Thursday, December 15, 2011

Doing a Book Review

[Published: col. 9,YourStory.in: http://yourstory.in/2011/12/publishing-entrepreneur-divya-dubey-shares-how-to-do-a-book-review/]

If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it. – Abraham Lincoln

The mantle of a judge perhaps gives us a greater high than anything else in the world possibility could. Perhaps more so when we sit in judgement over another person’s intellectual prowess – as, for instance, a book reviewer. When we do a book review, it is important to understand that, along with the freedom of expressing our views, we also have a responsibility – towards the task we have been entrusted with, towards the publication that has offered us the opportunity (or to ourselves in case of a blog); and towards the work, the writer, and the publisher – regardless of our sentiments towards them. The real test of a reviewer is not how he/she handles a book he/she loves, but one he/she absolutely abhors.


How does one maintain balance and civility in the face of contrary emotions dying to lash out at the work/writer? But there it is. The best sign of maturity is objectivity – a balanced view, taking into account both the book’s merits and faults. Whenever it comes to a creative work, likes and dislikes will always be subjective. No book is all good or all bad. Whether the work is literary or popular, fiction or non-fiction, the experience will always be unique to every person who reads it. A good reviewer is aware of that, and hence careful with his/her comments and phrasing, and, above all, professional in his/her approach. Language and treatment are as much the marks of a good reviewer as they are of a good fictionist.


Today’s reader is more perceptive, more aware of the world around him/her. It’s easy for him/her to detect a biased judge, a failed writer, a disgruntled non-professional, a malicious human being or simply a green-eyed one – hidden behind a particularly vicious piece of writing – where the merit of the book has little to do with the review it receives. Unfortunately, these days, one comes across the Cinderella Sisters syndrome too often – tomes raving and ranting unrestrainedly, ironically, revealing the reviewer as a hysterical figure frothing at the mouth instead of the dignified and articulate critic he/she is supposed to be. The purpose of the entire exercise is lost.


On the other hand there are also reviewers, who, if they feel they would not be able to rein in their dislike for a book on paper, or curb their severe response, choose to opt out instead of allowing their hysteria to show in their writing.

Most professional writers are receptive to constructive criticism if it is presented gracefully and well, but how does one respond to unwarranted comments and malevolence? As a reviewer, why not use one’s linguistic skills and creativity as weapons instead? Why not use relevant examples and parallels, gently showing the hows and whys, and giving the devil his due where it’s deserved? Wit and humour elegantly used to make a point, or a clever turn of phrase that expresses the reviewer’s thoughts, are more effective tools than wild ranting. Good writing – whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, an email or a review, is all about grace and subtlety.


No matter how much one dislikes a book, it is in bad taste to reveal the nub, or give away the suspense for the potential reader/buyer. A book review is different from critical appreciation, and has a different purpose/timing. In fact, even a critical appreciation has its own requirements, which are even more challenging. A good review neither flatters nor maligns, but provides a fair view.


Then there is the overzealous critic, who jumps to conclusions without doing his/her homework well, and is in such a hurry to heap blame on the author’s shoulders that he/she fails to establish facts before signing off the damaging memo. Not the most brilliant approach to accomplishing the task.


Any review reflects upon the reviewer even more than it does on the work/writer it analyses, so it’s best to think twenty times before publishing your piece.

Monday, November 28, 2011

The Rise of Literary Agencies in India

[Published column 7, YourStory.in: http://yourstory.in/2011/11/the-rise-of-literary-agencies-in-india/]


Who, what, where, why, and how – let’s get into the heart of the literary agency renaissance in India straightaway – since this vocation has, in the recent days, changed the function of the word ‘agent’ as more of a verb or an adjective. So now we have ‘agented’ scripts (that have the stamp of approval from an industry professional before they get to a publisher’s evaluation desk) and ‘non-agented’ or ‘unsolicited’ scripts (that come straight from the author and are usually raw). The latter category seems to be going out of fashion pretty fast with the recent rise of more literary agencies either out of good old ‘binary fission’ or the entry of new professionals into the arena.



Literary agencies usually serve two important purposes if they are good at their job: (a) they separate the wheat from the chaff; and (b) they edit/prune/polish the selected manuscript so that it is ready for publishing, thus reducing the publisher’s work and time investment considerably. In the coming years, some publishers may stop entertaining unsolicited manuscripts altogether.


Most agencies these days do not charge a reading fee as they used to earlier. However, if they accept a project, there is a fee for editorial services (substantive as well as copyediting). Charges vary, depending on the amount of work a script requires, or according to word count. There may be no editorial charges at all for a ready script. Others could cost a good sum if they require more work or a complete overhauling.


Once the process is complete, it is the agent’s job to sell the ready script to a good publisher. Interestingly, a script may take anything between a day and a year (or more) to sell. The agent’s commission varies from 10% to 20% (on the advance and royalty). Some agents have a flat rate for sales in the sub-continent as well as foreign countries, while others charge a slightly higher percentage on the sale of foreign rights. The commission is split with a sub-agent, in case they work with any. These days, since the Indian publishers usually go in for world rights anyway, it shouldn’t be too much of a concern.


Agencies like Siyahi, and Sherna Khambatta’s Literary Agency have been around since 2007. Jacaranda (now in Singapore) has been around since 1997. Writer’s Side began in 2009 and has been growing steadily. There are two new players on the circuit now – Urmila Dasgupta’s Purple Folio.


It is a misconception that if a person has a publishing business alongside a literary agency, it’s bound to be a vanity-publishing business. On the contrary, the businesses are independent and separately run, have separate submission guidelines and processes, and allow a project to be submitted only to one of the two. Their merit/quality can be easily judged since their products are already out there in the public domain.


The genres agents deal with range from fiction to non-fiction, to translations or works in regional languages. Mita Kapur of Siyahi says, ‘Genres don’t limit us, although we are going slow on taking up poetry. Would love to, but publishers have to have a demand for it.’


‘I cannot guarantee placement, but work to the best of my ability to get one,’ says Sherna Khambatta. Urmila Dasgupta is confident of selling most of her scripts. ‘In most cases, yes,’ she says. ‘Only in a few do I wait till the author reworks on his/her own or after I have edited the script and the author has carried out changes to my satisfaction.’


Most of the agencies do have a pretty high success rate. The number of projects a literary agency does in a year ranges from ten to thirty, depending on the resources available to it and the time the negotiations take. If they cannot sell a project within the stipulated time, the rights revert to the author.


Apart from quality control, agents help to expedite the entire process and, as mentioned elsewhere earlier, may be able to get the author some amount of money as an advance if it is a strong script.


If you plan to approach a literary agent, first of all – please make sure that you find a genuine one. There are also agents who charge a fee and then set you up with a vanity publisher. Beware of such offers. Secondly, do make sure that your contract is clear to you, and that you do have an exit route available along with a reversion-of-rights clause in case the agent should fail to sell the script to a publisher within a reasonable period.


A list of literary agencies follows below, along with their details:



Jacaranda
Contact person: Jayapriya Vasudevan and Priya Doraswamy
Email: info@jacaranda-press.com
Website: http://jacaranda-press.com/
Add: 331 River Valley Road, 0903 Angsana 1, Yong An Park, Singapore 238363.


Purple Folio
Contact person: Urmila Dasgupta
Email: purplefolio@gmail.com
Website: www.purplefolio.com
Add: 75 National Media Centre, National Highway-8,
Nathupur, Near Shankar Chowk.
Gurgaon-122002.


Red Ink
Contact person: Anuj Bahri
Website: http://redinkliteraryagency.com/


Sherna Khambatta Literary Agency
Contact person: Sherna Khambatta
Email: sherna_khambatta@yahoo.co.uk
Website: www.shernakhambatta.com
Add: Gold Croft,
39 B. Desai Road
Bombay 400026


Siyahi
Contact person: Mita Kapur
Email: mitakapur@siyahi.in
Website: siyahi.in
Add: D-241, Amrapali Marg,
Hanuman Nagar
Jaipur-21


Writer’s Side
Contact person: Kanishka Gupta
Email: kanishka500@gmail.com
Website: http://www.writersside.com/

Monday, November 14, 2011

Should I Approach a Publishing House or a Literary Agency?



Lately, we have been talking a lot about the transforming scenario in Indian publishing. One of the major changes has been the literary agency renaissance. It would be wrong to assume that India never had any literary agencies earlier. Mita Kapur’s Siyahi,  Sherna Khambatta’s Literary Agency, etc are a few that have been around for sometime.

However, with the growing number of writers as well as publishers every day now, the requirements of the industry also seem to be changing rapidly. Hence, more literary agencies have come up in the recent past, catering for all kinds of writers – from young, college-going authors doing young adult fiction, to serious literary writers, to writers of non-fiction.  Most of the new literary agencies are run by young professionals, some of whom have already been a part of the publishing industry earlier and are familiar with the prerequisites.

One query I come across most often is: I am a writer with a ready script. Should I approach a publishing house or a literary agency? What’s the difference? How does it matter?

One could approach either but, following the recent trends, a literary agency may be a safer bet. There is a very realistic possibility that some publishers may stop accepting unsolicited manuscripts altogether in the next few years.  Small independents do welcome unsolicited scripts. And many of them produce excellent work that can compete with any other in quality.

Let’s look at some more questions regarding literary agencies.

Q. What exactly is a literary agency?   

A. A literary agency is an agency that acts as a mediator between an author and a publishing house. A literary agent represents the author. He/she reads the author’s script, evaluates it, decides whether it is publishable (or can be made publishable by working on it), decides whether it has the potential to sell, and then takes it on.  Once the agent accepts a script, he/she acts on the author’s behalf and interacts with various publishers till the script is sold and published, and also keeps a track of its performance right up to the time when the author receives his/her royalty.

Q. How is a literary agency different from a publishing house?

A. An agent is an agent – a catalyst in the process. A literary agency charges for its services. Some agents charge a reading fee for reading submissions; others don’t charge for reading, but charge for editing once they’ve accepted a script. Editing includes both substantive and copyediting services. The agent receives a percentage as commission on the author’s royalty once the script has been sold to a publisher. Usually, it’s fifteen per cent. Some agents do have an independent publishing business, but the submissions for that are separate. The submissions to an agency are particularly for the services they offer, including selling the script to another mainstream publisher.

 Q. What are the advantages of going through a literary agent?

A. Quality control. One of the main advantages is that if the author’s script is not print-worthy, the agent makes sure it will be before it reaches the publisher’s evaluation desk. The chances of acceptance hence become much higher. Many times, if a script has been rejected once, the publisher is reluctant to look at it again. That can be prevented right away.  Another advantage is that the script moves faster since it has already been through one round of editing at the agent’s desk. Yet another advantage is that if the script is really strong, the agent may be able to get some amount from the publisher as an advance for the author.

Very recently, I received a query from a first-time author on my linkedin forum: I'm a first time author and I've got a literary agent who is offering me 5% on cover price but I've to pay Rs 15,000 to the publisher he sets me up with apart from his agenting charges.

Please beware of such offers. Make sure you tie up with a genuine agent who will not charge for his/her services and then set you up with a vanity publisher. If at all you wish to go in for self or vanity publishing, there are publishers you could approach directly. If you have doubts, please ask a proper publishing professional/established author. Join online author groups where you can have your queries answered.
In my next column, I’ll provide more details about literary agencies old and new, so watch this space.

Monday, October 24, 2011

The Myth of a Chequered Career



Very often in publishing, when you apply for a job, and manage to get to the interview stage, your interviewer might ask you the question, Why do I see a chequered career on your CV? What he or she usually means is why your CV shows you have changed five jobs in five years, and why those jobs reflect academic, textbook, trade, coffee table, graphic novel publishing, and something else. Why couldn’t you stick to one job for five years? And, if you did have to change, why didn’t you stick to the same kind of books in another company?

Nothing wrong in sticking to the same job in the same company for years, or even switching to a similar job in another company. You hone your skills; you specialise in a certain kind of publishing. At the same time, there is nothing wrong in being the Jack of all trades either if you can manage to be the master of at least one.

There is another significant fact that your interviewer may have chosen to ignore – that the Indian publishing industry is really small and openings are few. For someone who needs a job quickly, it’s not always possible to wait until the right kind of opportunity turns up. So one opts for whatever is available. And, when someone begins his/her career with the wrong genre, it becomes even more significant. Sticking to a job that isn’t right for you can, and usually does, have its own consequences in the long run. Until you’ve tried a couple of areas, you may not be able to figure out where you fit in best or what really interests you the most. Once you’ve identified your niche, it makes sense to stick to it.

It is also important that while you’re hunting for your niche, you should be able to extract the maximum you can from whatever job you are in – whether it is knowledge, experience, or expertise. For instance, if I had never done academic publishing, I would never have learnt the significance of style and consistency. If I hadn’t done trade, I wouldn’t have understood the importance of flexibility. Exposure to different forms and genres of publishing helps in broadening your perspective and prevents stilted thinking. So it isn’t always a bad thing, as long as you’re sure it’s publishing where you belong.

A lot of people tend to confuse publishing with journalism. That is tricky business since publishing and journalism are two different vocations, with little in common. If you tell a layman you’re an editor, the first question usually happens to be, ‘Which newspaper?’ Often you have journalists applying for certain editorial positions in publishing, not realising that their requirements are very different. A journalist who does have those required skills may be able to make a smooth transition, but it doesn’t always happen like that. A lot of them find themselves disillusioned and prefer to return to the territory they are familiar with after a while.

Publishing is said to be a harsh industry. Tolerance levels are low; jobs are demanding and stressful; everything is subjective. And – you’re on your own. Swim if you can, or it’s Happy Sinking!  Yet, that’s precisely why it is so important to keep going. Never mind false starts; never mind your mistakes. In any case since you live only once, whatever you have to try you have to try right now. And, if you’re the kind of person who learns his lessons quickly and well, there is no reason why you should not be able to make a chequered career work in your favour.

Monday, October 3, 2011

The Higgledy-piggledy Publishing Biz: To Begin or Not to Begin

[Published : http://yourstory.in/2011/10/the-higgledy-piggledy-publishing-biz-to-begin-or-not-to-begin/]


I want to publish my own book. How do you start a publishing house? What do you think of vanity publishing?

In the recent days, I have come across a lot of people asking me these questions. If they are your questions too, beware. You may be confusing issues. If you want to get a book published, by all means – do. But if you feel that starting a publishing house will be an answer to your problems, you’re grossly mistaken. Please note: self-publishing is different from setting up a publishing business.  (Yes, I do make a distinction between self-publishing and vanity publishing, and the distinction is based purely on the quality of the product you produce – whether it is content or production; whether you do it yourself or get somebody to do it for you).

Though it may seem that setting up a publishing house is child’s play in today’s world (there seem to be clusters of them at every street corner, so it must be easy), let me assure you it’s not.  Publishing is not like any other industry. One: we do not deal with consumer goods. Two: it’s not a money-minting machine as many people seem to think. Three: it needs constant investment, the risks are huge, and the gestation period is astoundingly long. Four: like any other profession, publishing needs some knowledge/specialisation and a certain set of skills. Five: everybody today wants to write; nobody wants to read! There are writers galore, publishers galore, and few book buyers!

The supply seems to be much more than the demand; the competition is fierce. The book review space is shrinking; so is shelf space. More book shops are shutting down. The existing ones are spilling over. With so much on offer, today’s reader is perhaps more confused than ever, and only opts for tried and tested things – or products that come cheap.

If you feel publishing is easy, you’re assuming that there are readers out there dying to buy your books, that distributors would be falling over themselves to pick them up, and retailers would empty their shelves to make way for yours. In the end everybody would make money and be happy. A deadly mistake. The process is neither so simple nor butter-smooth and linear, even if you have a good book in hand.

The reality is quite contrary to your assumptions, and it’s pretty grim. Beyond family, friends, and relatives, buyers are generally few and far between for most authors unless he/she is already well established. People today spend willingly on other, more glamorous sources of entertainment such as movies, restaurants, games, gadget accessories, etc rather than on ‘old-fashioned’ books. The few who still do, usually don’t like to take risks with a new book/author. Hence, to put it very simply, the retailers are reluctant to stock such a book. Hence the distributors are equally reluctant to take it on. Hence the publishers are hesitant to publish him/her. And the established writers offer no guarantees of success either. Often enough they lose their buyers to music albums, a pizza, a new haircut, and other such sources of instant gratification. 

Setting up a publishing house implies putting several processes together. Once you’ve published your book, you need to churn out more titles regularly.  That means attracting good authors, doing them justice, and selling the books. You’re dependent upon several other cogs in the giant wheel, who are in no mood to oblige you. It becomes a process of publishing and waiting; producing a good book and waiting for a miracle to happen – bracing yourself for the same challenges again and again and again. In the end, unsold books return to you by the truck-load.

So, when you wonder why things are the way they are, look at people’s book-buying habits before jumping to the conclusion that the publishers are the villains in the entire gamut, and you would do well to start off on your own. Publishing is a tough business and needs, apart from resources, the nerves of a warrior and the patience of a sage.

***

Friday, July 29, 2011

Writing Well

(http://yourstory.in/expert-talk/guest-column/6386-publishing-entrepreneur-divya-dubey-on-writing-well)


If I begin with the sentence, ‘The art of writing has been mastered by a few’, I would be doing something partly right and partly wrong. Right – because it’s a simple sentence that communicates the idea well, using no big words unnecessarily; and wrong – because it’s the most clichéd sentence one could begin the piece with. Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction or even an email, good writing is always about writing clear English – with no grammatical mistakes. In fact, that’s the major difference between a professional writer and an amateur – the professional has learnt the significance of plain English, while the amateur is still wading through all the accoutrements.

Unfortunately, a lot of aspiring writers, even the ones who do know their language and grammar, often fall into a common trap – the trap of overwriting. Very few can steer clear of ‘flatulent orotundity’ defined as ‘a form of high-flown language that tries to impress, but instead obscures’. Some writers probably feel that because they’re writing professionally, they need to sound bombastic. It’s a misconception. So…

Rule number one: Write plain English; talk as you normally do.

Author mistake: But it is ‘my style’!

Yes, it was my style too – a couple of years ago – before I realised what an awful style it was. Good writing is considered ‘good’ because it is lucid and comprehensible to your reader. It is a bad idea to stuff your language like an overeager taxidermist. Remember Hemingway’s famous quote, ‘Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don't know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.’

The fact is that one doesn’t require verbosity; rather the reverse. The best writing comes from some good ideas presented in the simplest language, with certain fresh and pleasing expressions, a new word or two once in a while, and a bit of subtle humour sprinkled here and there. Look at O Henry, GK Chesterton, Vikram Seth, Jhumpa Lahiri … in fact, any of your most favourite literary greats. Revisit their writing. They have learnt the art of getting the balance right.

Creative writing does not mean chaotic or esoteric writing. The best writing is sparse, subtle, and crystal clear. When there is ambiguity, the ambiguity is deliberate. When there is repetition for the sake of emphasis, it's a deliberate device and remains unobtrusive.

Rule number two: Use a more familiar word in place of a big, bombastic one. When you deliberately aim to send your reader to the dictionary every two minutes, it backfires.

Author mistake: But a discerning reader will pick up the dictionary!

You are flattering yourself if you think that even a discerning reader would make that effort in your honour every two minutes. Instead, he/she would lose interest very quickly and dump the book in some corner from which it’ll never resurface.

Yes, to avoid monotony, pedestrian writing, or an insipid style, one may use big words once in a while. But, please remember, those should be used for garnishing and not be confused with the dish.

Rule number three:Eschew obfuscation!’ J Avoid ‘circumlocution’ or saying something in a roundabout manner using too many words. If a bombastic word can be substituted with a simpler one, use it. Don’t make your sentences sound contrived.

Rule number four: Opt for short sentences. Usually, one idea in one sentence works best unless you’ve mastered the art of writing complex sentences without losing focus, becoming muddled yourself, or creating a confusion regarding the subject of the sentence. 

Rule number five: Do not use fifteen words where five will do. Avoid clumsy constructions. A sentence such as, ‘He was a man who had two cows, who had two buffaloes, and who had one goose,’ is the first nail in your coffin as a writer. Better to say, ‘The man had two cows, two buffaloes, and a goose.’ This is called tightening your sentences. Learn the art well, and it’ll take you a long way.

Rule number six:  De-clutter your writing by cutting out every extra adjective, adverb, verb, etc. One is enough in a sentence to convey the meaning. One makes more impact on the reader. Trust me on this one.

Author mistake: But I like double adjectives!

They clutter your writing. The aim is not to show off how many words you know; the aim is to kindle your reader’s imagination and let him/her enjoy his/her own journey. Unnecessary words are a hindrance. It is better to use fresh similes, metaphors, or imagery. Put your creativity to good use.

Rule number seven: Use active voice as far as possible. Unless one is writing an academic paper where language requirements are completely different, modern-day writing encourages the use of active voice and strong verbs. Try using them in your script and see what a difference it makes. 

Rule number eight: Avoid clich̩s. There is no point saying what has already been said thousands of times exactly like that Рwhich is why it became a clich̩ in the first place.

Rule number nine: Introduce an idea, but don’t hammer it in. Repetition over and over again takes away from a piece of good writing. Readers don’t need you to preach to them or drill something into their heads. It’s a bad idea again to underestimate your readers or talk down to them.

Rule number ten: Never lose focus. It is even more important when you’re writing fiction. A clear plot should emerge right from the beginning, and the sub-plots should be built around it.  

Author mistake: But you didn’t read enough; the story starts building up from chapter eleven!


Well, chances are – if your script has not got the reader/editor’s attention by chapter ten, he/she will not make the effort to go to chapter eleven. Why waste the first ten chapters? By doing that you’re wasting your breath, probably a lot of paper, and the reader’s time.  

So, all in all, write clearly and simply. Do not wallow in vagueness and abstractions, language from Shakespeare’s time, redundancies, or ‘Indianisms’. Offer your reader something meaningful and worthwhile – something for keeps.


[You can find professional help here as well: www.authorzcoracle.com]

Helpful material:

Indlish: Jyoti Sanyal
Oxford Essential Guide to Writing: Thomas S Kane
How to Write: Stephen Leacock
On Writing Well: William Zinsser
The Complete Plain Words: Ernest Gowers
Troublesome Words: Bill Bryson
Usage and Abusage: Eric Partridge
The Cambridge Guide to English Usage: Pam Peters
Contradictionary: Fritz Spiegl
Fowler’s Modern English Usage

Friday, July 15, 2011

How to get published (Part 2)


(This is the follow-up piece to the article that Divya wrote on June 30th 2011 about becoming a published author. Click here to read Part 1 of ‘How to get published’. Part 2: http://www.yourstory.in/expert-talk/guest-column/6317-divya-dubey-gyaana-books-how-to-get-published-part-2)
With more queries popping up about submissions to publishers, it’s easy to see that many first-time authors have certain fears regarding their manuscripts and publishers – that are quite unfounded.  It is true that landing up with a wrong publisher may be injurious to the health of your manuscript. At the same time, it would be unfair to judge the entire publishing industry on the basis of such exceptions. Most publishers are friendly and more than willing to answer any queries their authors might have.  Some questions are standard, and can be easily answered here. Let’s have a look at those in the FAQ format.
Q. I am a first-time writer. Should I approach big publishers with my manuscript? Would they consider it at all?
A. Of course! Why shouldn’t they? As long as it’s a good script, any publisher will consider it regardless of whether you are an established writer or a new one. It is a myth that big publishers only publish big writers.
Q. Do I need to register copyright before sending my script to the publisher?
A. No, you don’t. It’s your intellectual property. Even after the book is published, you are the copyright holder (especially if it’s fiction). You could put a copyright symbol and your name and year – and your manuscript is safe enough. Please remember – editors and publishers deal with hundreds of manuscripts every day. It’s a routine affair for them. Nobody will misuse your manuscript. It would be against their own interests, for they would lose credibility completely. No writer would ever go to them in the future. Now, which publisher would want that to happen?
Q. Should I submit my manuscript to one publisher at a time?
A. Ideally, yes. However, in case you have submitted it to another publisher at the same time, it is best to be honest and mention it to them. In case someone has already expressed an interest in it, please tell the other one.
Q. Can I get my script back if the publisher doesn’t accept it?
A. It is practically impossible for publishers to return hundreds on manuscripts in hard copy that come to them all the time. It makes sense to keep the original with you and send them a copy.
Q. Is it the same process for children’s books and non-fiction?
A. Yes, it’s more or less the same. If you have illustrations, send copies and in low resolution. Keep your mail down to less than 1 MB.
Q. If the publisher asks for the complete manuscript or certain changes in a chapter/plan, does it mean they’ll publish it?
A. Not really. It’s simply an expression of interest, not a commitment. That is communicated to you clearly. The publisher will publish the book only when he/she is completely satisfied with the final script.
Q. If my manuscript is accepted by a publisher, would I have to bear the production costs?
A. No, not at all – unless it’s vanity publishing. No mainstream publisher makes the author bear production costs; it’s the publisher’s responsibility.
Q. How do I know if the contract is a standard contract, and the publisher is not trying to rob me?
A. Always read your contract carefully. If you are not sure about something, or do not understand a point, discuss it with your publisher. Most contracts have standard clauses. It is very important that you should understand everything properly.
Rather than treating publishers as villains trying to squeeze maximum ‘profits’ out of their authors, it is better to look upon them as friends and work together as a team. Then a good rapport can be established and, of course, the final outcome is much better.
Finally, here is a list of a few Indian publishers (big MNCs as well as small independents) where you can submit your script (fiction) for consideration:
This is a guest column by publishing entrepreneur Divya Dubey, founder of Gyaana Books. Turtle Dove: Six Simple Tales is her first collection of short stories. Her other short fiction has appeared in literary journals such as Out–of-Print, Muse India, Kindle Magazine, Urban Voice 4, and New Fiction Journal (forthcoming). She has also written for The Hindu Literary Review, Hindustan Times, Indo-Asian News Service, Pravasi Bharatiya, All About Book Publishing, Book Link, The Publisher’s Post, Chicken Soup for the Indian Couple’s Soul, etc. She occasionally conducts lectures on publishing and creative writing. She was one of the finalists at the British Council Young Creative Entrepreneur Award for Publishing in 2010. Find out more about her journey as a publishing entrepreneur here. You can also read her blog on publishing here.
Through this column, Divya Dubey will be sharing insights into the publishing industry with the readers of YourStory.in