Vikram Seth, the author of the 1,300-plus page doorstop of a novel “A Suitable Boy,†is in negotiations with his London publisher over his failure to deliver the manuscript of a sequel on time for release this fall.
Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin, signed a $1.7 million contract with Mr. Seth in 2009 for “A Suitable Girl,†which was to be published before the end of the year to coincide with the 20th anniversary of “A Suitable Boy,†which tells the interlocking stories of four Indian families and centered on the quest to find a husband for a rebellious young woman named Lata. But Mr. Seth, who has published only one novel since “A Suitable Boy,†reportedly failed to meet the June deadline for the new manuscript, which was to feature Lata, now a grandmother, in the role of matchmaker.
News of the negotiations fueled speculation that they were a sign of increased attention to the bottom line at Penguin, which merged on July 1 with Random House, though the publisher quickly countered that idea.
“Penguin never comments on individual contract negotiations with our authors,†a spokesman for Penguin, which last September raised eyebrows by filing suits in New York against a dozen authors for undelivered or incomplete manuscripts, said in a statement. “It should be noted that these discussions precede the Penguin-Random House merger, and are not at all connected to the merger or erroneous suggestions of cost cutting.â€
David Godwin, Mr. Seth's agent, also suggested that while Mr. Seth might have blown his anniversary celebration, the marriage could still be saved. “It would be unfair to say the deal has been called off,†Mr. Godwin told The Times of India on Wednesday. “Vikram has been known to take his time with his books. Our aim is to settle this new date with Hamish.â€
