Chapal Mehra is a publishing professional with over a decade in the Indian publishing industry. He began is career as a commissioning person at McGraw Hill and later worked at the Oxford University Press and Sage Publications. His last full-time assignment in publishing was as Acquisitions Manager at Penguin India. He has worked on consulting assignments with Harvard Business School Press, United Nations Development Program  and the Global business Coalition Against HIV/ AIDS. He is a graduate of New York University and is currently based in New Delhi and works as a full-time strategy and content consultant. Ask Chapal about the authors he has introduced to the market and the list is impressive. The three he always mentions are (a) We Are Like That Only by ex-McKinsey consultant and Marketing thought leader Rama Bijapurkar was the bestselling book in the non-fiction and business category for over 2 years(2007-9) and still continues to be hugely successful book in its revised avatar.  Chapal had chaperoned that book into the market. (b) Arun Maira’s Remaking India was considered a path breaking book in the application of consensus building and conflict resolution in business to national politics and development. (c) The Romance of Tata Steel by RM Lala has been critically hailed as a definitive biography of this great Indian organization.

I thought it would be great to have his perspective that first time authors could benefit from.

Abhijit: What were you looking for when you commissioned those authors?

Chapal Mehra: I think some of the better known writers that I have commissioned at various times include Arum Maira, Rama Bijapurkar, Kaushik Basu, Santosh Desai and  Jerry Rao. Not all these books came to fruition but those that did were quite successful.

I think the fundamental qualities  that one looks for in an author is a deep understanding and passion for the ideas that they want to write on, an innovative perspective on the subject and a reasonably good writing style along with a fair bit of flexibility. New ideas are very, very important  as is context which makes it relevant to the immediate market that you are addressing. A book as you know is a collaborative process. A writer entirely left on their own is often insular. Unless of course, s/he is an absolute genius. But how many of those exist?

Abhijit: As a writer how does one know which publishing house is the right one for me?

It works differently for different genres but a few simple rules apply.

A natural point is that the publisher should a considerable presence in the market you wish to address. Every brand, however big, has specializations or sub brands. Make sure you are with the right brand which has the infrastructure to bring you to your reader.  A big brand which is not player in the area you are writing on is useless for you . For eg. An academic book is well-regarded when it comes from a university press instead of say Penguin.  The next, of course, is that the publisher should have substantial content or similar books like yours, for eg. you cannot do an engineering book with a social science publisher . It would be lost. So having a companion list is important. Having a companion list ensures that the subject area gets enough attention by marketing and promotion and also your book rides along with other books. You also need to look at what the publishers strongest points are – editorial, marketing or sales? You have to understand your partners strengths and weaknesses and what they can provide you best.

Finally, your publishing house and editor have to believe in the idea that you wish to write on. It has to be a combined passion of sorts. You cannot start your first book with someone who doesn’t share your excitement. The sad thing is that in India this paddling pool is tiny.

Abhijit: Should the first time writers have agents?

Chapal Mehra: Sure. If you can find one you like and who delivers for you. Its tricky especially in India. You need to know the following : What is the role of the agent? What do you want them to do ? What do you see them providing are all things that need to be discussed before you embark on the agent relationship. It also depends on the agent you get.

Whenever I have acted as an agent I draft a strategy with the writer before we sign anything and make it clear to them what it is that I can deliver. And there is usually a follow up plan . As an agent the fun for me is to over deliver. I am also brutally frank with authors whose work I don’t think has international audience. Its better of they hate you now rather than later. We start with clear goals and work towards them instead of having some hazy idea of making you rich and famous.

Writers often overestimate the service that agents can provide. Every agent is not going to take you international with a  big fat advance. And really do you deserve that? Also you must learn from other examples worldwide. How many authors travel internationally across the world to you? Does everyone have that potential? Clearly not

Before you get an agent, you need to be sure and clear about what you want the agent to do for you. There are a lot of editorial inputs that agents can give. They can also open the right doors for you in the publishing companies and advise you on the appropriate marketing and publicity strategy. But there are agents and agents so please be sure what you want from them .

Abhijit: How should a writer choose an agent?

Chapal Mehra: Like I said earlier, before you choose anyone be objective and determine for yourself what you want for your book. If you are not Murkami, Ishiguro or Rushdie you need to be a little bit realistic in the goals you set for your work.

So for starters, your vision of the book and the agent’s vision of YOUR book have to match. You have to agree on who the primary audience is, where it should be published and how it should be marketed. Again its like a long-term relationship. You need to be sure you want the same things and agree on a  common set of goals and these can include things such as specific deliverables such as advances and marketing  .

And in case you don’t know what you want, then you have to be guided by your agent but also do your little bit of research. Agents are like all other consultants, some deliver exactly what you want, some deliver more, some just don’t deliver. Remember the list of deliverables that you draw up helps the agent and you. Michelangelo didn’t paint the Sistine Chapel by accident –he planned it.

Abhijit: What are the most common mistakes first time authors make? How should one avoid doing those?

Chapal Mehra: Oh they are endless:

1. Wrong agent
2. Wrong publisher
3. No idea of what they wanted for their book except that it  should get published
4. No idea of the terms of the agreement they signed
5. No idea of their intellectual property subclauses
6. Not enough discussion on how the book will be marketed and promoted

Most assume that the publisher is doing them a favor by publishing their book. Hence they refuse to ask any questions and later complain about how they were tricked. This is at heart a business transaction. So you need to be sure what you are getting into. No one is doing you a favor.  It is also an intellectual transaction so you need to be doubly sure that your ideas are cared for and promoted.

That having been said, first time authors can also be real nut cases. Some of them think that the Nobel Prize for literature is theirs and drive their agents and editors nuts with questions queries and endless heckling. There is a limit to everything . I always tell such authors if you think you are such a genius. Go elsewhere. And truthfully, when such a genius arrives every editor or publisher puts up with their tantrums. So if I am not putting up with yours. You should take the hint.

Abhijit: What are some of the watchouts for first time writers when they sign a contract with a publishing firm?

Chapal: Most professional publishing firms have standard contracts which they are not open to amending. It is the way they do business and these cannot be altered to every author’s requirement. In fact they are mostly standardized across organizations with a few changes here and there. As a first time author you need to know what you get into a contract with the publishing firm for :

Copyright: Understand the difference between copyright and  the right to publish.

What territory are you signing the book deal for? Do you want to keep US and UK or Europe rights for yourself?

Please check the royalty clause. Are you happy with what the standard royalty is ? Usually it’s the same across publishing firms

Please check the subsidiary rights.  Do you want to give up or keep –translation rights, film rights, tv series rights etc. In most cases I would advise its best to let the publishing company keep these unless you want to do something with them or you think it will have enormous potential which you have a strategy to exploit.

If its an advance contract what are your dates of delivery? What are the conditions associated with non- or late delivery?

Its always good to discuss the contract with your editor to also understand why the organization is offering the contract that it is . Most large professional publishing firms are not out to rob you. But its important for you to understand their thinking.

Abhijit: What are the typical amounts payable as advance to writers. How does one get these million dollar advances that one hears of?

Chapal: Before we discuss an advance lets understand the nature of it. An advance is a monetary commitment to a writers work. This work is a product that the publisher hopes to sell. The advance is built on the foundation that the book will sell in certain numbers. Some authors labour under the impression that large advances are always doled out . Its only a fraction of writers that get such advances. It depends on what genre, the potential and the ability of a publisher to pay. Some advances from international publishers seem big because you multiplied them by 50 really! Its not too high in India unless you are a well-established writer or the book has huge potential. It can range from Rs40,000 to a few lakhs . In any case, these huge advances are only possible if the mathematics are done properly.  Most standard advances in fact are adjustable against future royaltyThere isn’t a standard strategy to getting that multimillion dollar advance. It depends on the potential of your work and the capacity of your agent. I know of people who have written to a big publishing firm directly and been offered reasonable advances because their work is good. others usually get it through agents.  So there isnt a single strategy. And what are multi-million dollar advances? I million dollars is the equal of 5 crores in India .Which Indian writer has received these recently? Only a handful …

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My favorite website in this respect would be http://www.advicetowriters.com/ They have loads of stuff you will read and learn from. Must read.

Should you have an agent and such vexing questions answered here http://www.thehindu.com/arts/books/article611600.ece

I found this article useful Ten rules for writing fiction

Does anyone learn anything by playing video games? I think there are some Level One/ Amateur Level answers, “It improves their motor skills.” Then there are some answers which are Advance Amateur/ Level Two responses, “It teaches them to stay focused on a task for a while.” Then there are what can be a  Level 3 response, “I noticed my kid getting interested in history and science because of the video games they play.” I came across this response which is from a parent – clearly one that will be categorized as Masters of the Universe response endorsing games, “I’ve got a 9 year old and two 7 year olds. All boys. They are allowed to play Xbox about once a week, sometimes more and DS on occasion. What do they get out of it? Well they get to think creatively, whether building their own levels and environments (working with each other to build a level in Lego Indiana Jones for a few hours, or a track in Trials HD) that they then get to test. They have to learn/work on communication skills in dealing with each other and negotiating not only what they are going to play next but what they are going to do in a particular game.”

Read more responses here

Most disagree and say “Most  popular games  don’t require analytical thinking or planning or creativity…  MW2 (Modern Warfare for the uninitiated), probably the most popular game in recent history was just basically a rail shooter. Even the competitive component favors twitch reflexes over actual planning and tactics. WoW (World of Warcraft), the most successful game to date does not require analytical thinking or analysis.”

I have always been interested in exploring what Corporations can learn from Video Games.  Here is what are top reasons:

1. How to design the work content/ an activity that people willingly come back to regularly.

2. How to design the skill level of the task such that it is tough and yet people strive to improve their skills by working at it regularly.

3. How to design a task that is so engaging that people are motivated to sneak back to give it a shot one more time with the hope of improving their odds of success – even when they have come back home  REALLY tired.

4. How to create reward systems that are intangible and yet meaningful enough to motivate people to excel even as the tasks become harder and harder. Any game designers reading this? I would really like to get your insights.

5. How to effortless teach people to collaborate and compete with people across the world (think online games) and raise each others skill level.

The biggest insight I had was when I read that a focus on remaining (vs. completed) actions increases the motivation to move up to a more advanced level.

But the focus on completed (vs. remaining) actions increases the satisfaction derived from the present level.

The organizations would do well to perhaps motivate the high potential employees by pointing them to what remains to be achieved. This could be the approach the coach takes to motivate the high achievers as well. The feedback should focus on what hey could have done better. What are some of the opportunities they should utilize in future to go to the next level.

The rest of the steady achievers that form the majority in any group would get motivated by having them celebrate the results they have achieved rather than on the tasks that they did not complete. Their managers should take time to celebrate the current achievements much more. Their coaching would be more by looking back in time over what they have done to come to the level they have.

Does that mean that high achievers look ahead while the rest of the people revel in nostalgia? What is your take? If you know game designers who have worked on one of the top 10 games, I want to talk to them. Mail me at abhijitbhaduri@live.com

The story of farmers suicides can be the base for some really potent dark humor. That is what Peepli Live is. The film that has the audience across the theaters in splits with its brand of humor, shocked with the liberal use of expletives and thinking about how they need to start thinking about farmers suicides. Anusha Rizvi, a journalist with NDTV news channel has written a script that is endearing and thought provoking without being preachy.

Natha (played by Omkar Das Manikpuri) and Budhia (Raghubir Yadav) are two brothers who are impoverished farmers who cannot repay their loans. The Govt has announced a “relief” of about $2000 to the family of every farmer who commits suicide. Budhia comes up with this idea of encouraging his brother to commit suicide. In a weak moment Natha succumbs to that passing thought.

The reaction of the media, the politicians, the society all provide food for satire.  Will Natha commit suicide and will the government pay up if he does – that is a question you have to see the film to find the answer.  The stakes are high. Every media channel is camping in front of Natha’s house. The politician’s want to play every card there is to get the votes needed for the upcoming election. The media is running out of patience and sound bytes. Even Natha’s son nudges him up from sleep to check how much more they all have to wait before he dies. Natha as a mute spectator to the drama and hype surrounding his own death is brilliantly conveyed right through. I have to make a special mention of Farookh Zafar who is absolutely hilarious as “Amma” – the bedridden abuse-spewing mother of the brothers.

The film is clearly resonating with audience everywhere. In its opening weekend Peepli earned Rs 21 crore in the box office at home. With 109 overseas prints it grossed another $6,40,000 ( 2.88 crore) abroad, more than some bigger recent films like Once Upon a Time in Mumbai. Peepli received one of the highest openings for a non cast film in overseas markets. So the belief that the Non Resident Indians only go for the Karan Johar variety of films is also a myth. It only proves that there are stories that are engaging and those that are not. Peepli is certainly in the first category. The film’s promos caught my attention because of the Aamir Khan brand. Since he is the producer, the film is likely to be good. Having seen the film, all I can say is that it will do well because it is a fantastic satire. It is difficult to find witty films in Bollywood of the caliber of Pushpak, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron etc. This film will certainly feature in that category.

The story is compelling. Anusha Rizvi does a superb job as the director and it is hard to believe that it is her first film. The humor and satire are brilliant and insightful. I loved the use of folk songs – Mehengai Dayan performed as only Raghubir Yadav can. The film ends with the thought provoking statistic of 8 million farmers having moved to urban areas in search of employment. That shakes the frivolous mood back to the grim reality that the film seeks to get you to take back home. Very few films can do that. This is a film that is funny and yet grim. In some strange manner it reminded me of a movie I had watched years ago – Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. The humor of Peepli Live is of the same class. The subtext shines right through. Go see it.

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Check out the official website of the film here

I love the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda’s poetry. Had he been alive, he would have turned a 106 on the 12th of July this year. If only I knew Spanish I would have enjoyed the flavor of his poems even more. If reading his translations can be so exhilarating, imagine the impact of reading those poems in in the language in which the poet thought of those words. Writing love poems is difficult. It is hard to become mushy or melodramatic. The ability to express this complex human emotion on paper is not easy. Neruda was a respected diplomat who always used green colored ink to write his poems. He felt green was the color of hope. Neruda created songs for children as a hobby. He was 19 when he wrote Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1971. He shared his insight on poets and poetry in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. He said …

“From all this, my friends, there arises an insight which the poet must learn through other people. There is no insurmountable solitude. All paths lead to the same goal: to convey to others what we are. And we must pass through solitude and difficulty, isolation and silence in order to reach forth to the enchanted place where we can dance our clumsy dance and sing our sorrowful song – but in this dance or in this song there are fulfilled the most ancient rites of our conscience in the awareness of being human and of believing in a common destiny.”

When Neruda returned to Chile after his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, the President Salvador Allende invited him to read at the Estadio Nacional before 70,000 people.

My serendipitous discovery of Neruda was through his poem  If You Forget Me. It is lyrical in the way it sways from one mood to another. I love the way it begins. When I first read this, I was in college. I saw his book of poems while browsing through books of poetry in a bookshop in Delhi.  I picked a page at random and that was this poem.

I opened this page and read the first few words. They had a sense of urgency. ” I want you to know one thing…” it began. It was conversational. How eloquently it summarizes the complexity of love when he says, “you know how this is…” I read the poem again and again. It was visual. I could see the poem flash before me long after I went back home dazed by its impact. I was even tempted to memorize the poem and then resisted that temptation. That is the worst thing to do to a poem.

I never memorize poems. When you memorize a poem, it is like putting a bird in a cage. You can see whenever you want to, but you can never see it fly.

When I wrote my second novel Married But Available, I rediscovered this poem when Keya wrote these lines for Abbey. Just the way she would. On a sheet of blue kite-paper. Who else could have introduced Abbey to this shade of love?

If You Forget Me

I want you to know
one thing.

You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.

If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.

If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
remember
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.

But
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me all that fire is repeated,
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine.

Madonna reads out this poem from her song Frozen

Tonight I Can Write the Saddest Lines is another gem by Neruda. Watch this version recited beautifully by the Cuban American actor Andy Garcia – most remembered for his role in the film The Godfather Part III

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Pramita Bose of Asian Age newspaper spoke to me about my love for this poem Here is the interview

Also featured in the newspaper Deccan Chronicle dated 18 Aug 2010

The Wikipedia told me about the “Chinese water torture”. This was a torture that was supposed to drive its victim insane with the stress of water dripping on a part of the forehead for a very long time. It was characterized by the inconsistent pattern of water drips. Supposedly, the desire for the human brain to make a pattern of the timing between the drops will also eventually cause insanity to set in. That was then. Today that method is replaced by subjecting unsuspecting colleagues to horrible presentations that makes the water torture look almost benign. There are many reasons why presentations go haywire. You have probably suffered through many sessions where the speaker reads through what really looks like the pages of a book – except that all 5000 pages including the graphs and tables of research data – all put into one slide. The font is small enough to inspire people not delay any more the decision whether to wear specs or not. Worse still many presenters feel that the slide is like a teleprompter. They read it out line by line and imagine that the audience is either illiterate or so lazy that they will not read stuff even if it is in front of them.

Here is the big secret -

1. If you have sentences to share with your audience, use a Word document
2. If you have data and graphs to show – use Excel. Give them a printout that they can either read ahead of the meeting or can deliberate upon out after you have gone home
3. If have a conclusion to share or an idea you want them to remember use PowerPoint

The Slide Rule (pun intended): Have a single point on a slide – preferably with a visual. The visual should be about the story that goes with the slide. The slides are for the audience to remember as key take aways. Slides are not speaker notes. It is not about the slides anyway.

There are some people make presentations that makes the audience ask for more. Here is what I have learnt. There are three elements which are needed to make great presentations. Make sure your arguments have Clarity, know the audience ie Concern and present with Confidence.

CLARITY: If you could make only three slides – each slide with three words – what would they be? Till you have those three key slides don’t add any more. It could be 3 key ideas the audience should take away, 3 reasons why your idea deserves funding etc.  More than three ideas is wasted on the audience. Try asking people immediately after the presentation what they recall. You will be surprised how widespread amnesia is. So keep it simple. Here is a fascinating talk by Steve Jobs given to students at Stanford for their commencement address. Notice the title: How to Live Before Your Die

Ways to Build Clarity in Your Presentation

i)   Structure the talk around some questions.

ii)  Three most popular questions that help structure your presentation : Whats the big idea I am suggesting; What data or evidence led me to that idea; How will it improve your life?

iii) Use three four words that builds a mnemonic for the audience to remember your slide.

iv) Clearly think through what you want the audience to do after you have done the presentation.  What is the objective of giving this info to the audience? Is it to inform, convince or entertain? Hence what information or anecdotes will prove that point.

v)  One slide for every 2 minutes of talk time is a good thumbrule. Guy Kawasaki’s 10-20-30 rule is a good guide. Here is what he says.

CONCERN: Become Persuasive, Insightful and Inspiring – not pedantic. You can do this only if you understand the audience and tailor the message. Ask yourself if it was a different audience you were presenting to, how would you structure your presentation differently? What do they know about the subject that you can build upon or challenge? How about starting with three startling and unknown facts about your topic.

1. Encourage participation by asking some opinions. Questions initially should not be to “test” the audience level of knowledge. You are the expert and the audience knows it. That’s why you are a speaker. Get them excited about your idea.
2. The whole presentation is like a story. Make it memorable. Adult learning is more when they feel they will use the information to become better. Share how that could benefit them. Tell them how to do it in easy steps.
3. Learn to use multiple media – maybe a short film clip? A screenshot of blogs that they could read later?

CONFIDENCE : It is not about the slides. It is just your turn to tell a story. Begin with interesting/ fascinating factoids. Here is Professor Clay Shirky talking about What is Cognitive Surplus? If you don’t know what that is, don’t worry. That’s why you should listen to him. Watch him present like a master storyteller. His first words are the first lines of a story. That’s how he explains this stuff in a manner even someone like me can understand

Did you notice how he began with “The story starts in Kenya…” He proves the point that skillful presenters can make a complex concept easy to understand. They just use stories to feed their audience with their idea – a morsel at a time. That’s why I am a big fan of the TED.com site. It is a collection of stories that explain interesting ideas. Each speaker gets 18 minutes to engage the audience with their story.

I love the talk given by author and diplomat Shashi Tharoor on The Soft power of India. Notice how he connects the TED elements of Technology Entertainment and Design to what India is about to make his a very compelling presentation. Remember the old saying, “Tell them what you will tell them (intro), tell them what you have to tell them (your main idea) and tell them what you just told them (recap of key ideas).”

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Some related stuff

Download my cartoon. Click Here … ok… CLICK HERE instead

Why do TED talks last for 18 minutes? You must watch the video for some good insights Click here

My talk at TEDxGurgaon on What Makes People Happy. Click Here

Guy Kawasaki lists making a good PowerPoint as one of the ten things you must learn (in school).