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FEATURE INDIAN AGENTING


21.10.16 www.thebookseller.com


Low advances, royalty disputes, publishers that favour direct commissioning: it’s tough for Indian agents. Yet, Kanishka Gupta says, the culture is changing . . .


catapulted the author and her book to global fame; it also brought the fledgling, inconsistent Indian Writing in English worldwide attention. Suddenly the insular Western publishing world awoke to the possibilities of Indian writing. Several authors—some good, some not so good, some plain imitations—found themselves being serenaded by UK and US literary agents and publishers, and getting considerably richer overnight. Roy’s win did not immediately spawn indigenous agents, but it sowed the seeds for what would become one of the most contentious and polarising professions in Indian publishing. Traditionally, Indian publishing has been agent-averse. Most publishers are in direct contact with authors or rely on their extensive network of authors, journalist friends and other influencers to discover new writers. The publishing professional did not think much of agenting as a viable career option because of the low advances and margins. In India, not too long ago an advance of INR10,000 (roughly £110) was considered standard. Some publishers—especially home-grown— worked on a flat 10% royalty basis. In the past decade, however, a


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combination of factors—the growing consumption of books, the rise of commercial fiction ushered in by Indian superstar author Chetan Bhagat, and the setting up of the Indian divisions of as many as four international publishing


n 1997, Arundhati Roy won the Man Booker Prize for her iconic The God of Small Things. The prize not only


Indian ink


Arundhati Roy (above), whose 1997 Man Booker- winner The God of Small Things immeasurably raised the profile of Indian literature. Pictured (top right) is home-grown superstar author Chetan Bhagat


houses (and several independents) has raised the stakes, and made agenting seem worthwhile. As of October 2016, India has at least


10 literary agencies, including the Indian arm of Aitken Alexander Associates. In an industry where the concept of an advance was alien to most authors, bidding wars, pre-empts and exclusive submissions are now commonplace. An unknown début fiction writer can easily get a INR1m (£12,000) advance; this figure could go higher for a début non- fiction writer. Fiction and non-fiction by established, award-winning and/or celebrity writers can reach INR10m–15m (£120,000–£180,000). So one would think that agenting has finally come of age in the country. Sadly, the reality is quite different—and chastening.


ROUND AND ROUND While most publishers welcome submissions from Indian agents (barring Hachette India), they all accept


unsolicited submissions as well. As a result, an Indian agent often has to contend with submissions that have already done the rounds of some publishing houses through the direct route. Such is the gravity and pervasiveness of this problem that I now ask all my authors to share their publishing history in case I am interested in their books in order to avoid complications and embarrassment later on. Of course, I have successfully placed some of these books, but it limits an agent’s possibilities and, consequently, his or her bargaining power. Publishers justify this by saying that they cannot depend on a mere handful of agents submitting “uneven” books to fill up their ever- expanding lists, but I think most of them don’t want to compete for books because of budgetary restrictions and constant accountability. Several publishers openly criticise


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