| Username |
Post |
| ashu |
Posted
on 11-Mar-01 11:45 PM
Curious George wrote:
>Sorry for being out of the loop Ashu, I was
>under the impression that you were finishing
>up your book on bonded laborers like 3 or 4
>years ago.
My dear George,
I am of the opinion that whatever happens, happens
for the good.
And I mean that for everything :-)
If I had indeed published the book "like 3 or 4 years
ago" then I would have missed out altogether about
the very vital Kamaiya Liberation Movement, which,
as you know, started to gain momentum since May 1st,
2000,and is still going on.
There is so much to learn about the Kamaiya movement
and other attendant stuff that I do NOT mind spending
my life-time trying to understand it.
>Anyway good luck on a speedy
>publication.
Again, for someone with your professed background, you seem
to misunderstand the very nature of book-publishing of this
sort.
Speed is NOT the issue at all.
Writing this kind of book is NOT like rushing to do an IPO of an hot Internet start-up.
After all, I am certainly not trying to make a living as a full-time writer. And so, I am happy to be working with self-initiated ideas and self-imposed habits (they seem to work fine for me!), and my only goal is to do the best job I can possibly can, making full use of the resources available to me.
If, in the meantime, other people publish their own books
about/on the Kamaiya, that's fine by me too, for there should be MORE and DIFFERENT books written about/on the Kamaiyas.
That said, even if my efforts take 10 more years to complete,
I'm perfectly happy to live with that as long as the result
is something I can be proud of. :-)
By working at Wordsworth, you are doubtless aware that
the publication of a "good" book is MORE important than how
many years it took to complete it.
If it's a good book, then, the author's reputation will be enhanced. If it's a bad book, then, it will sink without a
trace.
And that's life.
>Usually, for first-time book publishers,
>finishing up a book can take a long time. So
>we advise them to work on one book at a time
>and stay focussed. Don't you think it's
>better to have one book published in time
>rather than have several books pending
>completion for several years?
Again, with a background like yours, I need not remind you that there are all kinds of authors writing all kinds of books in
all kinds of ways and combinations.
Some write fast, and finish one book a year, and that's fine.
Some take years to finish even a book, and that's fine too.
Yet, some work on five different books, with various co-authors
at any given time and can stay focussed, and that's fine too!
The sheer diversity of writing styles and habits among writers
is amazing, and I, for one, appreciate the fact that there is NO
single right way to write and publish.
Assuming in good faith that all authors are working toward eventual publication, then, how they want to pursue that goal is really up to them and them alone.
In our rush to help the first-time writers, let us not
fall into the trap of misunderstanding the various aspects
of the writing process, and offering unsolicited advice :-)
>One of the
>other reasons for having the first book
>published before proceeding on a different
>one is the advantage of receiving (and
>incorporating into subsequent works) the
>feedback received from the general audience
>on the first book.
Again, this works fine for some; doesn't work so good
for others.
A good, competent publisher, as you well know with your
professed background, treats each author as an unique
customer, and ONLY after agreeing on that author's needs,
habits and preferences, sets out to devise a tailor-made
schedule for that author. If the author is treated well,
then s/he sticks to the publisher for a long time.
>Thank you for willing to send me a signed
>copy of the book. I appreciate it. You can
>just address send it to WordsWorth Books of
>Harvard Square (I'm sure you have the
>address).
Well, with a breezy address like that, one thing
I can logically say is that where ever you
work at WordsWorth, you certainly can't be
located at the Shipping and Handling
Department :-)
>I'm simply known as Curious George
>by those in the know.
In the name of intercultural understanding and
and bibliophilic friendship, may I, for "those in the know"
call you by a Nepali name?
From now on, I shall simply call you -- Curious George:
Shailesh.
Since you work in the book-industry, you can find out whether
the name "Shailesh" is copy-righted or patented or trademarked by anyone.
That said, this proposed Nepali name seems right for you, for,
in Sanskrit, Shailesh means, if I am not mistaken: "God of
good manners"!!
>Any idea when I can
>expect to receving it?
Whenever it is completed, Curiois George . . .umm, Shailesh.
oohi
ashu
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| george |
Posted
on 12-Mar-01 12:27 PM
Ashu, now don't take it personally. By not publishing a book in time, I surely don't mean to say that you are slow, dumb or anything. I'm well aware of the multitudes of reasons why a book (even when the writing is complete) doesn't get published in time. When the writing is in the completion stage however, it's a common tendency for young writers to lose focus and digress to other ideas, leaving their near-completed work uncomplete. I am afraid to suggest that the same may be the case here, although I would be happy to proven wrong. You mention that you are working on a couple new books, while the first book you started out (is it now close to 10 years already?) isn't out yet.
Of course whatever I'm saying applies to serious writers, who intend to live their lives as writers, rather than frequent commentators. If living as writing is not your cup of tea, you might as well dismiss whatever I say here! But if you look at the writing habits of the new younger generation of serious writers like Jhumpa Lahiri (and maybe even Manjushree Thapa for a closer example), they work book to book, taking things one at a time, letting one idea really crystallize before moving on to the next. This is Manjushree Thapa's second or third book I believe, right?
By the way, thanks for coming up with a Nepali name for me; I've always liked having one. Sailesh is a good name, but I've always prefered being called "Narayan"! It has such a nice (and mighty!)ring to it (not to mention it's easier to pronounce and more common eg. R.K. Narayan!)
G. Narayan
|
| george |
Posted
on 12-Mar-01 12:27 PM
Ashu, now don't take it personally. By not publishing a book in time, I surely don't mean to say that you are slow, dumb or anything. I'm well aware of the multitudes of reasons why a book (even when the writing is complete) doesn't get published in time. When the writing is in the completion stage however, it's a common tendency for young writers to lose focus and digress to other ideas, leaving their near-completed work uncomplete. I am afraid to suggest that the same may be the case here, although I would be happy to proven wrong. You mention that you are working on a couple new books, while the first book you started out (is it now close to 10 years already?) isn't out yet.
Of course whatever I'm saying applies to serious writers, who intend to live their lives as writers, rather than frequent commentators. If living as writing is not your cup of tea, you might as well dismiss whatever I say here! But if you look at the writing habits of the new younger generation of serious writers like Jhumpa Lahiri (and maybe even Manjushree Thapa for a closer example), they work book to book, taking things one at a time, letting one idea really crystallize before moving on to the next. This is Manjushree Thapa's second or third book I believe, right?
By the way, thanks for coming up with a Nepali name for me; I've always liked having one. Sailesh is a good name, but I've always prefered being called "Narayan"! It has such a nice (and mighty!)ring to it (not to mention it's easier to pronounce and more common eg. R.K. Narayan!)
G. Narayan
|
| ashu |
Posted
on 12-Mar-01 08:53 PM
Dear Shailesh,
Thank you for taking such an interest in my
books and writing efforts. Your avid interest
is inspirational.
There are people who run marathons, and there are people who are good at 100-meter races. A marathoner is rarely
criticized for failing to do well in 100-meter
races, and those who run 100-meter races are
rarely ridiculed for faling to run marathons.
In writing too, there are 100-meter racers
and marathoners and every conceivable combinations
in between.
Working at a book-store, I am sure you appreciate
this DIVERSITY of writing styls and methods.
In your rush to "advise me", you sometimes say
that that I've been writing for four years;
sometimes you say ten years. The truth is:
I've been trying to write for 50 years, even
before I was born :-) [That's a joke, by the
way.]
Your interest reminds me of the keen interest I
used to take in writing some of my friends'
graduate school essays in urban planning,
and also writing some of their essays for
publication. One interesting thing I have noticed
is that those friends seem to have stopped
publishing anything after I stopped writing
for them :-) Perhaps your advice on writing should
also be directed at those friends too.
Then again, if friends don't look out for
one another, who will, right?
Your suggestions for "young" and "first-time
writers" are "ati soondar".
I'll share them with others.
Your comparing one writer to another (Manju to me)
may be fine for your pointed purposes, but I am
of the opinion let people do whatever they want
to do as long as it's their book, and what is
speed for one may not be so for another.
I am just happy that I am good friends
with many of Nepal's younger writers, and am
delighted to be celebrating their successes,
just like I was celebrating that urban-planning
friend's successes earlier :-)
Meantime, I feel privileged to have a supporter
like yourself (who works, by his own admision,
at my favorite book-store at Harvard Square).
Thank you. I have also decided, if I may, to
give you a second Nepali name: Shailesh Nath.
Nath is a positive word; nathay, however, is not.
Thank you, Shailesh Nath.
oohi
appreciatiave of your ideas and thoughts,
ashu
|
| george |
Posted
on 13-Mar-01 12:11 PM
Ashu, you're making me laugh! This conversation is getting ridiculous. Here I am talking about the progress in your books and there you are getting all hurt and personal, and thinking I'm someone else! Who is Shailesh Nath anyway, your favorite person of the week (no pun intended)? Look, I'm neither your friend nor enemy, I came to know about you from cathy and was interested because I thought you had already published your first book a couple years ago.
I'm sorry I was mistaken. As you admit, you don't yearn to live as a writer, which is just fine. Being a commentator isn't too bad either and can have a respectable following like serious writers do. I'm sorry to have bothered you. Although you don't really care for publishing anytime soon, here's wishing you luck.
I remain,
G. Narayan
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