Bitten by writer's bug? A step-by-step guide on making a mark as an author

Once upon a time, writing a book was the preserve of the so-called intellectuals, but today, just anybody who has a story to tell, can become a novelist or thought pundit

There is a brand new “aspiration” that has its fair share of “perspiration”. It's called book-writing, and people from practically all walks of life have been smitten by the writer’s bug -- star wives, housewives, industry captains, retired professionals, chat-show hosts and even teenage kids. Anyone who has a story to tell, suddenly has a medium to reach out to and express oneself by penning one's thoughts, achievements, denials and angst, or simply creating a world of make believe with fictional writing.

But what is it that drives someone who hasn't tried his or her hand at it before, to want to write a book? According to Swati Chopra, Senior Commissioning Editor, Penguin Random House India, “The right triggers, in my opinion, would be passion, a solid idea, the ability to write and create a narrative, and the commitment and patience to follow it through till publication via multiple drafts and edits.” 

For some it’s their inner calling, and the desire to see a story close to their heart reproduced in  a book. Take the case of journalist, author and film maker Reham Khan, former wife of Imran Khan. In a conversation with Business Standard, she dwelt on her primary motive to write her autobiography: “People who have followed my journey as a victim of domestic violence victim and my struggle as a single mum making a career in media, have always encouraged me to share my story with the world. The events of 2014 and 2015 added more twists and turns to my story."

Khan says she wanted to tell others who have suffered like her, how to recognise the signs, and not to give up hope. "I feel anyone and everyone should write. We all have a story to share particularly women. I knew that my story would be an eye-opener as it tells you the secrets of Pakistani society,” she says.

What about first-timers?

But how does it work for a person who is not well known. The biggest question any layperson faces is: what happens after the book has been published? According to Antara Bhattacharjee, Founder of My Secret Bookshelf, “Though the story is the king and the content is what makes the book sell, often books go unnoticed because there are simply too many releases within a short time and all books are vying for the attention of the reader. Unless it is promoted effectively, it is easy for the book to disappear amid the crowd.” 

Her company considers an author’s personal branding very important, as it plays a very significant role in generating and enhancing book sales, and not just identifying them as authors of some books. “Publishers sign brands and buyers buy brands without even considering the content because readers trust a brand more than an individual,” adds Bhattacharjee, “Be it conducting a book-signing event or a launch in any Indian city or generating social media buzz - we ensure the author’s brand speaks for itself and the book becomes a bestseller.”

The financial investment 

The concept of self-publishing is becoming popular with Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing platform offering the service for free. Other platforms have packages starting from about Rs 10,000. The advantage with self-publishing is that just about anyone can make his or her dream of publishing a book come true. 

The other route is to approach a publisher. The bigger names in the business rarely charge the author anything and bear the entire cost. According to Naveen Choudhary, Marketing Head at Oxford University Press, “We never ask the author to invest anything except the time on developing a good manuscript. Several smaller publishers who do traditional publishing charge the print cost as well as the marketing cost. Many publishers nowadays are offering self-publishing as well.”

Prestigious publishers, once they cherry-pick your work, charge “absolutely nothing” confirms Swati Chopra, “But the quality of writing is paramount. Non-fiction has other considerations as well, such as the strength of the core idea, the kind of credibility and research the author brings to the table, the topicality and need for the book, among others.”         

The critical role of the publisher

The success of a book project also depends on reaching out to the publisher at an early stage in order to discuss the concept, content and potential audience especially in case of technical books. According to Niels Peter Thomas, Managing Director-Books, Springer Nature, “In our segment of academic or scholarly books, authors should be able to add substantially to a topic in a specific research area or provide a new perspective on a certain aspect or in a discussion. Our authors are affiliated with renowned universities or institutions, but many of them are also practitioners with a longstanding experience in a certain industry or discipline." 

He says that for such authors it is crucial to get in touch with a potential publisher as early as possible. There are very few cases of academic authors completing their manuscript before approaching a publisher.

In the end, the decision to accept a certain book manuscript depends on the author's expertise, the novelty of his/her contribution and the potential market share is certainly also an important factor.

Vernacular writing 

While most schools in India teach in the state language and children want to read stories in a medium they are comfortable with and enjoy local and contextual stories, this segment is undersupplied, says Swaha Sahoo, Head-Parag Initiative, Tata Trusts. She says that especially in the context of writing for children, there is a big gap between original and contemporary writers. 

"Publishers face a challenge in getting original work in Indian languages. Most of the submissions are in English and the rate of acceptance of manuscripts is low. So there is a need to nurture good quality writing in other languages for children’s literature sector," Sahoo explains. 

Want to publish a book? Follow these easy steps:

• Know your genre and identify the publisher operating in it. For instance, some publishing houses only do technical /scientific/medical books, while others focus on fiction (novels, novellas and short stories) or poetry, biographies and memoirs, current affairs, business, travel, cookery, religion, philosophy and self-help, photography or just coffee-table books.

• Make a proposal. Ideally, your proposal should contain a detailed synopsis and chapter outline, with two sample chapters in the case of novels and other narrative non-fiction. For short stories and poems, send in five sample stories and/or poems.

• Sending in a complete manuscript is not required at the inital stage. The publishing potential of a book is evaluated based on a proposal outlining in detail the structure/literary style, contents, potential readership and the market for the content.

• Send in your proposal in hard copy through regular post/courier, or email. It is important you retain a copy of the proposal you send as material submitted usually isn't returned.

• Each proposal is evaluated by the editorial team of publishing house, which conducts a preliminary evaluation of the synopsis and sample chapters to develop an insight into the work and gauge its potential.

• If your proposal is found suitable, you may be asked to send in the entire manuscript for a thorough evaluation by the team of editors for its language, literary merits, readability, style, competition, marketability and sales potential.

• This detailed evaluation takes three to six months and post evaluation, and you will invariably be informed of the final decision.

• If your manuscript is accepted, the terms and conditions pertaining to royalties, territories, number of copies, distribution network are discussed.

• With big publishers you need to invest absolutely nothing except for your labour, but with small publishers, the writer has to bear printing and marketing cost.