Pickle Yolk Books: A Bouquet of Emotions

Author and editor  of Pickle Yolk books,Richa Jha, is on a roll.After winning accolades for her fiction picture books, she is venturing into a new genre.  Scroll down to read all about it.

1.       It's been a long and fruitful journey with Pickle Yolk Books. So many good books and so many accolades.

Thank you! I think it’s to do with my inherent persnicketiness when it comes to anything to do with picture books. I am my own fiercest critic, whether it’s for the author in me or the editor in me or the publisher. I don’t usually rush with a book. On the contrary, I make the entire creation process annoyingly and painfully slow. So perhaps, it’s this luxury of time that I gift my books that helps them come out fully baked. It’s not as if I don’t make mistakes with my books; I do by the truckloads, but I do strive to create satisfying, wholesome reads, both textually and visually.   

2. MaccherJhol has been a joyous read. What inspired you to write this book?

Sumanta's illustrations! I was mesmerised by some of his Calcutta-specific artwork that he had shared with me. I have always been partial to Cal. So, the moment I saw his frames, I knew there was a story lurking in the bustle of the streets that was waiting to be told.

3. What kind of book projects would you undertake if someone gifted you a few billion dollars?

Ah! Only if wishes knew their way to a mint!

But thanks for asking me this because it got me thinking deep. And though I always crib about the lack of resources, strangely enough, my soul searching has caught me off guard, sort of. I don't think I would do things differently in terms of either the kind of books or the numbers. For me, every book needs to necessarily go through several gestation periods during the various stages of its creation. Give me too many books to work on at the same time, and I have realised that I start making mistakes. There is an interesting and eclectic bunch of projects I am working on which should be out within the next year and a half or so. Those and whatever I have been doing in the past is pretty much what excites me to the core. So actually, those billions would be a bit of a waste on me.

4 Which roles do you enjoy the most-author, editor or publisher?

 

Picture Courtesy: Richa Jha

Editor, I think… Some years ago, a friend told me that I am a better editor than a writer. I didn't quite buy it then because it sounded unglamorous, but after almost a decade since then, I have begun to see what he meant. I love the process of teasing out layers in a story regardless of whether it's been written by me or by another author. I am a lazy, tardy, unsure writer, and an equally lazy, unimaginative publisher but I love to see the stories under my editorial scanner keeping me awake at night when my mind is busy fixing or chiselling things.  

5. What is the biggest challenge faced by Pickle Yolk books today? What steps are you taking to address it?

Getting the books to reach new readers across the country. With our limited resources, it’s difficult to build an in-house core team of sales, marketing, PR and the whole talent Jing bang. Which, naturally, translates to a narrower reach and readership base.

But we are bravely ploughing through, regardless. What’s a blessing for smaller publishers like us is the mushrooming of children’s lit fests in all parts of the country! These help us connect our authors or illustrators directly with children and the parents. I also owe a huge thank you to the multitude of online platforms dedicated to kid-lit and children’s book enthusiasts who regularly share their reviews and recommendation. Their contribution in helping spread the word about our titles is immense; you yourself are doing a fabulous job with your Kahani Takbak! Storytellers, book clubs and reading libraries too are now championing the cause of Indian authors.

Most of the steps that I am taking are an organic response to these happy changes in the kidlit world. As a publisher and an author, I strive to build strong associations with this priceless ecosystem that is poised to grow more robust by the day.

6. Giggiand Daddy have been going to a lot of places abroad right after the launch?  How did you manage to pull it off?

                                                

    

They travelled with me. :) I had planned it as a 30-day campaign but wasn't able to carry it beyond day 10 because of some sudden unavoidable developments on the personal front. I am hoping to resume the social media posts soon.

7. You have been a one-woman army leading Pickle Yolk books and produced quality books choosing to associate with the best illustrators to bring stories to life. How difficult is it to sustain in the world of Indian publishing today?

I don’t think sustaining or doing well in the industry is that big a challenge if you’ve got the basics right - the right mix of a strong list, smart, innovative (and consistent) marketing ideas, and the tenacity to last out the initial settling-in years (which is true for any business, any industry). The fallout of the weakest link in our industry - the unreliable distribution channel- is something that every big or small publisher in the country has now learnt to factor in into their business plan. And with several alternate ways to connect with the end user now emerging, thanks to social media or the ones I mentioned in an earlier question (no 5), I don’t think the children’s publishers need to fret over it much. So, if you’re asking if it is possible for (even) a one-person army to have a successful run at it, I’d say, yes, and an emphatic one at that.

But where I personally face huge challenges is in the way I approach bookmaking - a somewhat inflexible approach to handling any project in terms of being enormously fussy about the end product. This is what makes running a business seem like a non-starter for me. Perhaps with a keener business acumen, I would have made things look brighter for PYB. But for now, the numbers just don't add up.  So, I have now found the next best option - stop thinking of myself as being someone who needs to run a business and to go with the flow until I can! It’s all about tricking the mind into believing the same thing you’ve been struggling to get it to see.

8.Will Pickle Yolk continue to focus on fiction picture books? Do you plan to publish books for older kids?

Only picture books. I’m keen on exploring non-fiction picture books in the near future, especially biographies. So, if there are writers with polished or unpolished manuscripts, I’d love to see them.

9.MaccherJhol has had a fantastic journey till now. Did you think it would go this far?

Simple and honest answer: no. Though I continued to get mesmerised by every single frame that Sumanta kept sharing with me as work on this book progressed, I was unsure about the story all along. I didn’t know if the book was able to hold a reader’s attention right until the end or whether the gentle, brooding suspense that I wanted to create was actually there or not. But I knew that Sumanta’s artwork would most certainly wow one and all.

10.PickleYolk books have a strong visual appeal. How did you develop a strong aesthetic sense for pictures?

Though not a schooled artist, I think and write visually. It is intuitively built in me. For most books that I write, I have the illustrated frames whirling in my head even before I’ve keyed in the words. Similarly, when I reading a manuscript by another author, my mind is simultaneously breaking it down into flowing spreads. Of course, the final pages end up being way more gorgeous than anything I imagine because the illustrators I have had the good fortune of working with are all artists par excellence and come with their distinctive charm. But as an editor, I do take the 'picture' in a picture book seriously; a lot of thought and fuss goes behind each.

11. Pickle Yolk is currently closed for submissions. When is it likely to open?

Around October this year. As I said in an earlier response, I am most keen on seeing picture book biography submissions.

To know more Pickle Yolk Books, click here.

 To buy a copy of Pickle Yolk's books, click here.