Author: Shouvik Banerjee

Shouvik Banerjee is the author of Seven Sundays (Hay House, 2019). He spends his time either writing fiction or running his online business. His short fiction has appeared in literary magazines. He lives in Kolkata, India.

A Sign of Life!

Here I am, playing football with Baba. Is Maa there? No. We are in the park. No. It’s a field. No. It’s my school’s annual sports meet. Where are my friends? I can see them in the classroom. Which class is this? Fifth? Sixth? Seventh? I am sitting on the backbench; we are laughing about something. But I fall quiet when the teacher looks at me. I can’t feel the chill that runs down my spine. I know her. I don’t remember her name or nickname. I am back again in the park. The field. The ground. Baba is smiling, mildly, as he pushes the ball towards me. His lips are closed. I can’t feel the ball touching my feet. It’s just an object bouncing off me. The ball is gone now. The ground is breaking. The cracks are getting wider. I am falling. Baba? He is not here anymore. I am alone. No. I see people. Or are they ants? Things are falling around me. The ground is shattered. I am running towards the window. It’s like that game. You have to step on the right stones to cross the water. I forget the name. I am running, stepping, jumping. But gravity overpowers me. Physics wins. Physics? It was a subject in school. I don’t remember if I liked it. Did I hate it? What is hate? What is like?

Here I am, running, again. The ground is not breaking. There are walls with posters. Political parties. Movies. Advertisements. They are a blur. A mix of orange, green, white, red. I am laughing. No. Smiling. My teeth are out. I am bathed in sweat. I don’t feel hot. I can see others, people walking, selling, talking. I can’t hear voices. I can’t hear noise. The silence doesn’t scare me. Scare? What is that? Bits and pieces appear from nowhere. Maa is talking now. We are in the living room. No. My room. No. This is not our house. We are in a village. I can see a pond. There are trees, lots of them. And ducks, cows, cats. I know the walls are not made from bricks. It’s brown. It’s mud. There is a smell. Smell? I don’t know what it is. I can’t smell. It is dark now. But I can see a lamp. There is kerosene in it. I can’t smell it. Shadows appear on the walls. Humans, insects, leaves. There is a breeze. The trees dance. Now we are outside. There is light. I am batting. I am bowling. Batting? Bowling? Is it a game? People are running, laughing, fighting. They know me. I can’t remember their names or faces. It’s a blur.

Now, I am on a train. I am alone. I am smoking. The smoke rushes inside. Now, I am standing near the door. The air is slapping me. I don’t feel pain. Pain? What is that? Someone is there. A girl. She is pressing her lips to mine. I have no emotions. Emotions? It’s just another object touching me. Now she is lying there beside me. She is talking. I can make out the words H-A-P-P-Y. What is happy? I don’t know. She is still there, beside me. She is not moving. Is she dead? What is dead? Her chest rises and falls. She is alive! What is alive? I don’t know. I can’t feel anything.

There is no justice

It takes a second of moral judgement to disintegrate that which has been done for selfish needs. A sense of consciousness is all one requires to separate good from evil, wrong from right. But like every other subconscious object in this world, moral judgement and consciousness are fluid, never staying in one place, shifting and tuning to the butterfly effects of the universe. Judging a man’s deeds solely from action is morally incorrect as it leaves out space for the ‘if’s’ and ‘buts’. However, individuals make society and that which is socially acceptable becomes the moral high ground. If barbaric and inhuman torture is the ruling of the society then it must be delivered to morally corrupt criminals. The mass is always right. And why shouldn’t it? There is strength in unity and only the strong prevails. Justice therefore does not exist. What exists is the shadow of a reality. There is no justice system in a jungle and neither do they need one. Animals are governed by natural laws and that which they feel is necessary for survival.

Traditional Publishers in India

One of the biggest problems that worry new authors in India is how they can get their manuscripts published. Their dilemma arises from the fact that in India the publishing industry is not as well understood as in the west or other countries. The lines that separate different types of publishing are frequently blurred and new authors are often confused about which path they want for their book. Hence, it becomes difficult to find traditional publishers looking for new authors.

Traditional publishers are the real deal. Authors who wish to make a name for themselves in the literary world should aim to get published traditionally. Why? Because the intricate and tough process of getting selected can teach a new author many things about how the publishing world works, show the improvements they can make in their writing process, and expose their strengths and weakness as an author. The unknown debut authors without an audience or following who are selected for traditional publishing are really special because the very fact that a publisher is willing to spend grueling hours on editing, proof-reading and typesetting means that either the literature is of excellent quality or the book is marketable. Or sometimes both.

The Business model of traditional publishers is simple. Authors send manuscripts and the publisher either accepts or declines them. If accepted the authors receive (or don’t receive) an advance against the royalties they expect to receive from book sales.

In traditional publishing, authors don’t pay to get published but instead receive (or don’t receive) money from the publisher.

A

Alchemy Publishers (defunct)

About

Alchemy publishers is a boutique publishing house started by Mr C.K. Mehra and Mr S.K. Mehra, sons of Late Shri D. Mehra (founder of Rupa & Co.). They publish in a range of genres that includes self-help, philosophy, religion, wildlife, fiction, women’s studies, travel and coffee-table books.

Notable authors

None

Submission guidelines

They accept unsolicited manuscripts. You have to send a book proposal with the following details – Full name, Country, Phone Number, Book Genre, About yourself, Book synopsis, Manuscript (attachment in pdf or doc format) to editorial@alchemypublishers.co.in.

Contact

767/23, Pratap Street, Daryaganj, Ansari Road,

New Delhi, Delhi 110002

Phone: 011 2327-3838

Aleph Book Company

About

They call themselves “publishers of fine writing”, and rightfully so. Aleph book company was founded in 2011 by David Davidar in partnership with R. K. Mehra and Kapish Mehra of Rupa Publications India. It is an independent publishing company and since its inception has produced a slew of national and international books whose authors have received numerous accolades and awards.

Notable authors

Amitav Ghosh, Vikram Seth, Shashi Tharoor, Sudeep Charavarti, Ira Mukhoty, Jerry Pinto

Submission guidelines

They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts and must be contacted through an agent.

Contact

161, B-4, Ground Floor,

Gulmohar House,

Yusuf Sarai Community Centre,

New Delhi – 110049

Ph.: +91 11 49226666

B

Bee Books

About

Bee Books does not have much information about themselves on their website. It is a new company and mostly publishes translated works from Bengali classics to English.

Notable authors

Rabindranath Tagore, Manik Bandopadhyay, Bibhutibhusan Bandopadhyay, Prafulla Roy.

Submission guidelines

Check submission guidelines on their website.

Contact

1/1 BRINDABAN MALLICK LANE

KOLKATA – 700009

Ph: 033 2350 1944

Blackbuck Publication (defunct)

About

Blackbuck is a young independent publishing house that provides an opportunity for new talents to showcase their work. They publish fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Very little information is available about them and it is hard to say if they’re still in business or not. Their last title was published in 2017.

Notable authors

None

Submission guidelines

You have to send a proposal that has detailed synopsis, brief plot summary, brief author description and three sample chapters to editorial@blackbuckpublication.com.

Bloomsbury

About

Harry Potter has made Bloomsbury so famous that on their home page they have a separate space for Harry Potter alongside broad genres like fiction, non-fiction and children’s. Bloomsbury was founded by Nigel Newton in 1986 and has since represented award-winning and record-breaking works that have created history. They have offices in London, Oxford, New York, New Delhi and Sydney but represent authors from all over the world. Bloomsbury India was established in 2012.

Notable authors

J. K. Rowling, William Dalrymple, Shiv Khera, Shrabani Basu, Sandip Roy, Khalid Hosseini

Submission guidelines

Although nothing has been mentioned on their website, it is fair to assume that Bloomsbury will hardly entertain unsolicited manuscripts. Those interested can send their query and manuscripts to submissions@bloomsbury.com. However, it is advised to find an agent for representation.

Contact

DDA Complex, LSC, Building No.4,

Second Floor, Pocket C-6&7, Vasant Kunj

New Delhi 110070 India

Ph.: +91 11 40574957/+91 11 40574954

D

Duckbill

About

Duckbill publishing was established in 2012 and is run by Sayoni Basu and Anushka Ravishankar. Anushka is an author and has written over 30 books for children, many of which have won numerous awards. Sayoni has worked at Puffin, Scholastic and ACK Media. Duckbill publishes books exclusively for children and young adults. They have also been shortlisted for the London Book Fair International Excellence Awards in 2015.

Update: Duckbill is now part of Penguin Random House

Notable authors

Andaleeb Wajid, Anushka Ravishankar, Dr Tanu Shree Singh, Jerry Pinto, Sharanya Deepak

Submission guidelines

The submission guidelines are crisp and simple – just a few chapters along with a synopsis. They don’t even require a cv or a marketing plan. The samples can be mailed at feedtheplatypus@duckbill.in. They accept unsolicited manuscripts and one of their biggest criteria is that the story has to be for children in the age group 8 – 17 with a focus on a particular age. They do not publish picture books, activity books and poetry.

Contact

F­2 Oyster Opera, 35/36 Gangai Street Kalakshetra Colony,

Besant Nagar, Chennai 600090

E

Embassy Books

About

Embassy Books started out as a book distributing company in the 1917’s, probably one of the earliest in the country. The family book business run by Sohin Lakhani publishes “Life changing books” with the sole focus on personal growth, management, self-help, inspiration, health and mind body spirit. If you’re looking for a traditional publisher that focuses on self-help or personal growth, then Embassy Books is a good choice.

Notable authors

Priya Kumar, Andrew Matthews and Joseph Murphy

Submission guidelines

They accept unsolicited manuscripts provided it falls under the category of books published by them. Book proposals must contain a synopsis of your book, a table of contents, the first three chapters of your book, your vision and purpose for the book, the target group for your book and author Bio. The book proposal can be mailed to editorial@embassybooks.in. Physical copies can also be sent to their address.

Contact

120, Great Western Building,

Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce Lane, Fort,

Mumbai – 400 023, India

Ph. : +91-22-22819546

F

Fingerprint Publishing

About

Fingerprint Publishing is an imprint of Prakash Books India Pvt. Ltd., a book house and distribution company that has been in business for the last 60 years, possibly making it the largest in India. It has partnerships with some of the biggest names in the publishing industry that includes Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Hachette, Pan Mcmillan etc. Fingerprint Publishing was founded in 2012 and publishes a variety of genres including commercial fiction, narrative and general non-fiction, autobiographies, self-help etc. along with reprints of famous works by authors like George Orwell, Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Napoleon Hill etc.

Notable authors

Mostly the classic authors like Leo Tolstoy, Rudyard Kipling, Emily Bronte, Mark Twain, Anne Frank, Aristotle

Submission guidelines

They don’t have a website so the submission guidelines are not known. It is possible that they only accept solicited manuscripts.

Contact

Phone: 011 2326 5358

G

Gloryburg Publishing LLP

About

Gloryburg began its journey in 2018 and has published only one title so far. But they are planning on expanding operations and accepting new authors from India, the UK and the US.

Notable authors

Sarang Mahajan

Submission guidelines

They publish books that fall under fantasy/science fiction, thriller, mystery or adventure. You have to send the first three chapters, the complete storyline in two to three pages and your personal profile to submissions@gloryburg.com.

Contact

Use contact form.

Grapevine India

About

Grapevine was found in 2011 as a publisher of romance-fiction books but has now ventured into different types of fiction as well as books on politics and economics. Spearheaded by Sachin Garg, it has launched many famous Indian authors that includes the likes of Durjoy Dutta, Nikita Singh and Sachin himself.

Notable authors

Sachin Garg, Nikita Singh and Durjoy Dutta

Submission guidelines

Grapevine accepts unsolicited manuscripts and the proposal must include a synopsis and three sample chapters. It must be sent to grapevineindiapublishers@gmail.com.

Contact

Plot No. 4, Near Mother Dairy, Pandav Nagar, Naraina,

New Delhi, Delhi 110008

Grey Oak

About

Grey Oak is a trade-publisher whose primary focus is publishing mass-market paperbacks. It was founded in 2010 by Ali Mohammed Faiyaz along with Jaya Nair and also includes authors Ahmed Faiyaz and Deepak Dalal as founders. They have three imprints – Silverfish, Chiron and Plan D. Silverfish is targeted at young adults, Chiron is for books on travel, self-help, inspirational stories and biographies, and Plan D focuses on co-publishing assignments with authors. Since 2011, Grey Oak has also focused on independent film making and has produced close to 14 films in different categories.

Notable authors

Ahmed Faiyaz, Ira Trivedi and Chinmayi Bali

Submission guidelines

Their submission guidelines are a bit strict. Although it is mentioned on their website that they only accept submissions from Writer’s Side and Siyahi, the site does not seem to have been uploaded in a long time. For direct submissions, they have a list of criteria that must be fulfilled. More information can be found on http://www.greyoak.in/publish_
with_us.htm.

Contact

2nd Floor, Prestige Omega

No. 104 EPIP Zone Whitefield

Bangalore – 560066

Ph.: +91 80 40600963

H

Hachette India

About

Hachette needs no introduction. It is one of the big five of the publishing industry along with Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Mcmillan publishers and Simon and Schuster. Hachette India is part of Hachette UK which is coagulation of famous companies like Hodder & Stoughton, Little, Brown Book group, Orion, Orbit and many more. Hachette UK again is part of Hachette Livre France owned by the Lagardere group. Hachette has represented literary stalwarts like Enid Blyton, Stephen King, John Grisham and Robert Ludlum along with names like Vikram Seth, Amitav Ghosh and Gregory David Roberts.

Notable authors

Roopa Pai, Saikat Majumdar, Samit Basu, Anuradha Roy, Moti Nandy

Submission guidelines

Hachette India does not accept unsolicited manuscript for any category and accept manuscripts through a list of agents which is listed in their submission guidelines page. They have separate guidelines for adult and business books and children’s books. For the latter agents must send their manuscripts to crsubmissions@hachetteinida.com one page proposal that contains book outline or plot, characters and target readership, three sample chapters, three artwork (if any) and an author bio in 200 words.

Contact

4th/5th Floors, Corporate Centre; Plot no 94, Sector 44

Gurgaon-122003 INDIA

Ph: (Board) +91-124-4195000

Half Baked Beans Publishing

About

Half Baked Beans is one of the newer traditional publishers in India. They provide a platform for new authors who want to express themselves in the form of the written word. They also provide a variety of services including co-authoring, marketing, editing and others. It was founded by Chetan Soni in 2014.

Notable authors

Durriya Kapasi, Prasupta Roy, Chetan Soni

Submission guidelines

Their submission guidelines are simple. Submit an author’s bio, synopsis and three sample chapters to publish@halfbakedbeans.in in .doc format. Since they accept every genre, including poetry, there’s little that new writers should be worried about. Also, they reply in less than a week, so that’s another bonus for new writers.

Contact

Use contact form.

HarperCollins Publishers India

About

Harper Collins is a publishing house that has been around for almost 2 centuries making it one of the oldest in the world. In India, it has ruled the Indian book markets for 25 years and continues to do so with the award-winning and literary giants they represent every single year. Some of the biggest names in the world like Paulo Coelho, Agatha Christie, Issac Asimov, JRR Tolkien and Jeffery Archer are or have been part of the Harper family. In almost every book list for major awards in the world, there will be at least one or two books from Harper.

Notable authors

Paulo Coelho, A.P.J Kalam, Kunal Basu, Kiran Nagarkar, Jhumpa Lahiri, Anita Nair, Amitabh Bagchi, Anuja Chauhan, Arvind Adiga

Submission guidelines

Harper accepts unsolicited work in a wide range of genres across both fiction and non-fiction. The detailed proposal should include a synopsis and three sample chapters and can either be e-mailed to submissions@harpercollins.co.in or mailed to their address as a hard copy.

Contact

A-75, Sector 57 NOIDA,

UP 201 301 India

Ph.: +91 120 4044800

Hay House India

About

Hay House was founded in 1984 by the New York Times best-selling author Louise Hay to self-publish her book You can heal your life which went on to sell 50 million copies worldwide. After her death, Reid Tracy took over the role of CEO. The Indian operation is headed by Ashok Chopra who has held important positions in Vikas Publishing House, Macmillan India, USB Publishers, India Today Book Club and HarperCollins. Hay House is the leading publisher in the mind-body-spirit genre in the world and continues to grow every year with their wide range of books and products.

Notable authors

Louise Hay, Shoba De, Deepak Chopra, Robin Sharma, Anupam Kher, Kiran Bedi, Fali S. Nariman

Submission guidelines

Hay House accepts unsolicited manuscripts and book proposals can either be e-mailed to submissions@hayhouse.co.in or mailed to the submissions department on their physical address as a hard copy. The book must fall within the genre of uplifting the mind, body and spirit to be considered for publication.

(P.S. I have been published by Hay House India and through the unsolicited path. I will talk about my journey as a traditionally published author in a separate book)

Contact

Muskaan Complex, Plot No. 3, B-2, Vasant Kunj,

New Delhi – 110070

Ph: 011 41761620

I

Indus Source Books

About

Indus Source Books is an independent and niche publisher of books on spirituality, health, history/politics, business, self-help, and general non-fiction. They have co-published titles with publishers like HarperCollins and Manjul Publishing. Their Marathi publishing platform was launched in 2013 and has published authors like Veena Gavankar and Arundhati Khandkar.

Notable authors

M.V. Kamath, Balraj Krishna, Devdutt Pattanaik, R.D. Pradhan, V. Balachandran, and Sidharth Bhatia.

Submission guidelines

They have a list of guidelines which can be found on https://www.indussource.com/
guidelines/. The proposal must be mailed to editor.indussource@gmail.com.

Contact

PO Box no 6194

Malabar Hill PO

Mumbai 400 006 India

J

Jaico Publishing House

About

Jaico Publishing House was founded by the late Jaman Shah in 1946 and is one of the oldest pre-independence traditional publishing houses in the country. Jaico was first established as a book distribution company and later turned its interests towards publishing. It has published famous authors who have gone on to sell millions of copies in India. Jaico mainly publishes in the genres of self-help, religion, spirituality and mind-body-spirit with a renewed focus on popular fiction. They also translate English content into nine regional languages.

Notable authors

Robin Sharma, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, The Dalai Lama, Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, Osho

Submission guidelines

Jaico accepts unsolicited manuscripts. You need to send your manuscript along with a form which can be found on http://www.jaicobooks.com/j/BookSubmission.htm to jaicopub@jaicobooks.com. It has not been mentioned whether you need to send sample chapters or the entire manuscript but in all likelihood, they will only read a few chapters. So, it’s better to send samples.

Contact

JAICO PUBLISHING HOUSE

127,M.G. Road, Mumbai – 400 023 India

Juggernaut

About

Lately, Juggernaut has been turning heads in the publishing world, and for all the right reasons. Founded by Chiki Sarkar, Juggernaut is a digital book publishing house that encourages short reads by new authors. While most of their publishing is done on their mobile app or website, they do publish physical books which are distributed by Hachette. They also have a writing platform similar to Wattpad where anyone can publish their writings for others to read. It helps discoverability of new authors by editors of publishing houses looking for new content.

Notable authors

Deepanjana Pal, Rujuta Diwekar, Amitabha Bagchi and Benyamin.

Submission guidelines

You have to send two sample chapters and a synopsis to the emails listed on https://www.
juggernaut.in/published depending upon the genre.

Contact

Use contact form.

K

Karadi Tales

About

Karadi Tales was established in 1996 with the aim of publishing quality picture books and audiobooks for children. It is an independent publishing house based in Chennai and some of its books have crossed the 1,00,000 mark while most selling over 20,000 copies. Founded by Shobha Viswanath, Narayan Parasuram and C.P. Viswanath, Karadi Tales focuses on creating a special space for Indian culture in children’s literature.

Notable authors

Anushka Ravishankar, Annie Besant, Manasi Subramaniam and Samit Basu.

Submission guidelines

Karadi Tales accepts unsolicited manuscripts and more information can be found on https://www.karaditales.com/company/photo-gallery/submissions/manuscript/. Illustrators and storytellers have different submission guidelines.

Contact

3A Dev Regency,11, First Main Road,

Gandhinagar, Adyar, Chennai – 600 020 India

Phone: +91 44 2442 1775/+91 44 4205 4243

Katha

About

In 1988, Katha began as a magazine for children from the unpriviledged communities. Katha brings quality literature and education to children living in poverty, and for the last 30 years, they have lent a helping hand to help them come out of poverty. Some of their initiatives in the country include Katha Lab School, Katha’s Slum Resurgence Initiative (SRI), Katha English Academy (KENGA), Katha School of Entrepreneurship (KSE), etc. They have published over 400 titles in 21 Indian and 12 foreign languages.

Notable authors

No known author as such.

Submission guidelines

You have to query at either kathakaar@katha.org or editors@katha.org for more information.

Contact

Katha. A3 – Sarvodaya Enclave,

Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi – 110017 India

Ph.: +91 11 4141 6600

L

Leadstart Publishing

About

Leadstart Publishing is a leading publishing house that publishes over 200 titles every year. Their authors have won almost every major literary award in the country including Padma Bhushan, Sahitya Akademi Award, Vodafone Crossword Awards, and the Jnanpith Award. They have the largest distribution network in the country with retail distribution spread over 100 cities. They have 9 imprints and have been termed as ‘the fastest-growing book publishing company in India today’ by The Week magazine. Leadstart also runs a literary agency that fosters fresh talent in the country.

Notable authors

Anand Neelakantan, Kiran Manral, Jaya Padmanabhan, and Anuja Chandramouli.

Submission guidelines

You have to submit a number of things, the details of which can be found on https://
www.leadstartcorp.com/get-published/.

Contact

Unit – 25-26, Building A/1,

Near Wadala R.T.O.,

Wadala(E), Mumbai – 400 037 India

Ph.: +91 9699933000

M

Manjul Publishing House

About

Manjul publishing house was established in 1999 in Bhopal and is an independent publishing house. They are the best publishing house that has created Indian language translations of popular books that include the Harry Potter series (Hindi and Marathi), Stephen R. Covey’s The seven habits of highly effective people (Hindi and Marathi) and Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad (several languages). They also publish in other Indian languages like Kannada, Bengali, Tamil, Assamese, Gujarati etc. Amaryllis is their English imprint and along with Manjul has over 700 titles on its backlist.

Notable authors

Ashok K. Banker, Deepti Naval, Sharath Komarraju, Sudheendra Kulkarni

Submission guidelines

Manjul accepts manuscripts in the genres of inspirational, self-help, management, health and wellbeing. You have to send the synopsis of your book containing three sample chapters to manjul@manjulindia.com or a hardcopy to their physical address.

Contact

2nd Floor, Usha Preet Complex,

42 Malviya Nagar, Bhopal-462 003 INDIA

Ph: +91 755 424 0340

N

Niyogi Books

About

Niyogi Books is the leader when it comes to illustrated books in India. Since their inception in 2005, they have published many award-winning authors, journalists and photographers who create high-quality fiction, non-fiction and translations. They also publish on a wide range of subjects including philosophy, heritage, culture, textiles and maps. They publish fiction, translations and non-illustrated non-fiction through Olive Turtle, Thornbird and Paper Missile respectively. They publish illustrated Hindi books through their imprint Bahuvachan.

Notable authors

B.N. Goswamy, Geeta Chandran, Hugh and Colleen Gantzer, Lata Mangeshkar, Mushirul Hasan, Jaya Jaitly, Sethu and Raghu Rai.

Submission guidelines

You have the check the specific type of books they accept and the submission guidelines on http://niyogibooksindia.com/submissions.

Contact

D-77, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase 1,

New Delhi-110020 India

Ph.: +91 11-26816301/26818960

O

Om Books International

About

Om Books International (OBI) has been a book retailer and distributor for more than 50 years in India. They are one of the largest trade publishers of books in English. Apart from best-selling titles in literary fiction, OBI publishes monographs in art, architecture, fashion, narrative non-fiction, mind-body-spirit and many others. They have also published many cinema-related books from celebrities like A R Rahman, Shah Rukh Khan, Amir Khan etc. They publish children’s books under their imprint OmKidz and the varied list includes Early Learning, Baby Record Books, Reference Books, Picture Storybooks, Indian Epics, Illustrated Classics, Comics, Graphic Novels, and many more.

Notable authors

Khalid Mohamed, Kamala Das and Bi Feiyu

Submission guidelines

You have to send your submissions to editorial@ombooks.com and must include a CV of author/photographer, a synopsis, sample visual material (if illustrations are present) and some sample chapters. The evaluation will take 8 – 12 weeks.

Contact

A 12, Sector 64,

Noida 201 301, Uttar Pradesh, India

Ph.: +91 120 477 4100

P

Pan Macmillan India

About

Pan Macmillan is one of the big five and a part of Macmillan publishers who have been in the publishing business for over 150 years and started publishing and selling books under their Picador, India imprint. Their other imprints include Pan, Macmillan, Tor, Campbell Books and many more. They publish children’s book under a special children’s imprint called Macmillan Children’s books.

Notable authors

Arvind Adiga, Ramchandra Guha, V. S. Naipaul, Kunal Basu and Rupa Bajwa.

Submission guidelines

Pan Macmillan gives more priority to manuscripts submitted through literary agents, but they accept unsolicited manuscripts too. You have to send your submissions containing a synopsis, brief chapter outlines, first three chapters, author bio, and notes about the target audience, age group etc., to paneditorial@macmillan.co.in. Please note that accept only electronic submissions and have specific requirements for the same which can be found on their submission guidelines page.

Contact

707, 7th Floor, Kailash Building,

26, K.G. Marg,

New Delhi -110001

Ph: 011 – 23320837/38

Penguin Random House

About

Penguin Random House needs no introduction. With an estimated price tag of £2.4 billion, Bertelsmann’s Random House and Pearson’s Penguin in 2013 is possibly the biggest and richest merger in the history of publishing! Penguin Books was started by Sir Allen Lane and his brothers in 1935 as a means of publishing inexpensive paperbacks with quality content. When Penguin started its operations in India in 1985, only six titles were published by 1987. Today they create more than 250 new titles with quality content every year. Imprints Puffin and Ladybird are two of the most iconic publishing houses in the world today for children’s literature.

Notable authors

Arundhati Roy, Amitav Ghosh, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Ruskin Bond, Haruki Murakami, Orhan Pamuk, Amartya Sen, S. Hussain Zaidi, Benyamin, Shashi Tharoor and Taslima Nasreen

Submission guidelines

Penguin accepts unsolicited manuscripts and you must send your book proposal containing detailed synopsis, chapter outline and two sample chapters for novels or five stories/poems for short stories/poetry to submission@penguinrandomhouse.in. Or you can alternatively send hard copy submission to their physical address.

Contact

7th Floor, C, Infinity Tower,

DLF Cyber City, DLF Phase 1, Sector 24, Gurugram,

Haryana 122002

Ph: 0124 478 5600

Pirates

About

Pirates is a creative house set up by a couple of IITians that is invested in both books and films. Under the banner Pirates Enhanced Editions, they have published a series of classics. Their imprint Paradox publishes books on spirituality and related non-fiction work.

Notable authors

None as such.

Submission guidelines

You have to mail the synopsis and the first five chapters of your novel/non-fiction narrative to lab@pirates.ind.in. You can include other things in your book proposal.

Contact

Use contact form.

Popular Prakashan

About

Popular Prakashan is India’s oldest independent publishing house and is almost 90 years old. They have a publishing list of over 4,000 titles and are credited with publishing some of the finest authors in the country. Of them, Shyam Manohar and Vinda Karandika have won the Sahitya Akademi Award. Their managing director, Ramdas G Bhatkal, has been the recipient of the Bhagwat Memorial Award for Excellence in Publishing in 2009. 

Notable authors

Mrs Archana P Bhandarkar, Kapil Pathare. V V Shirwadkar, Vinda Karandikar and Vijay Tendulkar.

Submission guidelines

You have to send your book proposal containing summary, table of contents, sample chapters and about the author to their address. You can send hard copies and for soft copies, you have to inquire using the form on http://www.popularprakashan.com/
ContactUs.aspx.

Contact

301, Mahalaxmi Chambers,

22, Bhulabhai Desai Road,

Mumbai – 400026 India

Ph.: +91 22-23530303

Pustak Mahal

About

Pustak Mahal is best remembered as the creator of the “world famous” series of books that became extremely popular in the 90s. Founded in 1974, Pustak Mahal is family-owned business headquartered in New Delhi. They publish books in a range of genres that include English learning courses, cookery, astrology, self-help, children’s education and general knowledge. They are also famous for their “Rapidex English Speaking Course” book which was endorsed by Indian cricketer Kapil Dev. They have two imprints – Cedar Books that publishes fiction and Hindoology Books that publishes books on Hindu Mythology. They are also one of the first publishers to digitize their works.

Notable authors

No known author as such

Submission guidelines

There is no information regarding submission guidelines on their website.

Contact

Office No. J-3/16, Ansari Rd, Dariya Ganj,

New Delhi, Delhi 110002

Ph: 011 2327 2783

R

Readomania

About

Readomania is a traditional publishing house that also provides an online publishing platform for budding authors. Authors can upload their manuscripts after logging into the website and get their work noticed by editors. Those that require polishing and rework is handled accordingly.

Notable authors

Sutapa Basu, Supriya Newar, Manjari Prabhu, Harshali Singh and Sourabh Mukherjee.

Submission guidelines

The details about publishing with them can be found on https://www.readomania.com/
readomania-publishing.

Contact

466, DDA SFS Apartments, Pocket 1,

Sector 22, Dwarka, New Delhi

Redgrab Books

About

There is no information about them available on their website but it is mentioned that they operate as a traditional house.

Notable authors

None as such

Submission guidelines

More information is available on http://redgrabbooks.com/articles/submission/.

Contact

942, Arya kanya chauraha, Mutthiganj,

Prayagraj, UP, India

Ph.: 8887621755

Roli books

About

Roli books is a mid-sized publishing house that has been in the country for 40 years. Their books are all about quality, design and innovation. They are probably one of the rarest publishers to transition into high-quality gift and stationery products that are sold through their stores. They do publish fiction but the list is small compared to other non-fiction genres. They have a range of title son art, photography and culture.

Notable authors

S. Hussain Zaidi, M. J. Akbar, Kapil Sibal, Namita Gokhale and Mamata Banerjee

Submission guidelines

There is no information regarding submission guidelines on their website. You have to contact info@rolibooks.com for more information.

Contact

M – 75, Greater Kailash 2 Market,

New Delhi, Delhi – 110048

Ph: 011 – 40682000

Rumour Books India

About

Rumour Books India (RBI) is one of the youngest publishing houses in the country. It was established by Reekrit Serai and Radhika Panicker in 2013. But in that short time, RBI has produced award-winning authors and titles. Their list of crime fiction is quite good.

Notable authors

Vish Dhamija, Kulpreet Yadav, Saad Bin Jung, Harsh Snehanshu and Ketan Bhagat

Submission guidelines

The book proposal you send must contain brief synopsis, chapter outline, three sample chapters, a sample of cover design, target market, marketing plan and CV. The e-mail containing the name of work and author name in the subject line must be sent either to editorial@rumourbooks.com or rumourbooks@gmail.com.

Contact

Plot No. 40, Sector 4,

Panchkula (Chandigarh)

Haryana – 134 112 India

Rupa Publications (Rupa & Co.)

About

Rupa Publishers has come a long way since they were first founded 80 years back. What started out as a small distributor and importer of books has now become synonymous with best-selling titles thereby Their first logo was designed by Satyajit Ray who asked for books as compensation. Kapish Mehra, the current MD of the company has helped launch Aleph Book Company in 2012.

Notable authors

Chetan Bhagat, Anita Nair, Saba Naqvi, Shashi Deshpande and Anuja Chauhan

Submission guidelines

You have to send your submission containing synopsis and three sample chapters to  editorial@rupapublications.com. You can also send the hard copy for the same to their physical address.

Contact

161, B-4, Ground Floor,

Gulmohar House,

Yusuf Sarai Community Centre,

New Delhi – 110 049

S

Scholastic India

About

When it comes to children’s books there is no publishing bigger than Scholastic. They have operations all over the world and have represented authors like J. K. Rowling, Philip Pullman and Suzanne Collins in the past. Scholastic India was established in 1997 and is the largest publisher of children’s books focussing mainly on children and educational materials.

Notable authors

Paro Anand, Ruskin Bond, Sampurna Chattarji and Anushka Ravishankar

Submission guidelines

Scholastic India accepts unsolicited manuscripts as long as it’s a children’s book that falls under the genres they publish. You have to submit a short synopsis, three sample chapters or complete manuscript and a brief cover letter to contact@scholastic.co.in.

Contact

A-27, Ground Floor

Bharti Sigma Centre

Infocity-1, Sector 34

Gurgaon – 122001

Simon and Schuster India

About

Simon and Schuster is the last big five publishing house on this list but in no ways behind in terms of excellence and quality. The company started in 1924 as a publisher for crossword publishers when Simon’s aunt complained that there wasn’t any book available on the New York World crossword puzzles which were extremely popular at that time. In the 90s S&S was the largest book publisher in the United States with sales touching close to $1.2 billion every year. They publish fiction, non-fiction and children’s books under a variety of imprints which include Atheneum, Free Press, Howard, Little Simon, Scribner and many more.

Notable authors

Prayag Akbar, Jayram Ramesh, Ashok Banker, Narayani Basu and Priya Sahgal

Submission guidelines

They do not entertain unsolicited manuscripts. However, they have a self-publishing division called Archway Publishing and more information can be found on  www.archwaypublishing.com.

Contact

163, 6th Floor, Tower A

The Corenthum

A-41, Sector-62

Noida – 201301 India

Ph: (91) 120 4089 38

Speaking Tiger

About

Founded in 2014 and based in New Delhi, Speaking Tiger is a young independent house that puts a lot of emphasis on new voices. They publish fiction, non-fiction and academic titles from South Asia.

Notable authors

Shinie Anthony, Ruskin Bond, Andaleeb Wajid, Meghnad Desai and Paro Anand

Submission guidelines

You have to send a query letter containing brief synopsis and three sample chapters to  editorial@speakingtiger.com in case of fiction. For non-fiction, you have to send the soft copy of a detailed proposal.

Contact

4381/4, Ansari Road, Darya Ganj,

New Delhi-110002, India

Srishti Publishers

About

For the last 18 years, Srishti Publishers has remained unmatched in being a launchpad for first-time young authors in India. It has been the starting point of many contemporary fiction authors who have gone on to establish themselves as individuals with a dedicated fan following in India and still continue to do so. They started with publishing books containing quotes from Mahabharata and Ramayana and later moved to other genres. They have also been leaders in translating works.

(P.S.: Srishti has a self-publishing division that publishes under the same name. However, there is no information about it on their website and hence they have been put under traditional publishers)

Notable authors

Durjoy Dutta, Preeti Shenoy, Ajay K. Pandey, Sudeep Nagarkar and Ravinder Singh.

Submission guidelines

While they do publish both fiction and non-fiction, you’ll stand a good chance if you’re a new young author and if it falls under the contemporary romance genre. You have to send a soft copy of your proposal containing chapter-wise synopsis, three sample chapters, author details, marketing plan and target audience to  editorial@srishtipublishers.com.

Contact

212-A, Peacock Lane,

New Delhi – 110049

Ph: 011-41751981

Stree-Samya (Bhatkal and Sen)

About

Bhatkal and Sen is a publishing partnership between Mandira Sen and the Bhatkals of Popular Prakashan. The books are now published under either of their two imprints Stree and Samya. Stree was founded in 1990 and publishes books in Hindi, English and Bengali that focuses mainly on gender studies, especially the status of women in society. Samya was founded in 1996 and focuses on culture and dissent.

Notable authors

Kancha Ilaiah, Om Prakash Valmiki, Uma Chakravarti, Gail Omvedt, Manikuntala Sen, Ashok Mitra, V. Geetha, and Bani Basu.

Submission guidelines

There is no information available on their website regarding submission guidelines.

Contact

16 Southern Avenue,

Kolkata – 700026 India

Ph.: (033) 2466 0812/6519 5737

T

Tara Books

About

Tara Books was started by Gita Wolf more than 20 years ago. She is a writer with almost 20 award-winning books under her name that have opened up the area of experimental children’s literature.

Notable authors

Gita Wolf

Submission

No information is available on their website.

Contact

No. 9, CGE Colony

Thiruvanmiyur

Chennai – 600 041 India

Email: hello@tarabooks.com

Ph.: +91 (0) 4424426696

TreeShade Books

About

There is no information available on their website.

Notable authors

Vineet Bajpai and S. Venkatesh.

Submission guidelines

You have to mail a 300-word synopsis of your work and a 50-word author profile to publish@treeshadeBooks.com.

Contacts

Use contact form.

Tulika Books

About

Tulika Books was established in 1996 in Chennai with a specific focus on children’s picture books. They publish in English and in other languages as well that includes Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali. They also publish fiction, non-fiction and graphic novels as long as they are for children.

Notable authors

Nandana Dev Sen, Kavita Singh Kale, Devdutt Pattanaik and Annie Besant

Submission guidelines

You have to send the story and pictures in case of picture books and synopsis, chapter outline and two sample chapters in case of fiction and non-fiction to submissions@
tulikabooks.com.

Contact

305, Manickam Avenue, TTK Road,

Alwarpet

Chennai – 600018 Tamil Nadu, India

Ph.: +91 (044) 2499 1639/ 1407/ 1428

V

Vij Books

About

Vij Books was established in 2005 but began operations in 2008. Since then, they have represented more than 1000 titles under three imprints – Vij Books, Quills Ink and Alpha Editions. They have also published books for national institutes like United Service Institution of India (USI), Centre for Security Analysis (CSA), Indian Council for World Affairs (ICWA) and National Maritime Foundation (NMF).

Notable authors

None as such.

Submission guidelines

You have to mail your query and a book proposal containing a synopsis, a table of contents, one or two sample chapters, author bio and target audience to pradip@
vijpublishing.com.

Contact

2/19, 2nd Floor, Ansari Road, Darya Ganj

New Delhi – 110002 India

Ph.: +91-11- 43596460/47340674

Vishwakarma Publications

About

Vishwakarma is another publishing house that provides a platform for new authors. They are a sister company to the Vishwakarma institutes and the official Title sponsor of the Pune International Literary Festival where they choose selected authors and publish their stories. They publish in three languages – Marathi, Hindi and English.

Notable authors

Anand Neelakantan, Kavita Kane and Pratibha Deshpande

Submission guidelines

You have to submit a book form given on their submissions page along with author’s profile, synopsis, three sample chapters (min 5000 words) to editor@
vishwakarmapublications.com.

Contact

34A/1, Suyog Center, 7th Floor,

Gultekadi Marketyard Road,

Giridhar Bhawan Chowk,

Pune – 411037

Ph: +91-20-24525541

W

Westland

About

Westland publishers shifted from distribution to publishing in 2007 and has since become one of the top publishers in India. Most of their famous authors have consistently been on the top 10 and top 50 charts according to the Nielsen Book Scan. In 2016, Amazon India acquired Westland Ltd. for more global outreach. Their imprints include Tranquebar Press, Hindi Yugm, Yatra, Mysticswrite and East West.

Notable authors

Amish Tripathi, Ashwin Sanghi, Preeti Shenoy, Savi Sharma, Christopher C. Doyle, Rujuta Diwekar, Ravi Subramaniam and Rashmi Bansal.

Submission guidelines

Currently, they don’t have a dedicated website so it’s hard to say what their submission guidelines are.

Contact

No. 61, silverline building,

maduravayil, Alappakkam Main Rd,

Chennai – 600095 Tamil Nadu

Y

Yoda Press

About

Yoda Press started in 2004 with the aim of publishing books that deal with subjects not usually dealt with by other publishers. Most of their titles are themed around LGBTQ and sexuality. In 2015, they teamed up with Sage Publications to publish academic titles under the name SAGE-YODA PRESS. In 2016, they won Publishing Next Publisher of the Year Award 2016.

Notable authors

Boria Majumdar and Harsh Mander.

Submission guidelines

They don’t have submission guidelines on their website and you have to inquire at info@
yodapress.co.in.

Contact

141A Second Floor,

Shahpur Jat

New Delhi 110 049 India

Z

Zubaan

About

Zubaan Books is an imprint of the publishing house Kali for Women, which was founded in 1984 as India’s first feminist publishing house. Zubaan was formed in 2004 by Urvashi Butalia when she and Ritu Menon, co-founder of Kali for Women decided to form their own independent houses. Since then, Zubaan has published on a wide number of topics related to the status of women.

Notable authors

Natasha Sharma, Priya Sarukkai Chabria and Suniti Namjoshi.

Submission guidelines

Use the form on https://zubaanbooks.com/authors-corner/submitting-manuscripts-to-zubaan/ to make submissions.

Contact

128 B, First Floor

Shahpur Jat, New Delhi

Delhi 110 049 India

Ph.: +91-11-26494613/+91-11-26494618

Flights – the journey of a novel in fragments

The distinctness of every culture can be found hidden, like a Morse code, within the nooks and creases of language. Which is why, translation is not an easy job, especially literature where the central idea encompasses a wide range of moods and emotions. It would be wrong to say that Olga Tokarczuk is the exclusive author of this book; this referring to the translated work and not the original in polish. That is why for the rest of the review, I shall refer to the author as Tokarczuk-Croft or T-C, giving equal status to the multi-talented American author, critic and translator, Jennifer Croft.

There are countries out there where people speak English. But not like us – we have our own languages hidden in our carry-on luggage, in our cosmetics bags, only ever using English when we travel, and then only in foreign countries, to foreign people.

The story is disjointed and yet glued together by one common theme – travel. We know very little of the author – not even her name – except for the fact that she is a dedicated traveller, unlike her parents who only experimented with travelling. Through vignettes, little pieces that use imagery and descriptive language to describe a single moment, character(s), place, time, or event, T-C explores the world of travelling like no other.

Standing there on the embankment, staring into the current, I realized that—in spite of all the risks involved—a thing in motion will always be better than a thing at rest; that change will always be a nobler thing than permanence; that that which is static will degenerate and decay, turn to ash, while that which is in motion is able to last for all eternity.

From sanitary pads and guidebooks to tales of transported hearts across volatile borders, Flights quickly becomes a literary concoction of fact and fiction. The stories of a German doctor obsessed with human anatomy, a polish man searching for his lost family on an island, and that of a sister’s letters to the emperor of Austria desperately pleading him to take down the dead body of her brother from exhibition, are interspersed between airports, hotel lobbies, train journeys, and lectures on travel psychology. Flights is a constant trip between 17th and 20th century, but one that takes off at a leisurely pace, travels slowly, and lands softly. The prose never gets caught in sudden air pockets and after the journey ends, the reader is jet-lagged from the beautiful lines that makes the experience philosophical and profound.

I wasn’t in a hurry. I never have to be in any particular place at any particular time. Let time watch me, not me it.

When I first picked up the book, I had little idea what I was heading into. I had no clue that T-C would take me on a journey across centuries, countries, and emotions. It took me almost two months to finish this book. Not because it was a tough read but because I had to pause at every line and enjoy the profoundness and depth that T-C laced them with. In all honesty, I wanted to abandon the book after 100 odd pages, but such is the power of the language in Flights that I had to return like an addict going through cold turkey.

Childhood

And then one day you will wake up and find that all your friends are gone. You will realize that the life you have woken up to is not the life you had when you went to sleep. You went to sleep dreaming and you woke up in a nightmare. This nightmare is called adulthood. It will seduce you with fake promises and then cheat you of your peace. A day will come when you will search exasperatedly for your happiness but you will find none. It does not exist. It did once upon a time but you were busy living it, too naïve to realize that what you had was the most precious thing in the world. What happened? Where did it all go? Why did it have to be like this? No one has answers to these question, not even the wisest person. Sometimes at night when you go to bed with a head full of worry and a heart filled with depression, a long forgotten face will peak out from the far corners of your unconscious mind and call your name. It will say, “how are you my friend? How is your life? Do you want to come and play the way we used to?”. And that is the moment you will pour out all your feelings and cry; cry like you have never cried before because when you wake up you will realize that it was just a dream.

Fifty years from now when you are sitting on an empty platform, when everyone has left and when the last train has pulled out from the station, you will still be the same person as you are now, drenched in the rain of memories and yearning for the warmth of your childhood. But you have to move on, carry on with whatever you have because that is life’s truth and you have to accept it whether you like it or not. Your friends will leave you, your family will disappear, and your life will slowly fade away but it’s very, very important that you carry on with whatever you are doing. Life is one big question and the answer to it is death. But before the question can be answered you have to search for the answer. The search is very important. When the last chapter is done, you will realize with tears in your eyes and a smile on your face, how beautifully the book has been written. You will dream those childish dreams once again and live those sweet and beautiful moments of your life for one last time. And then you will get the thing that you were frantically searching for all your life-happiness.

Life – a suicide note? II

Dear …,

I called you but you didn’t pick up the phone. I called you again but you said you were busy. When I called you a third time we spoke about your problems. You hung up because someone behind you called your name and you said it was something urgent. I let go of the line. I didn’t have anyone else to talk to so I waited near the telephone in case you called. But the phone did not ring and the brutish and savage conspiracy that the universe had brewed specifically for me, suddenly spilled over my entire body and I walked away with heavy steps. My hopes refused to part ways with the telephone and reluctantly I carried my despondent body around town looking for a familiar face or expecting to hear a friendly voice call out my name but as I said, the universe had conspired against me in the most inhuman manner. I was all alone. I don’t know when but I got drunk. I even popped a few pills I found in my coat pocket. Soon my nonexistent body was floating on the face of this Earth like a ghost. Images went past me in a blur. I tried to make some meaning out of them but things like reason and meaning had long since abandoned me. The only assurance I got which told me I wasn’t insane was from the telephone booth. While the whole world felt like drops of ink in turbulent water, the telephone booth stood rock steady. The lonely box waited in the middle of the street like an expectant lover who has been stood up by her true love for the very first time. I felt sad for her and approached with discreet steps. The telephone, a black piece of art, lying there in solitude with no one to wrap their warm arms and comfort it in this terrible city. I felt sad. I felt so very sad that I sat near it and cried. I did not cry about anything in particular. I just cried because I wanted to. And I saw the shadows as they flew past me, never stopping, never comforting.

The evening sun slowly melted away into the mélange of different colors. As the sky painted out a picture of retreat on the canvas of our continually changing lives, I decided to give you a call. The phone rang once, twice, thrice and then you picked it up. But no it wasn’t you. The voice on the other end of the line was funny. I broke into hysterical laughter. Man it hurt! Yes, it hurt a lot. When I left the booth, the sky was black or was it my life? The moon hung its sad face in the sky, displaying the sadness it kept locked away in its heart while poets and lovers danced and romanced the night away. I headed home or wherever I ended up spending the night in this misty planet. I had time to kill till tomorrow morning when once again we would reunite over the phone, so I’ll rest my body for a while – my tired, fragile little body. And by the way if I don’t call you tomorrow, please come over to my place or wherever I am and you will find this letter beside the telephone. I might still be asleep so don’t wake me up. When I wake up I’ll call you.

Goodbye.

Life – a suicide note? I

In a world full of chance and randomness, the word “routine” should be a misfit. But the ones who live in great obscurity with unexpected movements and surprising actions are the ones who are shunned, abandoned and frowned-upon by the “minority”.

If a lie is the truth then what does that make us? Are we a lie or are we the truth? Does death become meaningless or does it mean we are alive? Maybe we are just stuck in between two doors – life and death – wondering which way lie the greatest pleasures of being alive.

We are all suicide notes, a statement between two opposing ideas, a place where we have learnt to live, to call our own since the day we gained consciousness. And as a suicide note we have always wanted to belong somewhere. This sense of belonging has turned us into nothing but a pendulum, constantly swaying between two worlds – one where we belong and one where we want to belong.

Those whose veins tremble with the ebb and flow of life can never be found because we can’t see them, our blindness brought about by our incapacity to truly feel what it means to be alive.

Words

For a moment lost in translation,
the heart becomes desolate
and meaningless words struggle 
to make an impression.

The words that fall into empty spaces
between you and I
are as empty as my courage 
and your suitcases.

But they crawl back into my mouth
letter by letter,
covered in filth, 
and looking uncouth.

And as they linger in contemplation,
I am afraid
if they will ever reach 
their desired destination.

But I know it in my heart
and hope you will understand too
that the journey is more important 
than the end or the start.

So they wash the stain
and embark again
on the greatest journey 
we have ever taken.

Once

Once, 
we were lovers
lost in the maze of crumpled bedsheets, new wine, and old books;
discovering each other’s body
like two mice in an infinite maze.
Once, 
I remember we ran
as if the wind was at our heels;
dodging the corpses scattered on the streets
like addicts after a rave party.
Once, 
we laughed
like teenagers tripping on acid;
up we went like two balloons
until our heads poked the clouds.
Once, 
we cried, or one of us did,
as if the world had abandoned us.
And all that was left 
was a murdering silence.
Once, 
the world collapsed
on our feeble chests;
we quietly died 
underneath the weight of duty.
Once, 
we were children;
we played little games and acted big;
unaware of our innocence
until they got tainted and maimed.
Once, 
we were dreamers;
on ordinary skies we built ornate palaces
and in empty pockets 
we filled simple memories.

Once, 
when we were lovers
life felt like life and nothing else.

Writer’s Block is a blasted lie!

  • image courtesy Google

*All images taken from Google under usage labeled for reuse

From John Steinbeck and Toni Morrison to Rumaan Alam and Nora Ephron, from old to new, famous writers and authors have not only trashed the idea of writer’s block but they have also called it fiction, a question that hasn’t been solved yet and a concept that is most definitely a lie.

Ray Bradbury, author of classics like Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles and probably the greatest American sci-fi writer of the 20th century (apologies to the Big Three!) once said in “Telling the Truth” that he never gets writer’s block because he knows what he wants to write. Actually, his precise words were this:

“Well, it’s obvious you’re doing the wrong thing, aren’t you?… You’re being warned, aren’t you? Your subconscious is saying I don’t like you anymore. You’re writing about things I don’t give a damn for… If you have writers’ block you can cure it this evening by stopping what you’re doing and writing something else. You picked the wrong subject.”

Writing is a simple process. You do what you want to do and that’s the end of it. But has it ever really been that simple for writers? Far from being so, many writers, especially the new ones who have arrived on the scene with dreamy eyes and hopes of winning the next Booker, have constantly struggled to express themselves and have often had a hard time finding the right voice, their voice.

The result?

They turn into writers of insignificance, writers of sub-par literature, artists who will never find a place in the cognitive shelf of distinct literary voices. And it is the saddest thing for a creator to have been forgotten even after his death, a time when an artist is truly born.

And for those writers, I have one simple piece of advice – STOP WRITING!

“Writer’s block is a fiction. That’s not to say I always feel like writing, or that I have some big idea percolating. I don’t know if you can force out good sentences or great ideas, but that doesn’t mean you cannot write. You can always write garbage; goodness knows, I write plenty of that.” 

Rumaan Alam in an interview for Lit Hub

I am well aware of how blunt, acerbic, cruel and discouraging this advice is but I am not in the least mortified by my feelings. Because it is downright honest and that is usually what truth sounds like. I am also not embarrassed to admit that I am the undiscovered author of only one book (and that too self-help!), which clearly does not give me the license to subjugate the sufferings of literary stalwarts like Leo Tolstoy (my favourite short-story writer), Virginia Woolf (I share my birthday with her!), and JK Rowling (my guru).

But on closer inspection, the observations are not only startling but illuminating as well and help bury the myth of writer’s block once and for all. You see, Tolstoy wrote books with plots more complex than Brexit that were determined by colourful characters whose moral compass were driven by the writer’s own perception of life. Such intricate literature requires time and patience, but more importantly, it necessitates the need for frequent breaks to savour the written word. Woolfe, on the other hand, suffered frequently from severe depression (“Dearest, I feel certain that I am going mad again….”) and that is what caused the so-called “writer’s block”. And as for Rowling, she was going through a terrible lawsuit (you know, one of those where people were trying to steal Harry Potter).

“I disavow that term… When I wrote Beloved, I thought about it for three years. I started writing the manuscript after thinking about it… But those other three years I was still at work, though I hadn’t put a word down.

Toni Morrison in a 1994 interview

There is enough evidence to prove that mental blocks in creativity is caused almost always by external factors and never by the creative process per se. For a writer to say they can’t write because they have run out of creativity is like saying the sun won’t shine because it has run out of sunshine! The sun needs to shine and creatives need to create. That is how it is and that is how it always will be. PERIOD.

Because if not then the universe is bound to collapse.

Writing, like every other art, is a compulsion that needs to be fulfilled, like your cat that buggers the crap out of you at 3 in the morning, or like good ol’ Trump being Trump on Twitter (and pretty much everywhere else!). But if you sleep well at night without having the NEED to put words on paper (or having to deal with your cat’s theatrics) then congratulations! you’re not a writer. And you have been forever spared from the hauntings of the unwritten unexpressed words.

Alas, things are much bleaker for those unlucky souls smitten by language and literature. And the only way to ease the discomfort is, of course, by letting some of those words loose. It’s like taking a dump! There’s only so much that our body can tolerate and at some point of time we need to let go…literally. I know it’s a shitty analogy but that’s how I’ve always felt about the words churning inside me. In the months that led up to completing my first book, I was a restless man, always jittery and scared about this thing inside me, like I was the unlucky host of an alien parasite in a cheap sci-fi plot.

“Writer’s block is a load of nonsense—I’ve always been a bit suspicious of it. It’s more likely to be a symptom of depression or maybe they’ve just got nothing interesting to say. Using your imagination to create a work of fiction involves exercising the mind and the more you do it, the more adept you become.”

Alexander McCall Smith in an interview with The Daily Mail

But despite this feeling, the entire process of conceiving an idea and writing a book has taught me one great thing: be obsessed with the process of creation and you shall be blissful…and peaceful. I remember how satisfied I felt every time I sat down and wrote the words, easing my discomfort and letting me sleep for the minimum number of hours. And even though what I wrote was complete crap (there I go again!), I was happy they were on paper. Then there was the process of editing, finding the right words, plugging plot holes, and more importantly, writing the book that was inside me. Finally, when the product was finished and I landed a contract with Hay House India, I slept like a baby that night, as if I had just been born and did not know the madness of the world.

If you know what you want to write and if you are really passionate about the written word and have an orgasm with every syllable, line, sentence, and paragraph that is of your making, then no writer’s block, or roadblock, or curfew or whatever fancy excuse you come up with, can stop you, ever, from expressing yourself.