Amish Tripathi, a banker turned bestselling writer, has landed one of South Asia's biggest publishing deals, reports Caroline Mortimer.
The write stuff: Best-selling
author Amish Tripathi Photo:
Getty
An Indian banker turned best-selling author has won a £600,000 advance for
the South Asian rights to his next three books.
Amish Tripathi has been awarded 50 million rupees in the “largest deal ever
struck” in the region, the publishing company behind the contract, Westland
Press, claimed today.
"The offer was made on the basis of not only the past sales record but also
in our belief in Tripathi as a writer and his ability to deliver another
blockbuster trilogy," Gautam Padmanabhan, chief executive of Westland, told AFP.
Tripathi’s first three books, beginning with best-selling The Immortals of
Meluha, have earned more than £2.6m since they were first released in 2010.
They re-imagine the life of the Hindu god Shiva, who is portrayed as flesh and
blood rather than a deity. Tripathi, 38, is a devout follower of Lord Shiva and
attributes his writing success to the god.
The books' popularity reflects the growth of India’s English language
literature market in recent years. The industry is now estimated to be worth $2
billion and sales are growing at around 10-12 per cent per annum. The last
instalment of Tripathi's current triology, The Oath of the Vayuputras,
reportedly sold half a million copies when it went on sale last week.
The new deal allows Westland, part of the giant Tata conglomerate, access to
Tripathi’s “pool of various plot ideas”, according to Padmanabhan.
The author originally studied at the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta and hoped to be a historian. Unable to afford his studies, he switched to India's burgeoning financial services industry, where he worked for Standard Chartered and DBS Bank, before becoming a writer.
Better known Indian authors such as Vikram Seth and Amitav Ghosh have received bigger advances in the past but these have included rights to British and American markets.
"The success of Tripathi's books is empowering for other Indian authors," said Shobit Arya, founder of rival publisher Wisdom Tree. "They need to create their own success story and the deals will follow."
The author originally studied at the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta and hoped to be a historian. Unable to afford his studies, he switched to India's burgeoning financial services industry, where he worked for Standard Chartered and DBS Bank, before becoming a writer.
Better known Indian authors such as Vikram Seth and Amitav Ghosh have received bigger advances in the past but these have included rights to British and American markets.
"The success of Tripathi's books is empowering for other Indian authors," said Shobit Arya, founder of rival publisher Wisdom Tree. "They need to create their own success story and the deals will follow."
