In which I'm envious of a publisher

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In the business of books, it's where the conversation goes after a few drinks. 'I just want to start my own publishing company, you know. Not too big, but just do the kind of books I really want to do.' Next morning, it's usually business as usual, as the cold reality of mortgages and petrol bills kicks in once more.

Not, fortunately, for every one. Last year, Divya Dubey - if you can't wait to find out who she is, scroll down to the bottom immediately - did what very few people have been able to do: set up her own publishing imprint and firm. Three books to the good, she's forging ahead to do more. Last week, she responded to my (frankly envious) questions on email:

Q: How long did it take from the time you set up your company to publishing your first titles? What were the key milestones on this journey?

We started Gyaana Books in July 2009. We signed our first two contracts with our authors in September-October. We promised them a January 2010 release, and kept our word.

I would say every stage was a milestone - right from getting the firm registered, to signing the contracts with our authors, meeting deadlines, publishing the books on time, holding an inaugural launch, and getting them out in the market. The best part, of course, was holding the first title in my hand when it was finally published.

Even after that, every stage has been important - being a part of the World Book Fair in Delhi, getting media attention for the books, organising author readings in Delhi and Bangalore, etc. The struggle continues.

Q: How did you get the word out among potential authors for manuscript submissions?

We started from scratch, as you know. In the initial days, we sent out messages online and otherwise, telling people what we proposed to do. We set up a website, and a lot of authors approached us through that. Some established writers such as Amitabha Bagchi and Rizio Yohannan Raj were also kind enough to direct some people to us.

Q: How long did it take to pick the titles you'd publish? Who chose them?

Between July and October, we received a couple of scripts which were evaluated by me, and a few other people - avid readers, though not writers or editors - who, I thought, could be potential buyers. Together we decided which ones would work best. The third title was of course self-published, and hence risky, but it helped us showcase different genres.

Q: What's your mission and market positioning?

I would say we are quasi-literary or semi-commercial. :-)

Gyaana would like to do good fiction, whether literary or popular. We would like to maintain a balance, though people generally tend to label us as one or the other. But hopefully, with time, we will build a niche.

We're looking to do new themes that are relevant in India in the current context - changing cultures, sexuality, conflict, etc, though in fiction one can't really define/limit those. Anything that's well written, perceptive, and appealing, would be welcome.

As far as popular fiction goes, we would be keen on good crime fiction, amongst other things.

We are also looking at narrative non-fiction, and would welcome an interesting script.

Q: What's next from Gyaana?

We are about to release our next title, by the end of this month. It's a literary fiction title called The Dollmakers' Island by Anuradha Kumar.

Q: Where do you want your company to be five years from now?

We'd like to see it as a well-established and well-respected publishing company, with several good books and success stories to our name; a known brand, with more ramifications in terms of publishing. At some point, we would like to do children's books as well.

Q: Who was Divya Dubey till she became a publisher?

A restless phantom, job-hopping from one company to another. :-)

A former student of St Stephen's College (Delhi University); and Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, I've been a publishing professional for some years in Delhi. I've worked with Sage, Pearson, Roli, etc, but I always wanted to work for myself. I'm glad it's finally happened.

Divya's heartfelt postscript I'd just like to add, Arunava, that our biggest challenge has been getting our book reviewed in the mainstream media. As a beginner, it's a huge struggle to get people to even look at what one has to offer. If some established names would be more receptive, it would help a lot more.

More here: http://www.gyaanabooks.com/