Random House and Sterling Publishers – Calling the best writers in Pakistan!

I’m never going to forget Thursday April 12, 2007. This was my first experience running from the post office on 55th and 3rd in New York with Ratish, getting late for my meeting, running 8 blocks down to Broadway. Did I mention it was raining? I should have. Was this the freezing wind chill that I had read about and heard on the news?

Anyways, so here I am, running to my meeting, my trousers absolutely drenched and my black Ann Klein jacket that doubles up like a raincoat, covering my head. I have a fantastic meeting at Random House. I love books. Did I mention that? I should have because I do. The best way to describe what I felt when I walked through the massive revolving doors of the Random House lobby, was perhaps was Alice felt when she walked through the mirror… or perhaps what Neo felt when he chose the blue pill over the red one – It was my portal to a world I have dreamed about for all my life.

I met with the Publisher-at-large and I wanted to give her a huge hug. That was before she handed me her compact umbrella to help me get some shelter from the downpour outside. By the time I got done with Sterling Books, I had an such an overwhelming feeling was of so much excitement, I wanted to run up to the top of some building and shout at the top of my lungs. What was the meeting all about? I should have perhaps mentioned a bit of that too, shouldn’t I? So here’s a bit of background –

You know that famous, used-to-death analogy of whether the glass is half full of half empty? When it comes to Pakistan, my default instinct is to think of the glass as half full. That’s what I feel and that’s the part of the glass that I do my work in. Welcome to my world. So when I requested to meet with Random House and Sterling Books, I was thinking maybe I could do something to push our many young and talented writers. Did I mention that earlier? There are! A large and growing exuberant young writers club. No – not club. A young writers community. Yes. That’s more like it.

Oh yes – did I explain that English language books written by local authors have few or no avenues to get out of. Hmmm… Here’s the funny part :- In a day and age when we are trying to get out thoughts and voices out, how can we expect to communicate with the majority of the world, if we don’t speak their language? While native languages are so essential for the preservation and understanding of culture and identity, creation of publications, documents and books are extremely important to let the outside world, they who do not speak your native tongue, understand who you are. And so here’s my reason for being so ecstatic –

Random House and Sterling Publishers are both willing and in fact, looking forward to receiving manuscripts and ideas from writers from across Pakistan! Did you hear that? Isn’t that reason enough for me to leap, skip, hop and dance around? I am going to be a literary agent working with them. Should the extraordinary woman at Random House be surprised when I said this feels like a dream come true? Hmmm… Didn’t I say that already? I just think that repetition makes the dream a reality.

Okay – so here’s something that I am going to request everyone reading this blog entry help me do – Pass the word around to your friends, uncles, cousins, friends of friends and other pen-thrift men and women… If they write and write well enough, I’d like them to get in touch with me through email at: rgarib@gmail.com and I’ll walk them through the screening process for both publishing houses. Also pass the word around that this is a HUGE deal.. Be sure and mention that part.

Now run off… stop reading this blog and run off and pass the word around!