Unpublished auth-ors are a curious lot. Desperate, helpless and often the butt of all jokes. They never know what went wrong with their work. Most publishers respond, if at all, with one-liners rejecting the manuscript for not being upto the required brief. So as few get published, many hundreds sulk at their defeat. While big publishing
houses go nonchalantly about their business, help is at hand from unexpected quarters. Gyaana Writer’s Coracle (GWC), new wing of 15-month-old Gyaana Books, helps aspiring authors in getting their manuscript ready for publication. GWC provides manuscript assessment, feedback and editorial services.
Behind the pragmatic venture is Divya Dubey, the dynamic founder of Gyaana Books. She loves “reading and ’riting” but detests running into rude people. Dubey’s job as a publisher tests her skills and patience, but not the one to be intimidated, she has a sufficient supply of both. Born into a family of doctors, Dubey made her cut in the world of publishing on her own. She launched her Delhi-based publishing venture, Gyaana Books, in July 2009 with the focus on literary novels, popular fiction, chicklit, short stories and young adult fiction. The latest Gyaana book, Pink Sheep, a collection of 18 stories by Mahesh Natarajan on nuances of gay life, was launched last week.
A postgraduate in literature and publishing, Divya says she was no newcomer into publishing when she launched Gyaana. “Having worked in publishing, I had friends in the industry who advised me about the project. People like Thomas Abraham and Urvashi Butalia were always there to help.”
In an industry dominated by big players, a little-known venture like Gyaana had to struggle to make its mark and be taken seriously, she says. The venture has published five books since its launch but Dubey doesn’t sound pleased with herself. “Frankly, I am still to figure out how books go with business and money with manuscripts,” she says.
What she looks for, she says, is a combination of big names and newcomers, a literary script and a good author. A good author being someone “who knows what he is doing with his story, has the required language and storytelling skills and is receptive to the publisher.” A literary script, on the other hand, she says, is serious fiction which essentially involves good writing. “A lot of young writers have come into the scene producing a load of fiction which is easy to read,” Dubey explains.
While she welcomes young writers, diluting the standards is not her style. Talking of her tryst with choosy distributors, she sounds tired. “There are too many writers and books. And a general restraint towards newcomers,” she says, but adds that the publishing industry in India is in a fluid state. Dubey believes that while an increasing number of people are reading, they are picking up books that are easy, quick reads. It is when as a publisher one is expected to meet these commercial interests that there is a challenge, she says.
There has been crticism, Dubey says, as well as some encouragement. What annoys her, however, is being dismissed without being given a chance. “Many times, people jump to conclusions about our work without bothering to find out what we really do. That’s unfair.”
Dubey did not stumble into the publishing world. Early in her life she had her heart set on the industry. She remembers being a part of school publications and coveting the job of an editor. The first list of Gyaana also had a title authored by Dubey herself. But the glamour of being an author does not dominate her thoughts. It does not take her a minute to announce that she is an editor first and author later. “I still have to hone my craft as an author,” she says. Writing and editing are creative activities distinctive of each other, she feels. As a publisher who also writes she may have the advantage of knowing writers better, but little else, she says. What makes a good publisher is nose for a good script and eye for aesthetic presentation.
For a person who loves to train travel, Dubey hates the fact that her job takes away from her the liberty to holiday. “I love my work but it’s a long time since I took a vacation,” she says. What about sitting in the easy chair with a cup of coffee and a book? She laughs off the suggestion dreamily.