ALL writers must be good dancers since the road to literary stardom involves a delicate dance between hope and helplessness. At the outset, they must resist even the slightest twinge of self-doubt as they write their literary masterpieces. Once their novels have been completed, writers must become immune to rejection slips from agents and publishers, and find ways to believe in their work.

For most budding Pakistani authors in English, the journey is made all the more difficult by a dearth of agents and publishers. Writers who approach Pakistani publishers often have to reckon with a cold, unprofessional attitude. Most of them are told that there is a rather limited market for their work as very few people read in English.

Other writers are half-heartedly encouraged to obtain pre-publication orders for their work from distributors – a veiled rejection that leaves many of them in a dilemma.

Buoyed up by desperate fantasies for six-figure advances or even a publisher who is genuinely interested in their work, some writers begin shopping for agents and publishers in the US, the UK and India. The fortunate few find a home for their books in foreign markets. After a year-long wait, their novels finally appear on the literary scene and garner attention in the media. Defying all the prophecies made by local publishers, some of these books manage to find readers in Pakistan. In fact, their popularity results in pirated copies being sold, which puts a strain on a writer’s pocket. For some authors who have been ruthlessly rejected by Pakistani publishers, this is one of their finest moments of sweet revenge.

But the dance must go on. Every novel is a journey, with its own struggles and triumphs. If one book appeals to publishers and readers, the other may never make it into print. Publishing is, after all, about fashion. Some stories about Pakistan will always be fashionable while others will either come with sell-by dates or remain consistently unpopular. For instance, if novels about terrorism and migration sell like hot cakes, a book about a dusty village in Pakistan will find few takers.

Where does this leave writers? If you haven’t bagged a Booker or written a bestseller, you’ll find yourself in the same place. But if you’re a storyteller, you’ll keep performing that delicate dance in search for readers.

Taha Kehar
Karachi

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2019