Casting Couch in Publishing?

Image: Vidyanand Kamat

Two writers: One a brilliant writer, the other crappy, but with a much greater understanding of what today’s audience wants. Who would you publish?
Publish the brilliant writer, because that’s better long-term strategy. Then go find a writer who isn’t stupid enough to believe one must write badly to be popular.  

Is there a casting couch in the publishing industry?
No. (Boggles the mind.) There’s little fame and even less money in books, at least in India, so not worth the trouble for anyone.

How many copies sold make a book a bestseller?
Used to be 5000 copies till about 10 years ago. Now, at least 15,000 in hardcover. Some books have sold a million copies, we hear, but there’s still no reliable data from the retail, so only the author and publisher will know.

What’s the hit rate for a typical publisher?
I’d say 20 percent would be the maximum for any publisher.

Have you had many big misses? (i.e. authors you rejected who later became famous.) What’s your biggest miss?
Fortunately, not many. A recent example would be The White Tiger, where we underbid. Then the Booker happened.
 
Writers, editors, publishers: Why is your world so full of big egos?
When was the last time you heard someone say, ‘That writer’s a mean, bigoted bastard and I really won’t waste my time reading him or getting his autograph’? As for editors or publishers, they realise soon enough that they can’t afford to have too big an ego if they’re to do their job well. A thick hide is what helps in this profession, not an ego.

What chance does an unpublished writer have of getting your (or any publisher’s) attention?
In India, a pretty good chance. Unlike in most other places, editors here still go out looking for new writers. You can also send in your work directly to an editor, you can call or email and nag. And if it’s English-language writing we’re talking about, the scene in India is still a bit incestuous. You’ll know someone who knows an editor or publisher or CEO, or a well-known author who’ll recommend you.

Can a software programme predict a bestseller?
You really want me to answer that?
 
How come self-help books tend to be written by old fogies?
They are? I can never tell. Quite a few are shaven-headed or pony-tailed with jet black hair or have climbed Everest fifteen times.

Which genre sells more: Humour, sci-fi, romance, religion, philosophy?
All except religion sell modestly, if not badly. I’m presuming you’re talking about books written by Indian writers, of course. We’re suckers for genre stuff from the west.
 
Typically, where does the money I pay for a book go?
Almost half of it to the bookshop/book chain owner. Author royalties, printing, distribution and marketing costs and overheads sometimes mean that the publisher would make about 15 percent at best. When people ask why publishers don’t publish much fewer books than we do, this is the answer.

What are typical royalties for a new author?
New or old, they get the industry standard: 10 percent for the hardcover and 7.5 percent for the paperback. Big-ticket authors, of course, get slightly higher royalties, in some cases, 15 percent for the hardcover.

How long does the editing process take?
Depending on the size of the book and the state of the manuscript, anything from 4 to 8 months. This isn’t including printing time. That can take another month or two. If it’s a very topical book, books can be in the market within 3 months of being commissioned.

Why do publishers publish very little poetry?
Because very few of those who profess to love poetry, and say that it’s a shame more isn’t published, actually buy a poetry book. Only dedicated poets spend money on poetry books — and not just their own — but how many of them are around?

Celebrity memoirs: How many of them are really written by the celebs?
Maybe one of every hundred.

What book, to you, is an absolute must-read?
The Mahabharat.

If you could give one sentence’s worth of advice to aspiring writers, it would be...
The world is crowded with good books already. Be very sure you have a story to tell, and the skill to tell it very well, before you start. That’s two sentences. Sorry. And there’s a third: Revise, revise, revise; don’t believe writers who tell you they wrote their masterpiece in one go and no one changed a word after that.

Do you think e-books will kill the publishing business model as we know it?
No, but the business will have to change and adapt.  The physical book will survive, even thrive. Electronic publishing will become a whole new channel to make content available.

When will we see the industry shifting to e-books in a big way?
It’s beginning to happen already in the US. In India, I’d say another 10 years at least, and again, it may be a significant shift, but not an overwhelming shift. But it’s best to be prepared.

Why are there so few literary agents in India?
What will they make, given the money involved? Advances are modest — don’t go by the three or four big advances you hear about. Publishing isn’t big-money business. The market for books is small in India, also price-sensitive. 

How do you account for Chetan Bhagat’s success?
He was smart enough to identify a new readership. He understands the new urban middle class.  

Give the public what they want? Or try to shape their tastes with adventurous offerings?
Shape their tastes, I’d say. And if you do know what this mythical public wants, give them some of that, too, as long as it isn’t offensive stuff or hate literature or some such.
 
What percentage of published authors are able to give up their day jobs?
Maybe two percent. If you’re just starting out, keep that day job, unless of course you win the Booker.
 
There’s an increasing amount of work in Indian languages being translated into English. But less from Indian languages to other Indian languages. How come?
Not true. Almost as much, if not more, gets translated within the Indian languages other than English. We don’t hear of it, that’s all.

What’s the market like for children’s books by Indian authors?
Very small, though we have some excellent writers writing for children. Most people here will look only to the West for children’s books. It’s mindless, and depressing. Some signs of change are visible, but a long, long way to go.

What’s your take on book prizes?
As long as they bring publicity for books in general, and help the market grow, they’re useful. Beyond that they really don’t mean very much. Books aren’t horses.

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