|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IS the novel a preferred choice for publishers than the short story? Yes to some extent, say a few writers but according to publishers it all depends on the work and there are no generalisations. "Short fiction has always got the short shrift. I think in the West they have kind of settled the issue, but in India even today only a novelist is considered a serious writer of fiction," says Delhi-based author Shinie Antony, who has written two volumes of short stories—Barefoot And Pregnant and Planet Polygamous—and one novel, Kardamom Kisses. "In fact, in many ways short stories are superior to novels as the form demands certain disciplines like brevity, layering, subtlety, grand finale all at once and in the same venue. However, a good writer is a good writer and will out in any form. Look at Salman Rushdie. He’s classy in both," adds Antony. But Thomas Abraham, CEO and president of Penguin Books says it is not really difficult to get a collection of short stories published. "It would depend on the work, so generalisations don’t really work. But on a relative genre to genre comparison, yes, short stories would generally sell less than a novel." Noting that the process of getting a work published has become neither easier nor more difficult, he says: "There are a lot more publishers today." Says writer Rajorshi Chakraborti: "In the UK, where I mostly live and work, publishers and agents do seem reluctant to take on collections of stories, except by already established writers." "There just appears to be a much smaller window for new writers to climb through in general, at least in the world of conventional publishing. Perhaps everyone’s looking for the next blockbuster, not for the promising talent who’ll be given one or two books to develop him or herself, and find their own audience," says Chakraborti, whose works include novels Or The Day Seizes You and Derangements: A triptych of ghost stories. "And also, the story cycle form, a sequence of stories thematically linked, does make a successful appearance now and then, doesn’t it, such as with Rana Dasgupta’s debut Tokyo Cancelled. Perhaps it manages to satisfy both requirements at once, the condensed, well-formed richness of the stories adding up to a resonant, multiply-refracting complex broader vision. "A lot of what I said applies specifically to my experiences in the UK, and perhaps some of it is true for India too. But I’d like to add that in my experience of being published in India, the fact that writers can still approach publishers directly without first having to acquire an agent, and also that new publishing houses have been opening up or expanding quite regularly, and so are actively looking for fresh voices, does mean that there is a wider range of stories and styles being given opportunities. perhaps that is an encouraging sing for new writers," he says. According to P M Sukumar, CEO of HarperCollins India, there is a quantum jump in quality writing and writers from India. "The coming up of new writers does not necessarily mean the process of getting published is now easier. Of course, there are more international publishers operating in India now (as against the monopolistic situation prevailing till the 1990s) and there is a boom in retail (including books) over the last few years with the economic growth and education levels: these factors have resulted in a lot more books being published," says Sukumar. Roswitha Joshi, a German writer based in Delhi who started her writing life with newspaper articles before moving on to books, says she personally cannot complain about step-motherly treatment from publishers. "To find a publisher for my first book—a collection of anecdotes called Life is Peculiar—did a lot of spade work before UBSPD accepted my work," she says. "My second book, a collection of short stories called On the Rocks and Other Stories was almost automatically accepted by the same publishers who then suggested I should move on to a novel. The result was Once More! which was released last December. "However, I heard from my publishers that there are very few authors who are able to write a good short story, because you have to get your idea or whatever constitutes the gist of the matter across on a few pages only. On the other hand, it is regarded as more prestigious to write as well as to own a novel." Publisher Katha promotes translations and takes up short stories but in translated versions. "Our prized stories are a select collection of short stories. In the past, we have published short story anthologies too," says a Katha official. — PTI
|
