The start of a spark
From being published in the Times of Oman’s Thursday Magazine to publishing her own book titled, ‘The Dawn of Neptune’ during the pandemic, Pratheeksha Susan Jacob has made a long bitter-sweet journey with publishing.
The start was small. “In 8th grade, my English teacher asked me to write for the notice board,” she recalled. To her surprise, Pratheeksha found her poem in the Times of Oman’s Thursday Magazine. Her father had secretly submitted her poem to the magazine. This was the tiny push that she needed. It became a source of motivation and encouragement for the novice writer to submit more poems to magazines. With consistent efforts, Pratheeksha published around 30 poems.
Catching fire
When asked how she planned her book, she explained, “People asked if I wanted to publish them as a book. I did not have a concept for a book. I decided to publish them as an anthology.” The search for publishing houses began. An ample amount of research went into choosing a publishing house that catered to her needs.
She came across an online publishing platform that made it possible for her to publish her book during a pandemic, “They made everything simple. They were flexible and responsive. I had samples and palettes sent to me and I could choose what I wanted my book to look like. Eventually, I needed illustrations for the poems. I had the creative freedom to work with the illustrator of my choice. Although the date of publishing was pushed by two months and delayed quite a few times, the book was finally published on 24 September.”
Conceptualising of the book
As opposed to the norm of having a theme that binds the entire book together, an anthology is a collection of the writer’s best works. The Dawn of Neptune shared the same ideology. It was a collection of poems that streamed from the idea of letting thoughts flow. “Neptune is a planet that influences me. Neptune is also the God of Water. The poems that were compiled were written using stream of consciousness. I believe that you must let thoughts and words flow from your mind. So I wrote whatever came to me naturally. The only thing I was worried about was if people would like it,” said Pratheeksha as she explained how she arrived at the concept and title of the book.
Getting published
“The entire process of publishing was simple. I was given the creative freedom and time to be ready with my book. All I had to do was send three poems in order to be confirmed for publication. Once they approved my poems, I selected the package I preferred and the creative process for the book began. Since it was during the pandemic, most of the work was done through emails. It was a stressful time and I could not hold any events or have a book launch. Things would have been much different if I had published after the pandemic. The publishing house took care of the marketing and the distribution of the books,” Pratheeksha calmly narrated her journey.
The downsides
The mode of publishing she chose was traditional publishing that was made simple and hassle-free. When asked about the downsides of choosing this mode of publishing she replied, “The only trouble is that I don’t have 100% control over my book. The royalties are shared and after the book was published I had to make sure that the book was in stock. Currently, they have become quiet and they are not easy to reach. I strongly support the ideology that writers should have creative freedom and control over their books.”
Final thoughts
At the end of the interview, Pratheeksha was asked about her final thoughts on writing. Reflecting on her journey she replied, “I don’t think we should rely too much on mentors, we might end up heavily depending on them. I try to learn by sharpening my vocabulary, I read any poem that I could get my hand on, even Instagram poems. It all counts as learning. Even being part of a community of your age group and shared interests helps you learn but it is important that you take stock of your creative freedom. That is very important.”
After a thoughtful pause she continued, “Before you publish, it is important that you take it slow and steady. Work on your writing and build an audience. Starting is the most important thing. Once you start, it gets easier. Write whatever you want to write. If you feel like it is something people should read then write and put it out into the world.”
About the author
Pratheeksha is a writer who signs herself as Esperanza, her name in Spanish, which means hope. Her writings are a cup of beauty poured onto a bowl of love, with a pinch of loss and vanity added to taste and then baked in gratitude at a degree of grace and one's spiritual self.
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