I went on a three day trip to the New Delhi World Book Fair 2024. That should have been all about books, books and more books. Reading, writing, browsing and smelling them.

But like it happens always, I couldn’t help feeling and noticing things that probably didn’t have much to do with those things (the reading to smelling books part!!). And I ended up learning more lessons than I needed. Today I am sharing those lessons with you.

#1. Whatever publishing platform I choose, ultimately, the onus of selling the books lies on me as the author.

And that sucks.

Because all I ever want to do is write, and then leave the rest to good writing.

But it seems good writing works its charm only if marketing brings the book in front of reader and sales goads them into buying them.

This revelation has also made me think about how much I want to spend on my publishing process and how much on marketing thereafter.

#2. The publishing platform can facilitate the publishing process only.

If like me you had been thinking that buying a marketing package will sell books, let me tell you that you are grossly mistaken. Marketing will only bring the books in front of readers, now it’s up to the readers to buy them.

And it’s not just that publishing with Notion Press gave me this feeling. During the book fair I visited quite a few publishing platform stalls, and when I grilled them incessantly they accepted that they could not commit to book sales, only to marketing them to the right audience. The honest ones accepted gracefully while the smarter ones still tried to dodge the truth.

So when I am looking for alternatives to Notion Press, I will go with the honest ones, not the smart pants.

#3. I should try writing in Hindi as well.

If I am ultimately writing for myself, at least till the world finds my writing, why not write for me as the reader too? I started writing in Hindi – my mother tongue – and switched to English only later, when I was seriously writing daily diary in college.

In fact, for my first book – a collection of flash fiction and short stories – I translated two of my Hindi stories into English!

Even now, while writing fiction so may times I feel English words are not doing justice to the emotions I am trying to express; Hindi would have been better.

#4. Being humble does not help in marketing!!

Come to think of it, in almost no walk of life, but that’s the way I am. And that’s the way I will be.

#5. I am incapable of creating a forced aura around myself.

Because that is just not me. And after 12 years of freelancing I am at peace with that.

If I can pay my bills, send kids to college of their choice, save enough for retirement and help 1-2 people every week in my own small little ways, I am happy.

Okay, there are a few things that will make me even happier. Like getting on Amazon Bestseller List Rank#1 😀, but that will have to happen organically.

#6. I want to go on a solo trip.

Or a girls only trip that doesn’t include family members.

I know quite a few people who do this, but honestly I don’t see myself doing this anytime soon. But I do have a plan, about which I am not going to say anything right now. I might end up jinxing, you know. 🤞

#7. It’s actually Bokaro – my city – that’s not good for my health.

This is something I have observed every time I go away. My gluten and lactose intolerance levels reduce drastically when I am away from Bokaro.

I sometimes feel it has something to do with the industrial grade air that I breathe, but that’s a discussion for another day.

#8. I wish I could go back to my silent phase where I spoke less than I listened.

I have no idea where this came from, but it popped in the middle of the day. As a kid or even in college I never spoke too much. I have never been pathetically shy of speaking. It’s just that I hardly spoke around people I was not comfortable with. And when you are in a new city, among new people, that can only mean you speak much less than you listen.

I realised this had changed when a 4-5 years back, a college friend told me you have started speaking so much. All in a good way, no offense intended.

I found smiling at her and agreeing. But it also set me thinking. Like most everything does. And I realised that I started speaking so much since having kids!!

But of late I find myself getting tired of speaking. And this must have hit home when away from kids I didn’t need to speak at all unless I really wanted to. I wonder what my kids would make of this because they have always known me as a talkative person. Someone continuously speaking to and with them.

#9. It’s okay not to be around kids all the time.

I know this and try to give my kids space but it becomes difficult staying together. Spending almost 3 days away from them, I realised I should let them be on their own more frequently, even when technically I am available.

May be that way I will also find more time to do things I really want to, rather than yelling at them 😉

#10. I will be able to manage when the elder one goes to college.

Albeit with occasional panicking 😀

My elder daughter will be starting Grade 12 in another 12 days (what a coincidence!!) and then off to college in a year.

Over the past couple of months I have found myself thinking what kind of a parent will I be once she is away. The one who always keeps calling their kid or stalking their social media? Or show more mature behaviour and let them learn how to live a life on their own?

This trip I wanted to call her or send her pics so many times during the day, but caught myself in time. I couldn’t keep interrupting her day with whatever was happening in my life!! A call at the end of the day was sufficient to catch up on the important and interesting stuff.

#11. Staying in a metro would have been more challenging as parents, but it would have given the kids more exposure to art and culture. Ah! everything has a flip side.

This hit me when the memories of my own college days about Mandi House, Theatre, SPIC-MACAY, live concerts, Live plays, Book stores, Trade Fairs, etc. came in a rush and I realised once again what I had missed out by moving to a Tier 3 city.

And I realised with a guilt that I had also deprived my kids from getting a taste of our rich culture, heritage and arts.

Did I choose the easy path?

Only time will tell.