Awais Khan is the award-winning author of four novels;
In the Company of Strangers, No Honour, Someone Like Her and most recently In the Shadows of Love.
Khan's writing is published by Simon & Schuster, Orenda Books and Hera Books and recently featured in Forbes.
The author studied creative writing with Faber Academy in London and has been on the judging panel of prominent literary prizes and is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and Durham University.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your writing journey.
I am the author of four critically acclaimed novels, namely: In the Company of Strangers, No Honour, Someone Like Her and In the Shadows of Love. I’ve spoken about this many times publicly, but my journey was a particularly difficult one.
Things are hard enough for writers at the best of times, but when you’re a writer based in Pakistan, just multiply those hardships by 100. It’s just that Pakistan doesn’t have a proper publishing industry despite having a population of 240 million.
My life changed when I took a novel writing and editing course with Faber Academy. That was where I completed the first draft of what would later become In the Company of Strangers. Following that, I secured a literary agent (Annette Crossland) in 2017 and got my first publishing deal in 2018. I haven’t looked back since.
2. In the Shadows of Love is your fourth novel. What's it about and does writing get any easier?
If anything, writing gets harder and harder. There is much more at stake, and if there’s one thing that’s constant in this industry, it’s imposter syndrome. You constantly feel like you don’t belong. The self-doubt is crushing, but I also think it makes one a better writer.
In the Shadows of Love is the sequel to my bestselling debut novel In the Company of Strangers. It takes readers back to the secretive lives of Lahore’s elite. The much-loved protagonists, Mona and Bilal, return in this book.
In the sequel, things have finally settled down for Mona with Bilal having embraced her love child with Ali. However, when she receives a message on day, the tranquil life she has carefully built threatens to come crashing down.
3. Out of all four, which book is your favourite?
That’s like asking someone to pick a favourite child! If I had to pick one, though, I would pick No Honour, mainly because I spent years writing it. This is the book that I’ve been closest to.
4. Your books touch on social issues that are plaguing Pakistan. Some people might argue that this tarnishes the image of Pakistan internationally. What would you say to that?
To privileged people living in Pakistan, it may well seem as if my books are tarnishing the image of Pakistan internationally, but if you ever stop and ask the common Pakistani what they’re going through, you’ll realize that their reality is very different.
Living in our respective bubbles in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, we are often completely ignorant to the problems plaguing the majority of people in this country, and when we do hear about them, we worry about how the western world would react. I think that as a writer, it is my responsibility to be the voice of the voiceless.
I try to use whatever influence I have to shine a light on social issues in Pakistan.
It would be inhumane not to. If people feel uncomfortable about it, that’s their prerogative, but I will always try to speak out against the injustices faced by Pakistanis, come what may.
If that makes people think I am tarnishing Pakistan’s image internationally, then so be it.
5. Who is Awais Khan when he's not writing?
Awais Khan is an avid reader when not writing. I love to read although these days I don’t get enough time to do that. I have to do lots of boring ‘day job’ work to keep the engine running, but I also like to relax with a good TV series or movie.
When I am in London, I am always busy in meetings or catching up with friends, so there’s no time to watch or read anything, but in Lahore, I rarely go out socially, so that enables me to spend more time with my books and television.
6. What do you think of the publishing industry in Pakistan? What can be done to improve things for writers here?
Frankly, I think the publishing industry here is in shambles. Apart from Oxford University Press, we don’t have a single international publisher in this country of 240 million people. It is an absolute disgrace.
The local publishers that do exist lack essential resources like good editors, proper marketing personnel and distribution systems, which means that their footprint is minimal. The fault, however, does not lie solely with the publishers.
Most Pakistani readers, both here and abroad, do not support their authors. They would much rather buy an overpriced cup of coffee than a book by a Pakistani author. This is the sad reality, which may be a bit difficult to swallow for some people, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
Until and unless our readers go out en masse to buy our books, nothing will change in Pakistan. Instead of buying that coffee, try investing in a Pakistani author. If you don’t want to support authors by buying their books, then give them exposure through social media and other avenues.
We love to support cricket, so why not literature?
Similarly, publishers here need to go back to the drawing board and see where they are faltering. They need to find investors, nurture their authors and draw up proper marketing and publicity plans.
Publishing a book isn’t merely printing it and attaching an ISBN number to it. It is so much more than that.
7. Why don't we get to see more Pakistani writers finding success internationally?
The one thing we all have to realize is that publishing is a business. At the end of the day, if you don’t sell, you will not get published.
Like I said earlier, Pakistani authors don’t see the same support as other writers do.
Pakistani people in general don’t buy books, and if they do buy them, they’d rather pick up pirated copies from Urdu bazaar. There are many lovely readers here that do buy originals and support their authors, but we need more. If we want to make a dent, we need many more people.
The UK and US have a huge South Asian diaspora. There are enough Pakistanis out there to ensure that Pakistani authors easily make every single bestseller list out there.
The more sales Pakistani authors have, the more they’ll get published. It’s as simple as that.
8. What is your one piece of advice for budding and emerging writers in Pakistan?
I know this is an absolutely cutthroat and unforgiving industry, but it is so essential to believe in your voice… and yourself. This industry will do its best to bring you down, but if you persevere, it can also reward you.
There are some wonderful people here, and if you stick around long enough, you’ll get to be a part of that wonderful community. All you need is that one person to believe in your work.
Never give up, no matter what happens.
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