2022, for me, started with the announcement that my book would be published soon. After two years of pursuing publishers and receiving only rejections, I’d reconciled to the idea of self-publishing when this twist in the tale happened! I was more surprised than excited because I couldn’t believe someone had agreed to publish it!
Being my first novel, I’d naturally drawn upon some of my life experiences. While the process of writing was difficult (reliving your past can be prickly), it was very essential for me to find closure within, pretty much like my character, Siya.
I vividly recall the day I’d written the last chapter and signed off with THE END on my manuscript because almost immediately I fell ill. We were going on a holiday to Goa the next day and I just didn’t feel up to it. But, when Goa beckons; it’s hard to resist!
Was it the sun and water that healed me eventually or the fact that I’d flushed out the toxins that held me back from experiencing an Aufklarung (enlightenment) of sorts? I like to believe it was both.
A couple of months later, the crazy run up to the actual publishing began. After a couple of rounds of editing and re-editing, shuffling the chapters here and there, renaming chapters, we began to think - What should the title be? What do I want it to say without giving too much of the story away? If the word “diet” appears in it, will it immediately be branded as a book on dieting? What should the cover be? Abstract or Metaphorical? How many elements do we want to showcase? And, that’s when my tribe of friends came to the rescue! Words were bandied around, meanings were discussed and exchanged, phrases were constructed and de-constructed. Book cover designs were googled, drafts were made and discarded and re-made. Finally, the book cover and title fell in place.
Holding the first copy of my book in my hands was such an out-of-body experience! The words on all the 256 pages were mine; as was the little picture on the back cover! On the day of the launch, conversation around the book flowed effortlessly. I even managed to make the audience laugh and cry (a tad bit) with my words! As the evening wound down, my son brought something to my notice – the title had been misspelt on the spine of the books!
This was obviously not acceptable to my publisher who decided to pull the lot out of sale. He even offered to replace the “defective” copies which had been bought. Immediately, I thought of the architect who’d committed suicide upon realizing that the Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay had been built contrary to plan due to an error on his part. There’s no way I was going to do that! To a grammar Nazi like me, it was difficult to digest this error. I mentally kicked myself for not being a Nazi when it was critical. What a sorry waste it would be to just dump hundreds of copies.
Eventually, I calmed down and thought how this could be a sign from the heavens above –
a talisman or nazar batoo of sorts. After all, those who’d bought copies so far were close friends and family. Only a handful of people would own and possess these. In time, when I write more books and become as popular as Geetanjali Shree (or JK Rowling – since I’m dreaming, might as well dream BIG), these copies will be valued by Christie’s and Sotheby’s in astronomical figures! I refused to replace them.
If you’re one of the lucky early birds, hold on to your copy!
As for me, I hope that I am able to deal with any dilemmas and stumbling blocks that come up with the same equanimity. Amen.
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