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Putting the new pen on print
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The city has a new publishing house in Unisun Publications that is looking to encourage writing in English by new and young writers
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Annie Chandy Mathew: 'Unisun is looking at writing in English that reflects an Indian experience. — Photo: K. Gopinathan
IF YOU have turned into a writer, you may find it difficult to get your work published. You will have to convince publishers that your work will connect — with the reader — and you have to do this with the knowledge that established publishing houses root for writers who sell. With the hope of getting new writers into the world of publishing, two people from the city, an academician and a man of marketing, husband and wife, have set up Unisun Publications, a publishing house that is looking at quality fiction writing in English by new and young writers. Annie Chandy Mathew, who taught English Literature at Mount Carmel College for 22 years, and P. Chandy Mathew, an IIT Madras and IIM-A alumnus who is into marketing, have put in the effort to set up the publishing house.
Unisun Publications, however, seems more like Prof. Annie's passion. It came about as a result of her thinking that she had had a long stint in teaching and that publishing is where she would like to head next because "encouraging new writers is what is really needed" and "it could give her a sense of meaning".
Unisun is looking at writing in English that reflects an Indian experience — an experience in and about India or even outside but that is Indian — you can be in Venice and yet lend an Indian touch to the city. Unisun, in effect, will accept writing in English from any quarter of the country and from abroad "as long as it reflects an Indian perspective".
Prof. Annie is conscious of the fact that a new publishing house will have to work hard to establish credibility that it can publish good work. Unisun has already launched two books of short stories by the couple themselves — Fireflies in the Dark by Annie Mathew and Looking In, Looking Out, by Chandy Mathew. The first has 23 short stories centred around guilt, exploitation, pain, and hatred, and the second, a volume of 19 short stories, looks at nostalgia, humour, melancholy and so on. "We need to start somewhere and we need to earn the trust of readers that we offer good reading. We thought it best to launch our own books so that readers get the idea that quality is our first criterion for publication. While the books are in the book stores, we of course have to see how they get reviewed."
Unlike many publishing houses that are Delhi-based, Unisun is located in Bangalore. Prof. Annie believes too many publishing houses located in New Delhi makes access difficult for new writers.
It plans to publish three to four volumes a year to begin with and will offer a cash prize of Rs. 25,000 for the best work identified by the editorial panel that currently includes Mary Mathew, former Head of Department, English, Mount Carmel College, Suryakumari Dennison, freelance writer, Department of English, Bishop Cottons, and Gayatri Rao of Lumbini. The publishing house also has a panel of patrons that include former chief secretary Teresa Bhattacharya, theatre personalities Arundhati Raja and Mahesh Dattani. It will also have a tie-up with Jacaranda Press to gain from the latter's experience in publishing.
Prof. Annie acknowledges that selling new works is difficult and that is why the tie-up with Prism Books Limited, the Bangalore-based distributors with an All-India presence. "My husband's experience in marketing over three decades will come in handy in our effort to reach out to readers and sell," she says. The publishing house will also use its interactive portal website, www.unisun4writers.com, to host competitions in short stories, flash fiction, poetry, travel writing, and humour and will offer attractive cash prizes.
It can be contacted at 22289290 or on e-mail at publications@unisun4writers.com.
PRASHANTH G.N.
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