entrepreneur and innovator, and has worked at HP, Fujitsu, Apple, Dell, and Cisco. In this insightful interview, Vivek shares success tips for entrepreneurs, the importance of wellness goals, and pandemic resilience. See full interview here.
Reframe, redraw, reinvent: Success tips and insights from Rajesh Srivastava, author, ‘The New Rules of Business’
Rajesh Srivastava is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and IIM Bangalore. He spent over three decades as a manager in sectors like beverages, food, commodities, personal care, and education. He is the author of The New Rules of Business: Get Ahead or Get Left Behind. The book was shortlisted in the Top 5 by the Bangalore Business Literature Festival (BBLF) for the 2022 BBLF CK Prahalad Prize. See full interview here.
YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).