Literary agencies eye slice of India pie

It is already a popular and widely accepted concept in the West, but the idea of a literary agency -- a bridge between the author and the publisher -- is making a gradual entry in India as well.

A literary agent acts as a support base for writers, helping them reach the publishers and negotiate on their behalf so that they get a fair deal while selling the publishing rights for their books.

The role of an agency is manifold - starting from seeking manuscripts from the authors, deciding whether to go ahead with the project depending on the merits, light editing, sequentially arranging the material if necessary, marketing the book to the publishers and encouraging its promotion.

In the West, most of the reputed publishing houses accept a manuscript only through an agent, giving them an important role in the industry. In India too, quite a few well-known writers have got their agents to sell the overseas rights of their books.

"With European markets opening up for Indian writing and a number of reputed foreign publishers coming here, the authors now have a lot of choices before them. We feel this is the time for agents to come in," Renuka Chatterjee, the head of the newly-launched professional literary agency of auctioneer and art house Osian's, says.