There is a rat race in almost every career opportunity
in a Developing Country like India. Let us know more about the Rising
Competition and decreasing confidence in Authors from our very special guest
Author Ravi Valluri
Introduction:
Ravi Valluri is the CEO of Chhattisgarh East Railway Ltd
and East West Railway Ltd. He was an officer of the Indian Railway Traffic
Service and worked on various zonal railways. He has authored both fiction and
non-fiction work and is a faculty of the Art of Living. His recent works
include collections of short stories Heartbreak at Coffee Shop – An Array of
Tales, A Tale of Parallels, and novels like Art of War to Art of
Living and A Story of Faith and Miracles. He can be reached at valluri.ravi@gmail.com or
WhatsApp at 9618564024.
Q1, you have written several books. Tell us what is
your take on increasing market competition of Authors?
Ans: Do we wish to be best-selling authors or best
authors or enrich our minds, contribute something significant to literature or
just churn out multiple books? Authors need to ponder over this seminal
question. And I feel this is not restricted to field of writing it encompasses
all creative fields. But in the final analysis, in my mind class prevails.
As the span of attention of the reader and viewer,
with multiple alternatives available, is limited, there is bound to be
competition. But we should not adopt a militant stand like say Jimmy Connors
the iconic tennis player who says, “People don’t seem to understand that it’s a
damn war out there. May be my methods aren’t socially acceptable to some, but it’s
what I have to do to swim. I would go out there to love my enemy. I go out to
there to squash them.”
Let us take the example of Harper Lee who published just
two novels – To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960 which was a best seller, and
several years later Go Set a Watchman in 2015. Of course, she assisted her close
friend Truman Capote in his research for the book In Cold Blood
(1966). She is still remembered and read. Her works speak of sheer quality
and not quantity.
Talking
of competition, authors become wary when they hear that someone else is writing
in the same subject area. There is some kind of a knee-jerk reaction in their minds,
“What if that writer beats me to publishing? What if his book or article gets
published and not mine?” We tend to think there
is some sort of cap on attention that can be given to a particular subject. As the span of
attention of the reader and viewer with multiple alternatives available is low,
there is competition.
On the positive side this competition has provided an
opportunity to several writers. There are several avenues like web sites are
being created where one can write, audio books, traditional publishing, self-publishing,
publishing through Kindle, writing portals, competitions, revival of book fairs,
which is a big advantage.
But there are several writers who have brilliant ideas
and are looking for a platform to showcase their talent. In this direction, I
have launched an online website called Rustleofwords.in (still in infancy)
where both prose and poetry can be contributed.
Competition is good also or else would have been
driving only Ambassador, Fiat or Standard. One Maruti was a game changer. So, with
several authors in the cauldron, we may have priceless literature. But let’s
see how things pan out, without any rancour, but hope.
Q2) Do you feel the story or the plot of the book has a major role to play in the success of a book? Which genre do you feel is the most sold genre?
Ans: The Indian book market was estimated in 2020 to be around $10 billion. The market is growing at about 20% per year and it is the second-largest market for English books. In addition, we have sales in various regional languages.
However, the largest sales are of academic books,
which are purchased by students, academic institutions and libraries.
The longevity of the success of the book will
necessarily depend on the kind of story and the plot. Apart from that promotion
and the visibility of the book is of immense importance. This is through
interviews, podcasts, promotion, display on social media, placement of books at
bookstores in malls, railway stations and airports etc.
But a gripping story will certainly sell. We have
purists who like classics and still read them (akin to a good old test match)
and then romantic stories, short story collection, drama and thriller do catch attention
of the readers.
Books based on mythological tales; Zen Stories cast in
modern times are also being appreciated by readers. And finally, autobiographies,
biographies and self-help books are bought by the public.
Though I feel attention span of readers is short, it
is craving for more and at times slightly confused about what they ought to
read.
Q3) Do you feel educators and parents have a major
role to play in building up the confidence of a person?
Ans: Parents are our first teachers and then it is the
Guru. So, the value system imparted by our parents shapes our personality and
views on life and lifestyle. A teacher and an educational institution hone
various skills and provide numerous opportunities for us to develop.
But it is only a Guru or a spiritual Master who
develops and harnesses our true potential and talent. A Guru provides an
anchorage and is someone we can surrender to and share all our problems and
seek solutions. Quite contrary to the fact that today’s generation is wary of a
Guru, in my opinion a large number of us reach out to a Guru for his grace.
This only provides us real inner confidence and peace.
Q4)What is that one advice that you want to give to
the youngsters to boost their confidence?
Ans: Believe in yourself. Develop that faith in your
inner strength. For that it is essential to have a Master, a real Guru to guide
you to be on the path.
Next as Buddha said, “The biggest blessing is good health.”
So, health, knowledge (not merely information),
harnessing your inner talent are essential to the growth of one’s personality.
And this can be achieved only through sadhana/practice. And a Master shows
the way.
One may say, they are atheists, non-believers, logic
oriented and do not believe in say faith, religion or spirituality, but then
such people too have to develop that inner faith and belief to become
successful in life. They become achievers by great amount of inner strength,
reading and practicing and honing their craft.
Q5) Do you feel paid publishing is leaving a bad
effect on middle class people?
Ans: There is nothing known as middle class. Either
one has money or it is not affordable. And those who cannot afford it, do feel
the heat and tension of not having had a kickstart and feel the burden of
competition.
But then do not worry, if one has authentic talent,
you will be noticed. There will be a struggle, but then one day through
perseverance the individual will be noticed and emerge as a lodestar.
Karna faced all adversities in life, but was an archer
who could combat Arjuna. And remember Rome was not built in a day and so called
“weak” teams and brown-coloured ones have won the cricket World Cup.
Money is very important; I fully agree but our deep
and regular practice will certainly provide an opportunity. Self-confidence,
belief and talent will not be lost in market of competitors is my final take. I
will again sum it up despite all competition and adversity, eventually stamp of
class prevails and shines.
