...OF THOSE WHO USE COMMAS I an interview with Sanjana Roy Choudhary, head of publishing, Amaryllis I

"Sometimes you need that one knock in life to stir up new ideas in your mind," and that is what led to "Amaryllis", says Sanjana Roy Choudhury, head of publishing. Amaryllis was launched last year as an imprint of Manjul Publishing House. Sanjana, who worked with Rupa & Co. for 18 years, says within three-four months of leaving her previous job, she decided to go ahead and said "yes" to starting a new imprint with Vikas Rakheja, managing director of Manjul Publishing House that publishes books in Hindi and Indian language translations of bestsellers, including the cult Potter novels. "He had always been keen to start an original English publishing imprint. That’s how Amaryllis took shape," she says.
Predictably, the path was strewn with challenges. "Starting an imprint from scratch is no mean feat," says Sanjana. "Right from deciding your first list, evaluating innumerable manuscripts, getting the catalogue and contracts going, and most importantly, establishing the imprint was quite immense." But she has come a long way and is now faced with the problem of plenty where she often has to reject manuscripts."I have a small, but hugely enthusiastic team," she says and adds, "being happy with your work and the people you work with, and for, is so important. That’s what keeps me going."
Amaryllis will complete a year in March. Going down the memory lane, Sanjana is both nostalgic and proud: "The kind of support we’ve received from authors, literary agents, both in India and overseas, makes us feel we’ve been around far longer!"
She reiterates the goal Amaryllis has been targeting since its launch: Not more than 1 or 2 books each month. Why be so selective, she explains: "Authors in large publishing houses tend to get lost. We were very clear that we would not print 1,100 copies of a book and push them out into the market. For us, books are not products; each writer has to be given that respect and made to believe that his work is important. Our first print runs of all the titles that we’ve published have been upwards of 5,000 copies."
The Amaryllis’ first list boasted of big names like Jaswant Singh and Ashok Banker but Sanjana says a balance between established and debutant writers is the best way ahead. Moreover, she cherishes her work with debut writers. "The joy is unmatched when you hear the thrill in their voices on receiving their contracts. They are enthusiastic, and leave no stone unturned in being with you at every stage. And when you are able to sell 3,000 or 5,000 copies of a debut work in a span of 4 months, what else could you possibly ask for!"
Having spent years in the industry, Sanjana says the job of publishing a book is very rewarding, yet it comes with its challenges. Each author is different and has to be handled with kid-gloves. "At Amaryllis, what we try to do is firstly, be prompt about responding to authors about their manuscripts.... Giving an author feedback is very important. You have to be honest with them whether their manuscript is working or not, and work closely to have a final MS in your hands." But that’ not all. "Publicity and marketing is very crucial to get the book and author noticed."
While many new ventures in the industry find it difficult to deal with the distributors, Sanjana believes the issue has been hyped. "Authors are made to believe that some publishers have a stranglehold over distributors. This is furthest from the truth," she says. "Distributors and booksellers want a good book, as they too, at the end of the day, want to make money. So if you have published a book that will make readers sit up and take notice, there is no reason why it won’ t sell, and why booksellers won’t stock it."
So what is the key to a successful publishing venture? Sanjana has a two-point guide: You have to sure of what you want your list to look like and you have to stick to your word; You cannot make promises and then not deliver.
She believes that contrary to popular belief, books are selling in huge numbers, in spite of the onset of technology, like ebooks. Advances to authors are on the rise, something that would be impossible if publishers weren’t sure of sales, she says. Talking about her favourite projects she finds it hard to draw a list. "It would be unfair to talk about just a few; I’ve lost count of how many books I have worked on," she says but adds, "You always learn from all your authors. One little piece of advice I will never forget - from T.J.S. George, founding editor of Asiaweek, and Jeet Thayil’ s father - that the world is divided into two - those who use commas and those who don’t!"