How to get published in India?
It’s a question you often get asked if you’ve got anything to do with publishing industry, and yet, there’s never a clear answer. However, this became somewhat easy after I read Meghna Pant’s How to Get Published in India back in 2020. Since then, every time someone has asked me this question, I have simply suggested them to read the book. It serves as a guide, especially if you are a newbie, in understanding the writing process, navigating your way through editing, and eventually connecting with the right people, be it a literary agent, publisher or your intended reader.
Fortunately, I had a chance to have a conversation with Meghna Pant. While there were a plenty of things to discuss, I mostly focused on the above question, as those are the queries I keep getting from my readers. So, here we are.
Below is the full text of this conversation. I hope you’d find it valuable.
Tell me about your writing journey. Especially for those who are not familiar with your work yet.
The truth is that I didn’t plan to become a writer when I was younger. I was a 90% student through school so I studied economics and got a scholarship to do my MBA abroad. I then worked in corporate finance in Switzerland, before deciding to move back to India and work as a business news anchor with Times Now. I then got a job in New York and later Dubai as a business journalist. That’s when I started writing fiction. Those six years of overlap were zealous times. I worked non-stop. I didn’t have a TV at home because I didn’t have time to watch a movie or show. My first book One and A Half Wife was published in 2012. And in 2013, the transition to full-time writing happened when the calling for it became too strong to resist. I quit a very lucrative job in Dubai, said goodbye to a fancy pay cheque and security. I moved back to Mumbai to become a full-time writer. The last ten years, have been exhausting but exhilarating. I’ve published eight novels, short-story collections and non-fiction books. I’ve won many national and international awards, I’ve written bestsellers and got recognition. Honestly, finding my true calling as a writer, and pursuing it with hard work, dedication and perseverance has been the best decision of my life. Getting the first book out was the hardest part of the journey.
One of the confusions that many writers have is regarding what they wish to write as opposed to what sells. Could you shed some light on dealing with this confusion?
Write the story that comes to you, not what’s trending. Mythology was hot a few years ago, now it’s not. Trends change, good stories don’t. Don’t romanticize writing. Write first and think of getting published later. Write what you know best, in the style that comes most naturally to you. Write so realistically, that you begin to believe that your characters actually exist. Strange as it sounds, I feel as if my first novel’s characters – Amara, Biji, Baba, Riya and Lalit – are out there somewhere, living their lives. And don’t fear rejection; if you’re not getting rejected, it means that you’re not trying hard enough.
An important part of an author’s job today is to create their own brand. At least that’s what many in the publishing world suggest. Do you agree? And if yes, then what are some of the key things one can work on to build their author brand?
I’ve discovered that writing itself plays a small part in being an author. As all writers know, our journey with a book doesn’t end when we finish writing it. If you find a publisher, you have to be sure to work well with the team. After your novel is published, you have to invest a substantial amount of time and energy in marketing the novel. It’s a long journey to becoming a bestseller, and you have to be prepared to be both an author and a brand ambassador of your work. You have to fight for bigger advances, bigger royalties, premium store displays and invitation to coveted literature festivals. You have to abandon your inherent creative diffidence by marketing yourself as aggressively as a product. Decolonisation of literature means that now Indian publishing houses publish Indian authors and not only foreign ones. The ceiling to being published has lowered. It’s easier to get published now, due to the number of publishers and options other than traditional publishing, but the market is so overcrowded that it’s become difficult to sell books. So yes, writers today are like toothpaste. They have to act as a brand with high visibility, a contracted PR firm, a solid marketing plan and the resources to fund all of this. That said, I have zero marketing spends and have built my brand the good old-fashioned word-of-mouth way, so there’s scope for that if you’re talented and willing to work hard.
Where do you see the Indian publishing going from here? Would self-publishing significantly change its landscape in the next few years? Or the traditional publishing would continue to dominate with a few self-published books finding success here and there?
Both will co-exist as they have the past few years. Unpublished authors get disheartened and turn to self-publishing where they sell books to their friends and family, 57 copies on average mind you. Be smarter than that. Understand how the submission process works. Understand how you can get a top publisher. Read HOW TO GET PUBLISHED IN INDIA. The hardest part of being a debut author is finding a good publisher. It is difficult to make a breakthrough, as publishers receive hundreds of manuscripts a week and 90-95% of manuscripts get rejected, sometimes even if the book is well-written. This book will show you how, so you don’t struggle the way I did, and save precious time, effort and money.
If you were to give an advice to someone who is trying to understand and connect with Indian readers, what would you tell her? Yes, they are reading mythology or romance or non-fiction, but are there any deeper insights which you can think of, beyond facts and figures?
Find your authentic voice. That’s what readers are looking for. An honest voice that they can relate to. Be that voice.
Thank you very much, Meghna!
Books by Meghna Pant:
Kalampedia 