<p class="title">Inspired by the meteoric success of established Indian writers, legions of new authors are trying to make it big in the face of rejection rates of 95% and little monetary gain.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Samhita Arni, a <span class="italic">New York Times</span>-bestselling author known for adapting Indian epic poems into modern narratives, and who also teaches a creative writing class at a university in the city, revealed that the royalties from her bestselling books can barely cover half of the rental costs on her apartment here. Her rent is Rs 20,000.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“We have so many young students in our creative writing programme that I wonder how they will make it in this country where it is difficult to be a full-time writer,” Samhita said, adding that Indian authors have little access to grants and other financial support that authors in the West enjoy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to data provided by Penguin Books, Random House and Simon & Schuster Publishing, the number of books being published in India is growing at a rate of 15%. Simon & Schuster, which often fields 15 books a month, aspires to sell at least 4,000 copies every month. The average book in India sells only 50 copies.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“In India, the minimum sale number required for a book to be classified as a bestseller is 2,000 copies,” said Madhukar Raj, who wrote Hack the Job (2018), a guide which aspires to offer advice on staying relevant in the age of automation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Raj, who said he quit his job as a software engineer to become an author, took almost two years to write the book, during which he expended his life savings within a year and was forced to rely on funding from relatives to continue. “The book was eventually published, but I could not think of becoming a full-time writer in order to support myself because the royalties would never allow me to make a proper living. Now, I am looking to get back into software.” </p>.<p class="bodytext">According to figures released by the publishing industry, 82,000 books are released every year in India.</p>
<p class="title">Inspired by the meteoric success of established Indian writers, legions of new authors are trying to make it big in the face of rejection rates of 95% and little monetary gain.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Samhita Arni, a <span class="italic">New York Times</span>-bestselling author known for adapting Indian epic poems into modern narratives, and who also teaches a creative writing class at a university in the city, revealed that the royalties from her bestselling books can barely cover half of the rental costs on her apartment here. Her rent is Rs 20,000.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“We have so many young students in our creative writing programme that I wonder how they will make it in this country where it is difficult to be a full-time writer,” Samhita said, adding that Indian authors have little access to grants and other financial support that authors in the West enjoy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to data provided by Penguin Books, Random House and Simon & Schuster Publishing, the number of books being published in India is growing at a rate of 15%. Simon & Schuster, which often fields 15 books a month, aspires to sell at least 4,000 copies every month. The average book in India sells only 50 copies.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“In India, the minimum sale number required for a book to be classified as a bestseller is 2,000 copies,” said Madhukar Raj, who wrote Hack the Job (2018), a guide which aspires to offer advice on staying relevant in the age of automation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Raj, who said he quit his job as a software engineer to become an author, took almost two years to write the book, during which he expended his life savings within a year and was forced to rely on funding from relatives to continue. “The book was eventually published, but I could not think of becoming a full-time writer in order to support myself because the royalties would never allow me to make a proper living. Now, I am looking to get back into software.” </p>.<p class="bodytext">According to figures released by the publishing industry, 82,000 books are released every year in India.</p>
