Magic word for writers

JACARANDA Press is a magic mantra that helps first-time writers to hope. Started by Jayapriya Vasudevan and Amrita Chak in Bangalore three years ago, it is a publishing agency, probably the first of its kind on the Indian literary circuit. Jacaranda has the answer to the Great Literary Dilemma. Its first bunch of novels, prepared from brief evaluation to selling Indian literary rights, include some talking points on review pages - Rohini Nilekani's medical thriller Stillborn, Anita Nair's The Better Man, and Shreekumar Varma's The Lament of Mohini.

"We like working with first-time writers," explains Vasudevan. "We read all the manuscripts that come to us. Then, we do a detailed analysis and if a plot is weak, the authors work with the editors at Jacaranda till their book is sellable.

"Every time I read a manuscript, I ask myself, if I had a bookshop, would this sell? Would it be affordable?" She mulls over the thought. "Finally, you have to write about what you believe in, what you feel passionately about."

She cites the case of Shashi Warrier, who quit a software job in Bangalore to write in the small Kerala village where his parents live. "His last book, Hangman's Journal, did brilliantly," she declares as proof. "The first book may not bring you money, but the next one will."

Taking on a book is not all intuition, as Vasudevan testifies. "First, we do a brief analysis of the book for free. Then comes a more detailed analysis of what is right and wrong with the manuscript. We take most books through from this stage to the rewriting, the proofing, and finding the right publisher.

All for a fee? "We charge a nominal sum of Rs. 500 for the detailed analysis. The most we have ever charged a writer, whose book needed a lot of work, is Rs. 10,000. That is really not a big deal. It is about the minimum royalty the author is likely to receive from the publisher, anyway."This approach has obviously worked for Jacaranda, for, they have found publishers for seven of the first eight books they handled. This differs from the functioning of literary agents abroad. "Unlike edit shops abroad which evaluate and sell the finished work, we work on it in the initial stages. Besides, Indian authors are free to go straight to a publisher, which is impossible abroad without an agent," she states.

"In terms of the publishing industry, we pay our editors pretty well. Most of what we earn goes to them. We have not really started making money from our books".

But commercial success is not the first priority with the team, it appears. "Our dream was to represent good writers and work with them," Vasudevan recalls. "We are not in a hurry to make big bucks. That will happen."

Speaking about the common ground between writers and publishers, Vasudevan talks about treading fine lines. "It is difficult to be sensitive, caring and critical at the same time. I feel we should enjoy our writers' company even as human beings, not just as clients," Vasudevan laughs. "At the moment, we are stuck. We have to be careful about not upsetting the publisher, while constantly reassuring the writer."

What about trends in the Indian book market? "The fiction offered is getting more and more average," Jayapriya opines. "Despite the wonderful writers on the Picador list, it is not a success. I do not know how ready India is for literary fiction. Like our movies, we still want to be entertained."

Their forthcoming releases include Biocon chief Kiran Majumdar's coffee-table book on beer titled Ale and Arty, Pramila Jayapal's journey through India, Pilgrimage, and a cookbook co-authored by fashion guru Prasad Bidappa, featuring the favourite recipes of models.

Future plans are not India-centric, however, "At the moment, we are editing two non-fiction books from Korea. They found us on the Net. We also have an unusual manuscript from the United States about a menopausal woman. I am not worried about an Indian slant to everything. Soon, we hope to sell rights abroad through agents in the U.S. and the United Kingdom," says she. These literary professionals would ideally like to publish independently, perhaps just six books a year. To give voice to all those talented authors-in-waiting who languish unread. That is a dream that may yet come true in black and white.

Contact them at :

jacaranda@vsnl.net.

Aditi De

WOMENS FEATURE SERVICE

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