Publishing Archives - Sameer Kamat

My Self-Publishing Experiment: Business Doctors

October 11, 2020July 1, 2014 by Sameer Kamat

Many readers and writers have been asking me about it. So, I thought I should share the story here to help other aspiring authors who want to explore non-traditional ways to reach their readers. My first book, Beyond The MBA Hype (non-fiction) was published by a leading publisher with an international presence. It has done … Read more

Why I chose to self-publish my Ebook

October 11, 2020July 25, 2013 by Sameer Kamat

I finally took the plunge. No, not marriage. That happened a long time ago. Not swimming either. That goes further back in time. It was the big question that most authors have on their mind – ‘Which is better – traditional publishing or self-publishing?’

How to improve your creative writing skills

July 19, 2020May 11, 2013 by Sameer Kamat

Almost all the posts you see on this blog focus on what to do after you have completed writing your book. Some focus on writing query letters, pitching to literary agents and publishers, dealing with rejection letters. There have been none on how to improve your creative writing skills. All this while we’ve been ignoring the big elephant in the room – bad writing. That’s a big reason why many authors get rejection letters from publishing companies and literary agency.

Role of Literary Agents in the evolving Indian publishing world

October 11, 2020April 8, 2013 by Sameer Kamat

A Times of India reporter reached out to ask me about my views on literary agents (here’s the published article). The interest in the topic was triggered by the recent announcement that Amish Tripathi (author of the Shiva trilogy) has recently got an eye-popping Rs 5 crore advance for his next series. That’s a million US dollars!

What you should know about digital printing

October 11, 2020March 8, 2013 by Sameer Kamat

Digital Printing It was good to see that the second print run for my MBA book (Beyond The MBA Hype) was sold out on Flipkart. The book was published 1.5 years ago with very little fanfare.

I jumped up in slow motion, pumped my fist in the air and froze there hoping the credits will start rolling.

When I fell back on the ground with a thud, I realized two things.

Is Self-publishing harming authors & the publishing industry?

January 29, 2013 by Sameer Kamat

Self-publishing has been growing at an impressive or alarming rate, depending on which side of the fence you are. Authors tired of waiting for the bigger publishing companies are taking the reins of writing, editing, cover designing and publishing into their own hands. Some are making money. Most are falling by the wayside.

Promoting books and authors in the Indian media

October 11, 2020December 30, 2012 by Sameer Kamat

Apart from trying to get your kick-a$$ manuscript for your soon-to-be best-seller novel on the tables of influential editors, I hope you have also been working on the less glamorous but equally important task of strengthening your ‘author platform’.

It’s not just important for publishers to discover you and your work. It is also important for your readers to discover you.

eBook market in India

October 11, 2020November 25, 2012 by Sameer Kamat

I have been getting increasingly curious about the size of the eBook market in India. More than the size of the ebook market, I’m also keen on learning about whether Indian readers are latching on to the new trend of using electronic reading devices such as Kindle, iPad and notebooks. And the interest in the ebook market isn’t an overnight development. There’s a reason behind it.

Average commission rates charged by literary agents

October 28, 2012 by Sameer Kamat

After all these posts, I realised the most frequently asked questions relating to literary agent commissions in the minds of new authors haven’t been directly tackled yet. What’s the average commission rate for literary agents? What is this commission applicable on? How do literary agents get their share (i.e. how do they get paid)? Does the commission percentage remain the same for everything that the author sells? Do these rates justify full-time literary agent jobs?

Well, I’m not too sure if we should get into that last question. But let’s try to get some answers for the others.

6 benefits of NOT having a Literary Agent

October 11, 2020September 26, 2012 by Sameer Kamat

Most blog posts on publishing related websites talk about how important it is to have Literary agents represent authors. So it is only inevitable that the reverse question comes up frequent, specially from authors who’ve tried their best to reach out to the best literary agents in town (and outside) and haven’t had much luck.

Aren’t there any advantages of not having a literary agency offer representation? You bet there are.

Book editing services in India: Are you paying too much?

November 30, 2020August 6, 2012 by Sameer Kamat

Freelance book editors provide services to authors before literary agents or publishers come into the picture. The assumption here is that the original manuscript has potential that can be accentuated with a little help.

There are many subjective and commercial aspects you need to consider before you decide to hire a book editor. Some of the subjective elements were covered in an earlier post titled ‘Hiring a freelance editor for proofreading & editing your book’. This one focuses on the commercial perspective.

Publishing poetry books: Will a traditional mainstream publisher sell your poems?

July 16, 2012 by Sameer Kamat

If you are a poet, you have probably thought about getting a poetry book published. Good poetry, many would argue, is tougher to write than prose. For the creator (the poet), it requires far more creativity and a much higher emotional quotient to write poems that inspire, move, entertain or compel the reader to think deeper.

But it is still a hell of a job to convince a mainstream publisher to print and sell your poetry book. Let’s look at why that happens and what options you have to get your poems published.