Ravi Singh, Chief Editor and Publisher, Penguin Books India
My colleagues and I have had a wonderful experience working with Writer’s Side. Kanishka and his team are complete professionals with every quality that publishers can hope for in editors: a rare sense of what makes a good, viable book in any genre, the ability to restructure a manuscript—only if necessary—and do a meticulous line edit, and also the ability to work to deadlines.’
Anees Salim
My first manuscript travelled around the world like a backpacker for a year, bringing nothing back from its wanderings. So I decided to send the query letter for my second book on a shorter trip – to Kanishka of Writer’s Side. Inside a minute he asked for the sample chapters. Ten minutes later for the entire manuscript. The same day he agreed to represent me, and within a fortnight he managed to sell the world rights to Harper Collins India. His pace made my head swim (I am sure he was a 100-metre sprinter in his previous life), and his passion for words is admirable, not to mention his concern for writers. He treated me like a book with a brittle spine, and not a single day passed without Kanishka calling me and making me feel better.
True to the name of his venture, he is on writer’s side. Ever. Thanks a million, Kanishka.
Saurbh Katyal
"SNIP! SNIP! Be prepared to like this word. Writer's side critique is neither for the faint hearted nor for the overly sensitive writer. They will advise you to excise your best (or so you thought) crafted thoughts, ameliorate what you thought was a perfectly written plot, and label your jokes (if you have used any) as puerile. However, don't react just yet and give it time.
In retrospection, you will learn to see that the critique is quite pertinent and wonder at the perspicacity of the person behind the critique. This critique may be the best thing that can happen to a first time author.
The proprietor Kanishka Gupta is genuinely passionate about promoting Indian writing in English and always goes the extra mile in counselling first time authors. Highly Recommended."
Anu Kumar (Editor and author, with books published by Puffin and Hachette)
I was very glad to hear from Kanishka about my manuscript. A writer works alone and relatively isolated. The act of writing is always a challenge, an uncertainty, because a writer rarely knows how it will be received. And Kanishka's offering to read my mss was a godsend. I got to see how it would look from a reader's perspective. And then his editor's eye told me what worked and what didnt about it, which was all the more helpful and reassuring.
Zafar Anjum
About a decade ago, when I had written my first novel, I didn’t know what to do with it. I had not gone to any creative writing course that could have given me a set of peers to get my work critiqued. Almost all my friends read as little literature as was required of them to do well in their jobs, which was nearly zilch. Those who did read, mostly dabbled in regional literature. With my first complete manuscript in hand, I felt completely helpless. Unlike now, there were so few practicing writers in those days. If I approached one of them with pleas to evaluate my work, I was not sure they would want to waste their precious time reading a provincial man’s work who, at that point of time, thought Khushwant Singh was the best novelist in the country.
While it now certainly seems fatuous, this enthusiastic young writer mailed his manuscript to the three most authoritative people dealing with English novels at that time: Khushwant Singh, Meenakshi Mukherjee and Mukul Kesavan. And if they’d asked him to flick the novel into the Ganges, he would have happily done that. I have no idea if they ever received my manuscript. Naturally, I never received any response from any of them. The result was that my first novel was published with hardly any editing. Let’s not go into character development or setting or dialogue or plot. At that time, I was not even aware of many of the technical aspects of a novel. I was just happy to have got my book out.
Clearly, the book had come out of a youthful rush. Looking back, it did satisfy my urge to be an “author”, one with a photo on the back cover. But, then, it was a temporary satisfaction. I wanted to be a “writer”. So, I continued reading, writing and learning the craft. It was meant to be a way of life. It took me nearly ten years to get another novel ready. In between, I had written scores of short stories and my journalism and blogging had kept me going. I had also tried to learn the craft of writing, tutoring myself with books on the art of the novel and sharing my writings in literary groups and online workshops. I had also learnt that writing is all about rewriting. I had learnt that most writers, even the greatest ones, including Balzac, shared their works with some trusted friends who offered their suggestions on the work. I learnt that writing is not as solo a journey as it seems to be—at least not for beginners.
It was during this period, when I was at work on my second novel, that I came in touch with Kanishka Gupta, the founder of Writer’s Side. Kanishka seemed like the gutsy and intelligent ‘publishing guru’ (and so young!) who could offer exactly the kind of help, prodding and critique that I needed as a writer. He is an editor on steroids and he kept me such great company through most part of the writing that I felt as if he was watching over my shoulder—it was a bit uneasy but I needed the push.
By now, by virtue of being in Singapore, I knew many writers. They were kind enough to read excerpts from my work and give me their advice. However, I still did not have many intelligent and well-read friends who could look at the complete draft with dedication. I needed a professional third-party look at my novel.
Once I had done my second draft—between the first and the second was an indifferent gap of nearly five years—I sent my manuscript to Kanishka for evaluation. I had the gut feeling that there were certain plot holes in my novel, there were issues with the structure and so on. But I did not verbalize my feelings when I sent Kanishka my manuscript.
So I was surprised when I received the evaluation report written by their editor, Rahul Soni. It had exactly pointed out the things that I had felt were missing from the novel. Not just that but much more. What more proof did I need to know that these guys knew their job? Their suggestions were brilliant. Not only did the suggestions from the Writer’s Side help me steer the novel in the right direction, Rahul cleaned up the text with such expertise that blood in the novel’s arteries flowed unhindered. Now the text got its own life. Most importantly, it gave me the confidence to further shape the text and sharpen the storyline and characters in my following drafts.
What has pleased me most is that the editors at the Writers Side understand your book. They get ‘it’, which is the biggest worry for a writer (that is if someone does not get what you wanted to say in your book).
Even after the final evaluation and editing, Kanishka has been in touch, with his prodding and inspiration. It seems that he will not let the book (and its author) rest until it reaches the hands of its intended readers.
In short, Kanishka and his team rock and their services can be a boon to writers who are not lucky to have the kind of friends that Balzac had. Their services are especially recommended to those who are starting out on their journey to become writers. I wish the Writer’s Side good luck and may they grow and grow!
Ritu Dokania
Can I have a loudspeaker please? I want to convey an important message to all aspiring authors -- Yes, there is somebody who can help you achieve success in no time, and he is Kaniskha Gupta of Writer's Side. Writer's Side's professional and incisive editing and critical analysis will take care of all plot holes, structural flaws, character flaws, grammatical errors and inconsistencies in narrative voice. The only thing you will miss after the book is edited, is the taste of failure one gets after receiving rejection letters from publishers.
Save yourself from that bitter taste. I can assure you that you will learn a lot and will find it worthwhile. So what else you are looking for?
Tulsi Tawari
My experience with Kanishka Gupta as editor of my forthcoming book, Living a Hundred Dreams, has been very satisfying. I was desperately in search of someone who would not only critique my non-fiction book, but also perform the required surgery. For people like me, who have original thoughts but may not be well-trained in the art of writing, Kanishka can prove to be a savior. He points out what is not desirable and also makes you think about what is missing. His commitment is total and he never stops till the author is satisfied. I wish I had known Kanishka right from the beginning of my work -- it would have saved me years of pain. May he and his team continue doing this great work.
Anton D'Silva
The critique I got from Writer's Side was very detailed and good. I am going to elaborate on my stories as suggested, and will surely come back to Writer's Side for help with editing and publishing.
Parul Mittal
I was referred to Kanishka by an editor at a publishing house who felt that my manuscript needed more work. Kanishka was very responsive, from the moment I contacted him. I had numerous discussions with him on what I wanted and what he thought he could do with the MS. It was his sincerity and genuineness that finally convinced me to take his services. Luckily for me, I got an acceptance from Srishti publishers at the same time. Now I had the option of not getting any edits done by Kanishka (and he would have reimbursed the advance) but I was so convinced of his value-addition, that I decided to go ahead anyway.
Needless to say, I am happy with my decision. He not only delivered quality comments and excellent edits, he also delivered it on time -- and I admire this immensely. He has also been very helpful in giving advice on how to promote the book and make it successful. The rest, the readers' response will tell...
Sharath Komarraju
The critique I received from Writer's Side on my novel pointed out to me not only the various linguistic 'ticks' that had crept into my writing but also gave advice to me on tightening my plot and improving the believability of my settings. It made me dive back into the manuscript and give it a thorough second look (and a third, and a fourth). The critique and the points raised within will no doubt help me with my future writing projects.
My personal working experience with Kanishka Gupta, the founder of Writer's Side, has been largely positve on the whole.
If you've completed a work of fiction and you want feedback from someone who is well-connected within the industry, Writer's Side is definitely an option worth considering.
Gouri Dange
When Kanishka Gupta, founder of WritersSide offered to critique the draft of my second novel, The Counsel of Strangers, I handed it over gladly. Well before I began to talk to publishers or distributors or POD on-line publishers, I wanted an assessment of my work. A SWOT, so to speak. What I got was a detailed, extremely incisive, ruthless but honest feedback from his team of editors/assessors. The SWOT came in the form of a hard swat - parts of my mss were declared unusable and even irritating! Holes were shot through the structure and content (and so even the title) of the proposed book!
While no writer 'likes' to hear this, having your manuscript assessed by WritersSide is not about getting to hear what you like. It's more like walking into a counsellor's room, and submitting to a process. A process that throws a powerful light on every part of your work, and fearlessly identifies what works and what simply doesnt - and more importantly, why it doesnt work, and what you could do about it.
There are three things that emerge from having your mss assessed by WriterSide : a) A validation of those parts that do work in your writing. b) A pointing out of what, when you were writing, you did know may not add up, but you were turning a bit of a blind eye to. c) An identification of problems in your narrative that you would not have ever found however many times you re-read your own work. d) Some points of feedback that you may not agree with at all, but which help you to re-commit to your work anyway.
I'm glad I presented my manuscript to WS, so that they could go through it with their fine-toothed comb. What they came up with in my mss is something I wouldn't have wanted my readers (or a couple of hard-nosed critics) to find. The process of having your work read by the WS team is a chastening - and dare I use the cliche - a humbling one.
Assessments from WS may send writers right back to the drawing board - however, from this something more authentic and universally readable is bound to emerge.
Navneet Jagannathan
I received an honest and constructive critique. This is a priceless resource for the rudderless first-timer.
Aditya Khetan
Thanks a lot for all your help. The critique has really helped me understand the deficiencies in my approach to writing, and made me rethink a lot of ideas I had about my writing, and writing in general. You've been very useful, prompt and helpful.
Sivaraman S.R.
Thanks for your critique. It is indeed honest – brutally so – and educative – beautifully so. I am glad that somebody like you exists in the writer's world to help journalistic writers like me turn into literary ones. Bravo!
Rajat Chaudhuri
My second novel is an experimental work with many new things being tried out and, naturally, I needed expert advice about it. I had heard about Writer's Side from the Caferati Writer's Group and, visiting their website and googling a bit, was impressed enough to send the MS for a critique.
It would be an understatement to say that the critique was just good. In fact, it was very professional and revealing. I was impressed by the facility of the Writer's Side reviewer with literary styles and genres and his incisive understanding of the pitfalls of slip-stream fiction. Writer's Side has helped me a lot in understanding the mistakes in my first draft and in realizing some of the difficulties of developing a shaggy-dog kind of narrative that I have attempted in this work.
The captain of their ship, Kanishka is kind and accommodating with all kinds of curious questions that we authors sometimes come up with. He has been very helpful in charting out a course for me and I plan to work with him in my future projects.
Ajit Harisinghani
Writer's Side has done a good job in helping me ascertain the worthiness of my manuscript. They have pointed out the various areas where the script loses its flow and connectivity with the reader. The analysis has been valuable and I thank them for their honest appraisal.
Husein Taherbhai
I have had some experiences with editors since this is my second book being published here in the U.S. For both my books I have used Indian editors - mainly because they are relatively inexpensive. However, I must say that my experience with Writer's Side surpassed all my expectations. Not only did they do a great job in editing, they also gave me valuable advice with respect to logistic problems, "something that quite didn't seem right", and pointing out any other chinks in my armor.
Of course, like any writer, I have my personal idea and manner in "telling the story". Writer's Side does not do that for you. They allow your personality as an author to shine thorough your work. In short, I found them very efficient, effective and worth the money.
Bhavna Chauhan
Ever been lost in a jungle looking for that elusive landmark to find your way? Being from the Army, I always knew what to fall back on - a compass to find 'North'. And when it came to my book, Writer's Side proved to be just that. A polestar to guide me through the confusing literary maze that confounds many first-time writers.
I came upon Writer's Side while googling and what a find it's turned out to be. I was in the process of finishing the first draft of my novel 'Guns and Roses', a story of girls in the backdrop of the military training academy. Given the unusual setting of the novel and my lack of publishing experience, I was in a fix. Family and peer opinion can be dangerously misleading (my mum thinks I look like Julia Roberts and write like Arundhati Roy). An objective, honest, critical, helpful appraisal of my manuscript was what I was looking for.
And the critique provided by Writer's Side was extremely helpful. It was like a SWOT (Strength Weakness Opportunity Threat) analysis. The feedback covered every area of writing, right from structure, tense, characterization, pace, to the narrative style, plot etc. I love the detail with which they studied my manuscript, especially the comments which reminded me of a hand-scribbled edited copies. That has a personal touch and makes it easier to relate to and rectify mistakes. They threw in many suggestions which I hope to incorporate in the subsequent editing and rewriting. Their critique will help me shape my book better. Plus, I also gained knowledge about publishing houses, genres and the process of publishing. It's a total value-for-money package.
My experience with WS has been fantabulous. Kanishka rocks at his job. He is like a little angel sent by God to fix the doubts, fears and flaws of writers. He's a thorough professional. He replied to all my panic queries, doubts and wild suggestions with great skill, patience and aplomb. That too in a matter of minutes, which is very commendable. I'm so glad that he came up with this idea of a manuscript evaluation agency in India. This is the first of its kind and a boon for first time writers like me.
I wish Writer's side loads of success and growth in the future. They are going to be a force to reckon with in the publishing business in the years to come. Publishing houses are going to pick up writers from WS list, and WS will diversify into publishing also. WS is to writing what MS (Microsoft) is to software. My experience with Writer's Side went beyond my expectations. I hope to interact and benefit from them in my future writing ventures too.
Anu Chopra
I thank Writer's Side for painstakingly going through each and every line of my manuscript and paying attention to the minutest details. I really appreciate their efforts. Thank you so much!
Anirudh Kala
My book, a work of fiction, has been edited by Writer's Side and it is a pleasure to see the result.
Their editing has made the story read so much better. I am also obliged to Kanishka for his advice and tips about the book and about the process of publication.
I had, earlier, explored the possibility of hiring some editing agencies abroad, but Writer's Side has done a remarkable job at ten percent of the cost. I heartily recommend this agency to anyone who has just finished writing a manuscript.
Zoyab Kadi
I want to thank Writer's Side for editing my manuscript, tentatively titled "The Bohra houses of Sidhpur". It falls in the genre of Architectural history - a subject that has a lot of scope for subjectivity, personal opinions and unwarranted cliches. The edited version of the manuscript, with changes in the right places, sounds more objective, professional and, most importantly, neutral.
I thank you for a job well done.
Ravinder Pal Singh
I found out about Writer's Side when I queried for manuscript assessment on an internet search engine. And I must say that Writer's Side was a very fruitful find for me.
Being a first-time author, I was going through the initial struggle of writing and getting published. One evening, I was in Delhi and I happened to call Kanishka. We met and I explained to him what I was looking for.
It was Writer's Side which helped me shape my manuscript into something that would leave a mark on publishers. And today, I have signed an agreement with Srishti publication who are going to publish my first book "I too had a love story".
I am very satisfied with the service Writer's Side has provided me and I would recommend this service highly, especially to first-time authors.
Pervin Chhapkhanawala
I had written a collection of stories for children which I was looking to publish, but was very lost, since the publishing industry is not always kind to a first-time writer. I happened to get to know about Writer's Side by chance. After exchanging introductory emails, I knew that this organization would help me get the platform I wanted and polish my writing. I realized that Writer's Side valued my book and efforts, probably as much as I did.
I was impressed by the professionalism and promptness displayed by Kanishka Gupta. Every email was replied to within minutes, and all queries were addressed in detail. Writer's Side did not merely edit my book, but also provided valuable suggestions and feedback. It recommended my book to established agents and worked very sincerely towards getting the best deal possible for me. It certainly lives up to its name.
Sukant Ratnakar
I was looking for an editor for my book, Open the Windows. Being a book about innovation, the editing work was rather complicated. Then, one fine day, I happened to see an article about Writer's Side. At the first available opportunity, I met Kanishka to explore the possibilities. Just one meeting was enough to clear all my doubts about the book and assure me that it was in good hands.
The editors at Writer's Side have been extremely helpful, not only in editing but also in suggesting a lot of important things which, being a first time writer, I had missed. They have given personal attention and taken great care during the whole process.
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