Tamil Nadu Educates Literary Agents to Bridge the Gap between Writers and Publishers

Empower Tamil literature globally with skilled literary agents. Explore the CIBF initiative for professional representation, bridging writers and international readership.

on Dec 14, 2023

Tamil Nadu Educates Literary Agents to Bridge the Gap between Writers and Publishers | Frontlist

To ensure that Tamil books reach the international market, literary agents must be trained, according to the coordinator of the Chennai International Book Fair (CIBF). The Chennai International Book Fair (CIBF) is now working to train literary agents to bridge the gap between publishers and writers.

"During last year's CIBF, we signed many MoUs with countries for translations." However, we discovered that we were lacking a critical component. "Most international writers have literary agents who act as intermediaries," stated Elambaghwath, Director of Public Libraries.

An project to train literary agents is being launched in an effort to provide professional representation to Tamil writers, which is a first in the country. Literary agents play an active part in the publishing industry, representing writers' interests and ensuring that their manuscripts reach the correct publisher.

"There were over 200 literary agents who represented their authors and had the rights catalogue when I visited the Frankfurt International Book Fair." "We need to train literary agents to ensure that Tamil books reach the international market," stated G. Olivannan, publisher and CIBF organiser.

The first group of literary agents, who will be certified this weekend, received rigorous training in publishing, international copyright rules, negotiation skills, and how to pitch a book.

A call was issued to all colleges, and they received over 600 applications, from which 20-25 students were picked. "They will play a pivotal role in the upcoming CIBF in representing Tamil writers and making a career for themselves," he said.

"Through CIBF, I first learned about literary agents and then went on to explore the rights catalogue," writer and publisher Ival Bharathi remarked of her experience as a literary agent.

Through this new position, I have obtained the rights to translate a Tamil book into Malayalam. I was also able to obtain a TEDA grant from Turkey in order to translate their novels into Tamil." She has recently established her own literary agency to represent Tamil authors and introduce their books to a wider audience.

"The next step is to gather the translators so that Tamil books reach the International forum and also other regional languages of India," Mr. Olivannan went on to say.