Sherna Khambatta

What are some of the major differences between a self-published book and a traditionally published one?

In traditional publishing, the work has to be selected for publication wherein in the self publishing model anyone’s work can be published. Traditional publishers pay for the editing, production of the book, support marketing and pay authors royalty on book sales whereas in self publishing – the author does all of the above on his own or pays for a self-publishing platform for their service. 

How has the growth and spread of E-books and Audiobooks changed the role of a literary agent globally and in India?

I don’t see any difference in the role of an agent working with either a physical book, ebook or audiobook

We all know, a literary agent seeks an author bio, 1000 words synopsis, and 3 chapters of the manuscript. But, What are the things a literary agent looks for while selecting or rejecting a manuscript?

The uniqueness of the story, the grammar, writing style and whether there is a market for the said title.

What is the volume of books a prominent literary agency like yours receives for evaluation on a yearly basis? How do you go about filtering books to the next stage?

I personally prefer working with non-fiction – to me the storyline matters, the writing style and grammar and also I need to read the text over and over again so if it’s topic that I’m personally uncomfortable with or doesn’t hold my interest it’s difficult to do justice to the book.

How can a literary agency help a new and upcoming author in marketing his/her book and reach out to more readers? What will be your advice to young authors?

Marketing books comes under the purview of the publishers and is not part of what an agent traditionally does. We do help with getting the book as much visibility as possible with our network in the media and on social media but it’s not part of the job description. In terms of marketing for young authors, I would suggest word of mouth, growing a base on social media, attending literary festivals and online events.

Please give a bit of a background about your Literary agency, presence in India, its Vision & Mission, Top management, the Kind of books you publish, and your biggest strength as a Publisher, popular authors published, years of experience, etc.

I have a masters in publishing, as an agent my role is to liaise between an author and publisher to get the best deal for them and make the publishing process as smooth as possible with a version of the book that lets it shine. My focus is on non-fiction though I do take on a very few fiction titles.

What change would you like to see in the publishing industry in India and globally?

In India, I’d like to see more structure in the industry as well as a bigger space for regional languages and translation of the same. Globally I think there needs to be more diversity in the industry showcasing the world in a more integrated manner.

At Sharing Stories, we have an ongoing campaign ‘Let’s Empower Our Kids’. Please suggest some books that you think every child should read before the age of 15 (mostly the character-defining age), teaching them life lessons. Things like empathy, sympathy, relationships, etc.

Since I don’t work with children’s books I’m not familiar with new books but here are a list of books that I read as a child that encompass stories of compassion, resilience and kindness.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

“The Ugly Duckling” Hans Christian Andersen. 

Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne

The elf and the shoe maker by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm

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