Just Jotting: Self Publishing

Having been a part of this publishing industry for a while, both as an author and an editor I have had many good and not so good experiences. Though I have rarely highlighted most of them here, some did make their space here as they needed to be heard. Sharing one more such experience with you.

As a part of the industry I do keep exploring various options available for getting published. You can call it research or more of trying to understand the market trends.Though I don't wish to name this particular publisher, all I can say is it is the self publishing arm of a very reputed traditional publisher. I inquired on website and did get a call from them almost after more than 7 months of inquiry. We discussed some options and as is the norm I was suggested their highest package. We mutually decided to get in touch with on Monday as we were talking on a Friday afternoon. Somehow the call never came on Monday at the decided time and I also conveniently forgot about it till next week when on a Monday afternoon I was busy at my doctor's for the whole day undergoing routine monthly tests. As is the need of a hospital my phone was turned on silent mode. Apparently this wonderful soft spoken lady who spoke to me 2 weeks ago tried reaching me in that meanwhile for about 4-5 times and was not successful. Here, I am reproducing her email verbatim for you to understand and decipher.

________________________________________________________________________________

Good day!

I tried calling you several times already but you are not picking up my calls. You should have at least informed me what is the main reason why you are not picking up my calls anymore or if you are not interested to pursue your publication rather than KEEPING ME IN THE DARK. I have already tried my best to help you become an INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHED AUTHOR by giving you this ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY. Already made you my priority by taking time to call you over and over again despite the thousands of authors that I am catering because I believed in YOU and your BOOK’s potential, but there was no response. Now that you are not picking up my calls anymore I am assuming you are already DROPPING THIS BOOK PROJECT.

Deep in my heart, I am still hoping that you would have the courage to continue what you have started. Whatever your decision is, I will respect it. But I am still hoping you would take time to enlighten me with your DECISION, for you and me to have the PEACE OF MIND AND THE CLOSURE.

Hope everything works well for you.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Yes those words were in caps and that was the actual language used in the email sent to me that night after I was unable to answer their calls. A lot of flaws and a bunch of lies there but yes the most important thing was the tone of the email. it felt as if owe them an explanation despite it being just another cold call to a prospective client who had expressed interest.

I think at times we tend to overlook a lot of things with only the sole aim of getting published in our mind. I shudder to think what if I had chosen to go ahead with them and they had not lived upto their tall claims and promises. Perhaps I would have told in a not so decent language that it is my fault and not theirs as their email has this as a disclaimer:

Book sales are dependent on any number of factors including the quality of the book, the author’s ability and motivation to reach audiences, and reader interest in a particular topic. While we provide information and services to give authors the opportunity to build a platform, we do not guarantee book sales.

Leaving you with those words, I am very keen to know what you think of all this.

Movie Review: If by Tathagata Ghosh – A Tender Portrait of Love, Loss, and Possibility

If , a 26-minute short film by acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Tathagata Ghosh, is a sensitive, evocative piece of storytelling that lingers long after the credits roll. Set against the everyday rhythm of life in Kolkata, the film delicately unpacks the story of a lesbian couple torn apart by the weight of societal expectations and dares to imagine a different future, one where a mother's love might just change everything. What struck me first was the film’s raw, grounded realism. The characters feel like people we know, middle-class families navigating a complex world with quiet resilience. The world of If is filled with silences, glances, and stills, rather than heavy dialogue. Ghosh masterfully uses these moments to speak volumes, allowing viewers to sit with discomfort, interpret the unspoken, and feel deeply.

Book Review: The Story of Eve: Selected Poems by Zehra Nigah

Few voices in Urdu poetry have carried the weight of history, resistance, and deep personal introspection quite like Zehra Nigah. One of the first women to break into the traditionally male-dominated world of Urdu poetry, Nigah’s work stands as a testament to the power of words to illuminate, question, and challenge. The Story of Eve: Selected Poems, translated by Rakshanda Jalil, brings together some of her most powerful nazms and ghazals, showcasing both her literary elegance and her unflinching gaze at the human condition, particularly through the lens of gender, social injustice, and political turmoil.

The Urban Gaze : Reimagining the Village in Contemporary Indian Cinema

Indian cinema has long been fascinated with the village. From the earthy, socialist realism of Do Bigha Zamin (1953) to the melodramatic lament of Mother India (1957), the village once stood as both heartland and hinterland — a space of moral clarity, rustic struggle, and often unyielding fate. But as the urban middle class began to dominate cinematic production and consumption, the depiction of the village increasingly came to reflect an urban gaze, that is, a perspective shaped by distance, nostalgia, condescension, or even outright fantasy. In recent years, this urban gaze has taken on new shades, evident in the way mainstream and indie filmmakers alike have re-engaged with rural India. While some have tried to explore the village as a site of resistance, authenticity, or even horror, others continue to reproduce sanitized or exaggerated versions of village life that serve urban sensibilities more than rural realities.

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