How to write for the picky child reader

Sayoni Basu

After Anushka Ravishankar and Sayoni Basu had spent many years working for publishers, they, "had been moaning to each other" that there aren't enough exciting children's books about life in contemporary India. "Books which were silly funny exciting and just good to read. We finally decided to stop moaning and do something about it," says Basu.

(From left) Books by Duckbill: Moin and The Monster; Oops The Mighty Girgle

And thus Duckbill Books - the publishing company that has published authors like Natasha Sharma, Pavitra Sankaran and Arundhati Venkatesh - arrived four years ago. The journey, Basu says, has been both great fun and difficult.

"We have published many books I am really proud of, and discovered many new and exciting writers, which was another goal we had. And we have had our share of award shortlists and wins, and some excellent sellers," she recounts.

They did have their share of challenges as a small publisher in a market that does not consider reading for pleasure a priority. "Getting the attention of distributors and booksellers and persuading them to order and pay is tough. But thanks to our wonderful authors and illustrators, some very supportive readers, booksellers and distributors, we have managed to survive and grow. And when I look back on the four years, my primary memory is just lots of fun and laughter and excitement at new manuscripts and writers," she says.

The publisher dismisses the claim that there is a dearth of good children's writing in the country. "There are actually some amazing writers for children in India now. The problem is that very few kids know about them, and parents and teachers are by and large conservative and unwilling to experiment. Or just plain ignorant," she explains and adds, "The list of brilliant children's writers would actually be really long - Anushka Ravishankar, Natasha Sharma, Devika Rangachari, Arundhati Venkatesh, Himanjali Sankar, Payal Dhar, Samit Basu - I can carry on for a while longer."

She says that these writers are writing unusual and interesting stories, creating new types of protagonists and exploring themes "earlier coyly concealed in dark cupboards."

"But things are improving and awareness is increasing - I just wish it could be moved to warp drive pace from the sedate camel plod it is at now," she says.

Duckbill does see a good potential for books online. "I am a dedicated reader of ebooks, and all the Duckbill books are published in ebook format by Juggernaut. However, children seem to read less on screens - possibly parents are concerned about the amount of time that kids spend on screens. So since reading can be a non-screen activity, most parents prefer that option.

However, ebook libraries are coming up, and these I think are a great way of getting books to kids who find it difficult to have access to reading," she signs off.