Amid divergent views on publication of literary works, panelists touched the common ground that a book having good content is a publisher’s delight.
However, brand sells because it is always commercially successful. A successful author gets priority over the newcomers. But there are publishing houses like Rupa which are encouraging young and new writers, said the panelists in a session of the Odisha Literary Festival organised by ‘The New Indian Express’ here on Thursday.
The literary session titled “How do you get published, and why should you want to be,” moderated by Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, Managing Director of Eastern Media Group of Publications and Editor of leading local daily ‘Sambad,’ discussed various aspects of publishing literary works and author-publisher relationship in the age of digital reading of novel.
“I believe in the content of the manuscript,” said literary agent Anuj Bahari, responding to Patnaik’s query on the deciding factors for publication of a literary work.
Managing Director of Rupa Publications Kapish Mehra, however, deferred saying there is no good or bad book. “The stone that fears the stroke of a hammer can never be a statue,” remarked Mehra in the context that the authors should be prepared for further editing of their works.
The authors should keep three important things in mind before penning a book. Originality of idea is the first as there is no formula for success. Second comes the continuity of thought to keep the readers engaged. The third important aspect is who are you writing for.
Author of ‘A Cool, Dark Place’ Supriya Dravid said writing is an accelerating process. One should not be bogged down by the failure of his or her first work.
Narrating her experience of her first book, Supriya said she sent out the first three chapters of her maiden venture to a literary agent and this was accepted. If you have a good book, it gets published, she added.
Responding to Patnaik’s remark that sometimes good books are rejected by publishers fearing that the books will not give good return, Bahri said books like Amish Tripathy’s Shiva trilogy was rejected by more than 20 publishers.
The three books became best sellers, Bahri, who helped Tripathy to publish the first of the trilogy ‘The Immortals of Meluha,’ said.
The publishers publish the book which they feel the readers will like. It is not always author driven. Sometimes, the authors are reluctant for changes in their manuscripts.
They should trust the editors who they are working with, Mehra said.