Praveen and his wife Christin Evans are literary entrepreneurs building the independent bookstore for the 21st century. Two years ago, they took over the reins of thirty-year old Booksmith in San Francisco and since they have successfully taken this local literary institution to new heights. Recently, Praveen launched a new author events program Berkeley Arts & Letters in partnership with Melissa Mytinger.

Praveen grew up in New Delhi, India where he studied at the Indian Institute of Technology. He figured out quickly that he cared more for business as an art form than for electrons and magnetic fields. He spent the next two decades of his life advising large companies on making more money while beefing up his frequent flyer accounts. His American journey started in Austin, Texas where he landed in 1992 with one thousand dollars of begged, borrowed, and saved money to get an MBA.

Praveen's current reading interests are in the emerging area of eco-poe-ethics. Follow Praveen on twitter or linkedin...
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Blog Entries by Praveen Madan

Evolve or Die: Why Reinvent Independent Bookstores?

Posted October 29, 2009 | 10:25 AM (EST)


A year ago we visited San Francisco’s new California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.  This is one of the city’s new cultural hot spots.  As we walked among the high-tech exhibits on the natural world, we came across a 20-foot long quote written in giant yellow letters attributed...

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Why All the Fuss About "Independent" Bookstores?

7 Comments | Posted October 13, 2009 | 07:12 AM (EST)


Recently we were invited to sell books at a sustainability conference being held at a fancy hotel in San Francisco.  The conference had attracted hundreds of young professionals pursuing careers in sustainability.  One young woman walked over to our table to buy Van Jones’ book.  Looking at the Booksmith sign...

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Why Did We Quit Our Cushy Corporate Jobs to Reinvent Independent Bookselling?

19 Comments | Posted October 5, 2009 | 11:40 AM (EST)


"You did what?" is the typical response when we tell our friends that we quit our cushy corporate jobs and bought an independent bookstore in the heart of San Francisco. "Either you are out of your mind or you know something nobody else does," remarked an old friend. A...

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