Not Quite Like The Capital Yet
By Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR
By way of reference to a traditional context, or web of thought, book publishing in Mumbai purports to extended pragmatism -- a relationship that stands for publishers’ “financial” acumen, if not “jackpot” for writers/authors.
This despite the fact, that, a host of writers and authors have made the urbane Mumbai novel a speciality construct. As author Githa Hariharan epitomises, “… the fabulous, inescapable face of metropolitan India… of polyphonic chutney the modern Indian city is: commerce, myth, technology, revivalism -- [which] all add their unique, assertive flavours to its soul.”
But, the fact of the matter is: the publishing scene in Mumbai is quite unlike New Delhi, now the Mecca of Indian publishing. Mumbai, for instance, has not had as huge a hit, or stupendous “bookbuster,” like Arundhati Roy's Delhi-based IndiaInk-published, Booker Prize-winning magnum opus, The God Of Small Things, now unequivocally standardised as one among the top 20 great novels of the last century. This prompted Salman Rushdie to vindicate that prose writing of Indian writers in English “is proving to be a stronger and more important body of work than most -- the so-called vernacular languages…” You couldn’t think of a better, or worse, sweeping manifesto -- or, call it what you may.
Mumbai has had a long history of publishing books of all hues, colours, frames of reference, and context, thanks to the city’s cosmopolitan culture and flavour. While books on the city per se abound, right from the 19th century, or even earlier, works as diverse as cuisine and technology, arts and the sciences, fiction and non-fiction, law and lifestyle, sport and medicine, Bollywood and music -- you name it, and you have it -- they have all seen the light of the day, and continue to do so… with definitive intent, if not effect.
Sure, the authors may not have made it big and/or laughed their way to the bank yet. Reason: it just cannot happen in the present dispensation, because writing newspaper/magazine articles is much more “lucrative” than getting a book published in Mumbai. Besides, the print-run, if it is anything “substantial,” is small -- not more than 1,000-2,000 copies… for a worthy title. On a royalty of ten per cent, on copies sold, and at a cover price, which isn’t too steep, the payment an author may get, in the best of times, is anybody’s guess.
One cannot, at the moment, also make a living by writing books -- unless, of course, you get your book published for an undisclosed, fancy advance abroad. This does not happen to everyone, unless, of course, you are a writer, who’s as fancied as they come, or are made out to be.
Says Rajan Das, an old hand in the book trade: “Most of the publishing action is in Delhi, although there are a few good publishers in Mumbai.” A veteran in the line, Das feels that this is due to “high-tech printing at low-cost Delhi offers to publishers.” He adds: “Many foreign publishers are coming to India to print their books at economical rates, without compromising on [international] quality.” Printing books, in Mumbai, notes Das, is expensive, even if there’s been an almost ten-fold increase in [book] publishing in the country, in recent years. He observes: “Unless and until printers in Mumbai bring down costs, the situation isn’t going to change.”
Now, the big question. How does a first-time/new/unpublished, author get his/her book published in Mumbai, or even elsewhere. Obviously, for a writer, who’s based in Mumbai, it’s much more practical to get a publisher, and printer, in town. S/he would feel comfortable, if not be in control of operations. Avers Bipin Shah, another long-time books aficionado: “That’s the difficult part. For a new author, the publisher has to put in a lot of money. Most publishers are not willing to do that, even if they want, or wish, to.” This, he says, has to change, because only when you invest, would you be able to attract attention for a book[s] and also readers.
Shah’s advice to would-be authors: “Your book, first and foremost, has to be good and, most importantly, marketable. Next, your publisher has to ‘pitch-in’ for quality paper and printing. The packaging and pricing have to be right. However, it is ultimately the content and quality that hold the key to a successful book. Add to it marketing, which is sound and aggressive, and you also have the services of a good distributor, you’ve everything going just right for you… albeit nobody can predict the outcome of any book.”
As far as books, in the English language is concerned, Jaico, emphasises Das, has been doing quite well in Mumbai -- so also Alchemy. Jaico has not only launched several new authors, but has been very supportive of their cause -- by way of sales just as well.
Das feels Jaico is, by and large, a safe bet for new and old authors, although he says, that, “they take too long a time to bring your book out!”
This despite the fact, that, a host of writers and authors have made the urbane Mumbai novel a speciality construct. As author Githa Hariharan epitomises, “… the fabulous, inescapable face of metropolitan India… of polyphonic chutney the modern Indian city is: commerce, myth, technology, revivalism -- [which] all add their unique, assertive flavours to its soul.”
But, the fact of the matter is: the publishing scene in Mumbai is quite unlike New Delhi, now the Mecca of Indian publishing. Mumbai, for instance, has not had as huge a hit, or stupendous “bookbuster,” like Arundhati Roy's Delhi-based IndiaInk-published, Booker Prize-winning magnum opus, The God Of Small Things, now unequivocally standardised as one among the top 20 great novels of the last century. This prompted Salman Rushdie to vindicate that prose writing of Indian writers in English “is proving to be a stronger and more important body of work than most -- the so-called vernacular languages…” You couldn’t think of a better, or worse, sweeping manifesto -- or, call it what you may.
Mumbai has had a long history of publishing books of all hues, colours, frames of reference, and context, thanks to the city’s cosmopolitan culture and flavour. While books on the city per se abound, right from the 19th century, or even earlier, works as diverse as cuisine and technology, arts and the sciences, fiction and non-fiction, law and lifestyle, sport and medicine, Bollywood and music -- you name it, and you have it -- they have all seen the light of the day, and continue to do so… with definitive intent, if not effect.
Sure, the authors may not have made it big and/or laughed their way to the bank yet. Reason: it just cannot happen in the present dispensation, because writing newspaper/magazine articles is much more “lucrative” than getting a book published in Mumbai. Besides, the print-run, if it is anything “substantial,” is small -- not more than 1,000-2,000 copies… for a worthy title. On a royalty of ten per cent, on copies sold, and at a cover price, which isn’t too steep, the payment an author may get, in the best of times, is anybody’s guess.
One cannot, at the moment, also make a living by writing books -- unless, of course, you get your book published for an undisclosed, fancy advance abroad. This does not happen to everyone, unless, of course, you are a writer, who’s as fancied as they come, or are made out to be.
Says Rajan Das, an old hand in the book trade: “Most of the publishing action is in Delhi, although there are a few good publishers in Mumbai.” A veteran in the line, Das feels that this is due to “high-tech printing at low-cost Delhi offers to publishers.” He adds: “Many foreign publishers are coming to India to print their books at economical rates, without compromising on [international] quality.” Printing books, in Mumbai, notes Das, is expensive, even if there’s been an almost ten-fold increase in [book] publishing in the country, in recent years. He observes: “Unless and until printers in Mumbai bring down costs, the situation isn’t going to change.”
Now, the big question. How does a first-time/new/unpublished, author get his/her book published in Mumbai, or even elsewhere. Obviously, for a writer, who’s based in Mumbai, it’s much more practical to get a publisher, and printer, in town. S/he would feel comfortable, if not be in control of operations. Avers Bipin Shah, another long-time books aficionado: “That’s the difficult part. For a new author, the publisher has to put in a lot of money. Most publishers are not willing to do that, even if they want, or wish, to.” This, he says, has to change, because only when you invest, would you be able to attract attention for a book[s] and also readers.
Shah’s advice to would-be authors: “Your book, first and foremost, has to be good and, most importantly, marketable. Next, your publisher has to ‘pitch-in’ for quality paper and printing. The packaging and pricing have to be right. However, it is ultimately the content and quality that hold the key to a successful book. Add to it marketing, which is sound and aggressive, and you also have the services of a good distributor, you’ve everything going just right for you… albeit nobody can predict the outcome of any book.”
As far as books, in the English language is concerned, Jaico, emphasises Das, has been doing quite well in Mumbai -- so also Alchemy. Jaico has not only launched several new authors, but has been very supportive of their cause -- by way of sales just as well.
Das feels Jaico is, by and large, a safe bet for new and old authors, although he says, that, “they take too long a time to bring your book out!”
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