On average I get a phone call a day from a journalist who’s doing a story on chicklits. Sure, the themes vary. Someone’s doing a story on the emergence of new age Indian writers, someone’s doing a story on young professionals giving up well-paying, established careers to pursue writing.
Chicklits are hot. But before you give up your own career and make a retirement plan based solely upon earnings from novel writing, think again.
The phenomenon of Indian readers lapping up original creative writing in English by Indian authors is relatively recent. Before this, any book by an Indian author that sold about 5,000 copies was considered a bestseller. Gasp! All that many? But consider the average cover price of Rs. 200. At the average rate of ten percent royalties that worked out to a princely sum of Rs. 1,00,000. Thrilling!
And while Chicklits and Dudelits have managed to cross the 5,000 copies barrier, the million mark is a tad more distant.
Then why write? Apart from the fact that you must, of course. You must write because whether or not your sales propel you into the Fortune 500, there are a lot of fringe benefits. Based upon your fame as a writer, you get to write columns and copy for a bunch of other stuff. And who knows, maybe your book will get made into a movie and then you’ll have proceeds from film rights to add to your hitherto miserable kitty.
So, as I have been saying before, it’s best to develop related crafts. Screen writing, book reviews, columns, copy for corporate brochures etc.
And who knows, maybe someday (hopefully soon) Indian lit will find and international audience, like Bollywood has in recent times. Then you are truly made. I’m keeping my finger and toes crossed.
When tall, suave, handsome Kaustav Kapoor walks into her office, ditzy private investigator Kasthuri (aka Katie) Kumar has anything but detection on her mind. He is, after all, a scion of Bollywood’s first family—perhaps he has a role for her? Perhaps she will, at last, get to sashay down the red carpet in a designer gown, with flash bulbs following her every move?
But Kapoor’s intentions are much more prosaic: he wishes Katie to trace the heroine of his new blockbuster (and, if Katie’s read the glossies correctly, his life) who is mysteriously AWOL. Despite her misgivings, Katie finds herself unable to refuse the task entrusted to her, and thereon follows a bewildering hunt for the film star across a trail of corpses.
And if that isn’t excitement enough, she has to contend with the maddening and mysterious, but, oh-so-hot, Tejas Deshpande.
The first in a brand new detective series.
IN BOOKSTORES NOW.
Smita Jain's Weblog 
Hey Smita,
This was a great read… I have just finished writing my own novel and am not sure how to go about publishing it… Ur blog gives me hope and inspiration. Just wanted to thank you for that…
Cheers
Me too! Me too! All things that can be crossed are being crossed! 😀
Good post, this one… though the time is probably just round the corner…
@CW…just write a good query letter which incudes a smashing synopsis, make sure your MS is error free and start contacting publishers. Sine a query letter and three sample chapters first. All the best:)
@Nikhil…hope so too. aapke mooh mein ghee shakkar:)
Hey Smita,
I’m having a presentation on ‘Indian English Authors and their contributions’ as one of my goals. I found your writing very interesting. As I browsed, I also found an interesting website http://www.indiaplaza.in/Goldenquill/. It is called the IndiaPlaza Golden Quill Award and it is to recognize and encourage Indian writing. Indian authors are good, my favorite authors name Ravi Subramanian. I read his book ‘If God was a Banker’. It’s truly amazing.
Thak you for the tip Ankita:)
Hey!..I really liked your book. It’s really good fun :). I love the characters. It’s quite witty and charming (old fashioned, but I felt like saying it) I have’nt been reading for a while, but I got this book called Almost Single off Indiaplaza and I liked it, so I decided to explore the Indian chicklit scene. Yours was the next book I read. Really liked it. Next book?
@ samaira…soon…very soon.:)
Writers write for the love of writing. This love can satiate writer’s writing zeal but not his belly.
So with the fire in the belly alone, he may or may not be able to feed himself entirely with writing.
i m one too though… 🙂
@sudharm baxi, nevertheless, you need the passion first. The money will come. Glad to know you’re a writer too. I hope you make it.