Submissions

Once you have an idea for a book, either fiction or non-fiction you should send us a proposal

The agency will assess it and decide if they are interested in taking it further. If so, editorial guidance relating to the book’s development may be offered. Every proposal is kept confidential.

Writers writing in English based in India as well as overseas, can contact us for representation to be published. We look forward to receiving manuscripts in English from new writers across the literary spectrum. We currently accept new manuscripts in Non-Fiction & Fiction. We do not work with Children’s Books, Poetry, Anthologies, Short Stories, Plays, Screenplays or Film Scripts.

We aim to respond to email submissions within seven days of receipt. If we subsequently request a full typescript, we aim to respond within thirty days. We don’t employ readers, preferring to rely on our own judgment. We do read every single submission.

Please note, we accept no responsibility for loss of or damage to material sent to us or returned by us, by post or any other means. Always keep a copy of any material you submit to us.

Owing to the volume of submissions we receive, we often use a fairly standard form of words when declining material that is probably perfectly publishable but which we happen not to feel sufficiently passionate about. We hope that aspiring authors will appreciate that for purely commercial reasons we can’t offer detailed critiques of work we have decided not to represent.

Submitting a Proposal

New proposals for full length books are always welcome. We only entertain queries and submissions by email. Please provide a few details about yourself, a synopsis and sample chapters (ideally as word.doc or PDF attachments, your name and the title of the book on each page of the manuscript).

  1. Proposals should contain a detailed synopsis, summing up what the work is about and sample chapters 

  2. For Fiction (novels): the synopsis should be accompanied by five sample chapters . 

  3. For Non-Fiction: an outline of the idea, a chapter outline which briefly sums up what each chapter is about, and ideally, the first five chapters. 

  4. A covering letter should include full contact details. Your curriculum vitae (cv) with relevant details of any past published work.

The agency will assess it and decide if they are interested in taking it further. If so, editorial guidance relating to the book’s development may be offered. Every proposal is kept confidential.

A Non-Fiction Book Proposal

Overview

The overview is not quite a synopsis, it’s not quite a sample chapter, it’s not quite a catalogue copy, it’s not even quite, an overview. It is in reality the representation of the book you’re going to write. It’s a sales pitch – the story/ narrative / subject in brief – what the book is going to be about, what it will be like and who’s going to read it.

 

So to write the overview, you’re telling the gist of the story. A good overview will give the agent/editor a great sense of the subject, the scope, the heart, and the need for the book. It needs to capture hearts and get people enthused about the project. The focus here is on summarizing and pitching the project, making it sound appealing and yet extremely necessary.

Synopsis

The aim of a synopsis is to cover all of the major characters and major plot points (including the ending).

A good place to start for a model on how to write a good synopsis is to imitate a book cover. The blurbs on flap jackets and on the back of paperbacks are usually good synopses – they are an amalgamation of plot points but with a bigger sense of what makes the book unique and interesting. A balance must be kept between covering the plot and characters, as well as conveying the spirit and tone of the book.

Competing Titles/Market Analysis

This is the part where you discuss the other books that are out there as a way of convincing an agent/editor that there is a pressing need for your book. The market analysis should really address the market for the book and who your potential reader will be.

 

Also, in this section you should discuss other books that have been published on your subject. If they’re close enough to yours you, might list them and address them individually, assessing how each one differs from yours. You should clearly differentiate your project from the other books that have already been published on the subject. It’s not enough to try to convince an agent/editor that your book is like someone else’s only better – you have to find a genuine unexplored niche in the marketplace.

Biography

This is the part where you convince the agent/editor that you are the best person qualified to be writing the book.

  1. Outline/List of Chapters

    An outline or a list of chapters can be included for a sense of the scope of the project.

    Sample Chapter(s) (1-5) Other than perhaps the overview, the sample chapter(s) is (are) the most important part of the proposal.

  2. Sending in the completed manuscript

    The second part of the process is sending in the completed manuscript. If we are interested in your manuscript and feel that we would do justice in taking it forward we will go through it and may suggest further revisions if necessary.

  3. Signing an author / agent contract

  4. Finding a publisher

    At this stage we will send out the manuscript to publishers who would best complement the given manuscript.

  5. Publishing Contract

    A publishing contract will be offered when a publisher is interested in your manuscript.