From the Publisher’s Desks

For an outsider, the whole process of getting a book out in the market may seem pretty basic: Get a manuscript ready, make a submission, and then it's published. But rarely is it ever that easy. There are several processes behind this apparent simplicity. It requires a lot of thought, effort, and money and it's also the reason many turn to publishers. They take upon these responsibilities and aim to enrich the literary scene with interesting works.

Priyanka Gurung talked to representatives from some of the most popular publication houses in our country to hear their side of the story.

Ajit Baral of Fine Print, Kiran Krishna Shrestha of Nepalaya, and Dolindra Prasad Sharma of Sajha Prakashan share their understandings of Nepali readers, literary market, and the kind of projects they are on a lookout for.

The next big find

Baral: We don't have many quality literary works out there. There is an abundance of poetry. Then there are the novels, a couple short stories and a few memoirs but apart from these, very little has been written.

Still, we are constantly in search for the best of the crop. There are plenty more genres and subjects for our writers to experiment with, and we are waiting for just that innovative touch. I would love to see our writers dabbling in fantasy, thrillers, probing travelogues and making forays into academic/research based books tackling contemporary issues.

Shrestha: We have always been open to experimentation. As long as the work is good, we are up for picking any genres. We are always on a lookout for books that can contribute or add value to the industry and readers, in particular. We have a motto here at Nepalaya, we strongly believe that an author should write a kind of book he hasn't read. It's the kind of exciting work we are looking forward to.

Sharma: We here at Sajha Prakashan are of the belief that a book must contribute something of significance to the reader and in turn, the society. So the decision to publish a book is only taken after thorough discussions. What is the book's purpose? This is the question posed before approving a book.

Personally, I believe there is a dire need for more extensively researched, non- fiction works. I'm particularly looking for a book that's a compilation of facts concerning important events. For instance: We have so many writers who have been inspired by the Maoist insurgency. However, most, if not all, have spun tales of fiction based on the real happenings. How many books are there that offer concrete findings about the insurgency as well as analysis on the matter? This is just one of the many examples.

Reader's perspective

Baral: Our Nepali readers are widely exposed to international trends and works of literature so their expectations have naturally increased. If our writers wrote books on novel genres/subjects and took some risks, then the readers will lap them up.

Shrestha: I believe readers want good books. It's really as simple as that. From fictions to biographies, when we look at our bestsellers we see a wide variety of books. There is nothing technical or complex about it.

Sharma: I agree. At the end of the day, the readers crave for good books and that's that. However, I'd like to take this opportunity to correct a misconception. Nepali readership hasn't increased by leaps and bounds. It's true that there are more people in Nepal who are buying and reading books nevertheless the readership still has a long way to go. We have stocks of about 22 crore books just lying about at Sajha Prakashan. This should help paint the real
picture.

Factors that could help strengthen Nepal's publications houses

Baral: Much needs to be done to make the publication houses stronger. First of all, the government should recognize publishing as an industry. Then it could help us by waiving taxes on paper, taking actions to prevent piracy, providing technical training to printers, designers and illustrators among other things. Further, they also need to make it easier for the publication houses to export books to other countries. Steps like these would help create the necessary environment to encourage more people to write fulltime.

Shrestha: I believe as publishers and writers we should focus our energies into adding value to the literary scene. Even though there are bound to be competitive feelings, we can't make it our sole concern. Ultimately, the market is like building a wall. Everybody must contribute with mortar and bricks, and only then will it become stronger.

Sharma: Tragically literature has never been a priority for our government. They have never taken the challenges of those involved in the industry seriously. There has never been a meeting to allocate budget to aid Nepal's literature scene or a meeting to find more ways to empower it. So maybe they should begin by realizing the importance of books and writers for a nation.

The market

Baral: We have pitched ideas to writers about broadening their horizons and exploring different subjects as well as genres. Our role as publishers is to play around with the offerings that are out there. Having said that, I don't agree that our market is drowning in social issue based novels. There is demand for that because tales and other writings built upon our own society holds great appeal. These are stories about us and there will always be a market for that.

Shrestha: The market is unpredictable. It always has been. There have been instances where a good work didn't get any acknowledgement but a mediocre writing garnered a lot of fanfare. We have carried research about desired market price and demands, but we have learnt that no amount of information can't give you the real/whole picture. There is no telling what will sell. So we have chosen to focus on the quality of work instead.

Sharma: It's rare to see publication houses carry out full-fledged market research. I believe it's time we change this. There is a need to identify the readers among our population and specifically ask them about the kind of books they want to read from our Nepali writers. This should give us a good place to begin the resurgence of Nepali literature. Further, it is also about time we carter to the readers by their age groups, 10-15 yr olds, 15-18 yr olds, so on and so forth. This will certainly help us publishers understand the market better.