From the Editor’s desk

Purple Pencil Project (formerly, onWriting.in) was started by Jaibala (who has since left) and Saurabh to get authors to talk about writing. I, Prakruti Maniar, came onboard and conceptualized it in its present avatar in 2019, with an aim to bring Indian literature online from across forms, languages, communities, and regions under one platform, as well as to decolonize the idea of what literature means and how it is represented online. 

Purple Pencil Project is for readers who want to discover books by themselves, it is for readers who want to write about the stories they hear, it is for readers who are curious, who want to explore the unfamiliar, and reconnect with their roots. 

It is for authors who want to spread the word about the work they do. It is for small and big presses, who want to tell the world about their stories but don’t have the marketing budget to do so. 

Stories are the best way to know more about anything or anyone, and we want to help everyone know more about India through its stories. 

We will keep doing many things towards that – reviews, interviews, podcasts. We are building a digital catalogue of Indian fiction, a map of independent and commercial bookstores across the country. We will soon sell products inspired by the words of our soil, the moments of our history, the lives of our people. 

Help us, join us, in this journey!

Speak to Us

The fastest way to reach us is via Twitter.

• For editorial submissions, please write to query@purplepencilproject.com.
• For more immediate responses, collaborations, and business liaisons, reach out to us via query@purplepencilproject.com.
• For everything else, there’s @saurabh on Twitter. Or email him at sg@c4e.in.

Or you can reach us on social media:

• Facebook: Purple Pencil Project
• YouTube: Purple Pencil Project
• Twitter: @purplepenciled
• Instagram: Purple Pencil Project
• Newsletter: Scribbles

We look forward to hearing from writers, readers, publishers, book-art designers, and really, anyone and everyone who loves stories and loves to talk about them.

Review Policy 

Thank you for considering us to do a review of your book. However, before you request a review, please go through the following:

1. We do NOT take any money for posting reviews
2. We try to do a review within 2 weeks but we do NOT guarantee a time for review

The parameters of our rating system are:

1. The story: First. Above everything else. It has to be interesting and be worth the time a reader puts in
2. Language: But we aren’t elitists. As Indians, we understand the uniqueness and the difficulty of writing creative fiction in English. But we do expect it to be readable
3. Context: ‘Death of the author.’ Maybe. But a writer is not an other-worldly creature; they live and breathe among us. They live through the same troubles that we do. She goes through a lot to achieve her dream, like a lot of us, working towards our passion. So she is not dead to us. She is alive and he is thriving and they are all part of the story they write
4. Significance: “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.” There is power in literature, and each story holds it. Should hold it.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Wherever you are in doubt, please use common sense. And if not that, please put yourself in our shoes and us into yours. And then take a call. Finally, we are here to help you reach your audience.

Our Rating System…

? – Don’t read it even if it’s for free. Use it for some book-art instead.
?? – Borrow it, use it as a travel companion.  Or don’t. You won’t miss anything great.
?? ?– Make a purchase. Maybe an online purchase, or a kindle purchase. But buy it, encourage it.
???? – Go to a bookstore and buy it. Pay those extra bucks.
?????– Buy a hardback and show it off in your bookshelf! And then wait for a signed anniversary edition and buy that too.

If you are submitting articles or opinion pieces for the Original Writing section (columns, opinion articles, feature stories) section, please note that there is no guarantee that we will put it up.

Depending on each submission, the editorial team will get back to you with either a confirmation or a denial. There is no fixed time frame. After submission, please wait for at least a week before dropping us a reminder.

If you want to write for us, click here.

We are always open to contributions and collaborations. Feel free to reach out to query@purplepencilproject.com for ideas, pitches, and more.

Disclaimer

Purple Pencil Project participates in the Amazon Partners Program. More details here.

Does that mean we tweak and bias our opinions? No. It simply is a revenue source, which means (if you’re too lazy to open the link) that if you like a review and follow our buy link, we get a small percent of it. A fair game.