Osian’s – The Literary Agency, is India’s premier professional agency that provides representation to authors seeking to publish their work, in India and in all major overseas markets including the UK, US, and all European countries. Authors based in India as well as overseas, may contact us for representation, as per the following guidelines:
1.
Nature of the Work:
Osian’s Literary Agency will provide representation for works in English, in the areas of:
i) Fiction (novels and short stories), literary as well as mass-market/popular forms such as crime/detective, fantasy
ii) General and narrative non-fiction in the areas of biography/memoir, narrative travel (no guidebooks), current affairs and contemporary issues. Essays and anthologies in any of these areas would also be considered, along with single-author narratives.
iii) Works in translation: on commission only. No unsolicited proposals please.
2.
We do not represent work in the following areas, and proposals on these subjects will not be entertained:
Children’s books (fiction/non-fiction)
Young Adult/teen fiction/non-fiction
Self-help, cookery
Management and academic/text books
Illustrated books
Unsolicited poetry and works in translation
3.
How to submit your work:
In the first instance, please send a proposal in hard copy, clearly typed (no hand-written proposals, please), to the following address by regular post or courier:
Osian’s –The Literary Agency,
C/o Osians – Connoisseurs of Art Pvt. Ltd.,
3rd Floor,
B-35, Qutab Institutional Area,
New Delhi – 110016
Please do not send material in floppies and CDs or via email.
Please do not send the full manuscript unless requested to do so.
Please do retain a copy of any proposal or manuscript that you send to us, as Osian’s does not undertake to return any material submitted to us, unless accompanied by a stamped and addressed envelope.
Please do include your complete contact details, including postal address, email address and telephone numbers.
Osian’s is not responsible for any loss or damage of material in transit.
4.
What should your proposal contain: Your proposal should contain a detailed synopsis (approx. 500-800 words), summing up what the work is about. For fiction (novels), the synopsis should be accompanied by 3 or 4 sample chapters, or 4-5 sample stories, if it is a collection of short stories. For non-fiction, the synopsis should be accompanied by a chapter outline which briefly sums up what each chapter is about, and ideally, one introductory chapter.
5.
What is the process of evaluation, and how long will it take: On the basis of the proposal, we will get back to you within 8 week’s time. Your proposal may not be found suitable for representation. Alternatively, we may ask to see the full manuscript, or further chapters, in case it is not complete. Once we receive the full manuscript, there will be a further evaluation period of 8-10 weeks, after which we will get back to you with a final decision.
A request to see the full manuscript does not mean that it has been accepted for representation
Please do not send us the full manuscript if you have already submitted it to any other agency, or to a publisher, either in India or overseas, until you have heard from them, or informed them that you are withdrawing your submission. Similarly, we would request you not to submit your manuscript elsewhere during the process of detailed evaluation (i.e. after the proposal stage). You are free to ask us to stop evaluation of your manuscript at any stage before we have communicated our decision.
6.
Whom should you contact during the process of evaluation:
Owing to the large number of submissions received, it is unfortunately not possible for us to answer queries via telephone, email, fax or meetings in person, during the period of evaluation. However, if you have not heard from us within 8 weeks of having submitted your initial proposal, or 10 weeks after submitting the full manuscript, you may write to us at the above address, and your query will be promptly addressed.
7.
Terms and Conditions: Agency commission and other terms will be discussed with the author once the work has been accepted for representation.
