Please welcome our first celebrity for the month of August: - Sherna Khambatta
Sherna is one of the most famous and influential literary agents in India.
Her list of representations include Gopika Kapoor for - ‘Spiritual Parenting – Wisdom (and wit) for raising your child in a stress-free environment’ which made it to the best-seller list as soon as it was launched in India. She follows this book with one on Spiritual Pregnancy and Spiritual Dating both releasing in 2010 by Hay House India.
In non-fiction, Joyce Slayton Mitchell’s Guide to American Universities for Indian students will be out in 2010.
In fiction, Nityasya Belapurkar at age 16 has her first young adult fiction novel released You’re Not Alone and Chandru Bhojwani’s debut novel The Journey Of Om . A book of poems, Sufi’s Garland by Manav Sachdeva Maasoom based in Afghanistan during his work with the United Nations will be releasing in the latter half of 2010.
She is also working with American author Michael Benanav who was on the Discover Great New Writers list on Barnes And Noble for Indian editions of his works Men Of Salt & Joshua & Isadora which will be out within the next few months.
Currently, for children Katherine Reynolds - Born To Dance which tells a pure and timeless tale of friendship, adventure, hardship and triumph. The book has been awarded First Prize for Children’s Fiction, San Francisco Book Festival in 2009. First Prize for Children’s Fiction, the David St. John Thomas Charitable Trust in 2008 and has received an Honourable Mention for Children’s Fiction, London Book Festival 2009 which has been released in Hong Kong with availability for the rest of Asia shortly.
Sherna also acts as the Indian representative of the U.K. based Wade & Doherty Literary Agency, for further information visit www.shernakhambatta.com
1) What motivates you when it comes to writing/publishing?
I think one must do what one really feels passionate about, without fear and giving up its success or failure is unimportant. Working with books and reading them before anyone else does is amazing and being a part of the process of seeing an authors work come to life is a privilege, I immensely enjoy being part of the creative process with the author.
2) Actually, what does a publisher expect from a writer? (Apart from writing style)
A publisher looks at a writer’s sustainability and uniqueness in content. The author and his/ her work should complement a publishers list adding value to it for the best fit.
3) Also, tell us something about the concept of literary agency in India and its struggles. How did you venture into it?
I wrote a book of poems, which was published in 2002 and found the entire process extremely alien if not intimidating, and I wished that I had someone to guide me through it. This led me to pursue a Msc. in Publishing upon which I felt that I could fill a void in the publishing process. Publishers overseas rarely accept unsolicited manuscripts from authors. Instead, they use reliable agents who assess the manuscripts they present, thereby ensuring that they are publishable and of good quality. Though the concept is new to India, I felt that there is a growing need for professional agents. Having had work published, a Diploma in Creative Writing and a Masters in Publishing gave me confidence to set up as an agent and use my experience from an author's point of view.
4) As one of the most famous and influential literary agents, how do you feel when you see average writers/books being published? Any comments? In addition, who is responsible for this?
It would be grossly unfair to term a writer’s work as average since the writer has obviously spent a lot of time and effort, not to mention courage and determination to write his work. If the book is published, it indicates that the given publisher saw potential in that work and the responsibility of publishing lies with the publisher. A publisher takes into account reader habits as well as saleability of the book and after weighing the pros and cons would publish it so in my opinion there are no average writers or books, they are all work, which someone saw potential in or else they would not make it to being a published book.
5) A famous Indian writers once said, ‘Even if we don’t write in the best English, that’s fine as it’s not our first language.’ Don’t you think Indian writers are carrying the load of writing in English when the world doesn’t expect them to write in English?
Most of the writers who I’ve come across and work with are all fluent in English and it is their first language, being the one that they speak, think and dream in. The world may not expect them to write in English but increasingly Indian writers are breaking boundaries and commanding respect internationally proving that they are on par with any English speaking writer or nation.
6) Any regrets in life. Any manuscript or book, which you feel, you should have represented?
Thankfully none so far.
7 ) Which books would you recommend for amateur writers? Indian and Others.
The Writers Handbook
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
The Art of Fiction,
On Becoming a Novelist,
On Moral Fiction by John Gardner
Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande.
8 ) Could you please explain the procedure of getting a book published?
Here’s a brief on how a book gets published:
For a first time author, a book should begin with a finished manuscript for fiction and a proposal with sample pages for non-fiction. Though published authors can sometimes sell novels based on proposals. An author at this juncture should contact agents for representation. Once an agent agrees for representation they send the manuscript to editors at various publishing houses. The agent will target the submission to the editors that they feel are most appropriate for the given book. The editors evaluate the proposal and if it's something they are interested in they will share it with their colleagues and boss(es) to gauge the enthusiasm. Once the editor has the go-ahead to work with the project they will send the agent an offer.
The submission process can take anywhere from a week to a year or more depending on when/if the agent finds a match for the project.
An offer usually includes an advance, royalties, territory, and other specific terms. The offer can be for a single book or sometimes it will be for multiple books. If more than one editor is interested in the title there may be an auction to determine which publisher will make the best offer.
When the deal points have been agreed upon and the author accepts an offer the publisher will send a contract, which the agent negotiates.
After the contract has been signed, if the project was sold on proposal it's then time for the author to write the book.
Once the manuscript is completed (nonfiction) or after the contract is signed (fiction) the editor will usually send an editorial letter suggesting content changes that the author needs to make. These changes are somewhat negotiable, but for the most part authors will follow their editor's suggestions.
When the changes have been made and the manuscript is editorially acceptable, the next stage is copyediting, where typos and other errors are corrected, and typesetting, where the book is designed as it will look on the page. The author has to review the different versions of the completed manuscript for typos. The publisher is also works during this time on the design of the book, including the cover, trim size, paper type.
Meanwhile, the editor coordinates with their marketing and sales teams to write copy for the publisher's seasonal catalogue, write the jacket copy, to generate enthusiasm among the sales team for the project, and to help shape marketing plans. Several months before the book's publication the sales team coordinates with bookstore buyers and other "accounts" as they place their orders, which helps determine how many copies of the book the publisher prints. The agent keeps tabs on this process to make sure everything is happening according to plan.
The publication process from finished manuscript to in-bookstore books usually takes a year or more. When publication date arrives the book goes on sale in stores.
Note:- The interview continues on the next page