Virtual communities make people feel more involved & connected

Hello! 👋

Welcome to She Got You! If you’ve missed the first part of my conversation with Namrata, please read it here before continuing. 👇

Now, let’s continue with our chat.

Sunaina: You also worked with The Himalayan Writing Retreat. What led you there, and can you share some stories?

Namrata: Oh, yes! I worked with the Himalayan Writing Retreat for about three years, especially on their social media. This opportunity happened when I was keen on working with book brands. I joined them in January 2020, underwent training, attended their workshops, and as I got acquainted with their operations, the world went into a lockdown in March. The most fascinating journey for me was transforming our entirely offline business into a profitable online venture. This experience was particularly thrilling because it was my first time building something from the ground up. Previously, I had always worked with foundations, where I had to advance what others had already established. But we started from scratch this time, which made all the difference.

Chetan Mahajan and Vandita Dubey (co-founders) are wonderful mentors, and their workshops were excellent. We had numerous brainstorming sessions, including the First Draft Club program. Vandita offered free counselling to help people struggling during the lockdown.

Our biggest achievement was reducing advertising expenses due to our solid organic reach. Chetan was open to experimentation, which allowed us to try new approaches and innovate. He also recommended workshops, encouraging me to attend and share what I learned. This approach made for an exciting journey, lasting until around 2022.

Interestingly, I decided to leave just as I was receiving some substantial job offers. The retreat grew significantly over the years, requiring more attention, and I had time constraints. I was ready to explore new opportunities, challenge myself with something different, and take the next step in my career. It was a remarkable period in my career as I learned a great deal and met many authors. Most importantly, I understood the true power of community, especially in a virtual setting.

This realisation struck me when Blog Adda and IndiBlogger shut down. I felt the absence of such a community acutely, particularly because they were virtual. The beauty of online communities is their inclusivity and accessibility. For instance, physical gatherings can be challenging in a sprawling city like Mumbai. Attending regular in-person events is impractical if you live far from the meeting place. Virtual communities, on the other hand, offer convenience and practicality, relieving the stress of physical distance.

However, virtual communities eliminate these barriers and allow people to feel involved and connected regardless of physical location. I could actively participate and feel like a vital part of the community without travelling.

Inclusivity is what makes virtual communities so powerful and engaging. We recreated that sense of community, tapping into its power to bring people together across distances. It was gratifying to see how this virtual connection could foster a strong, inclusive community spirit!

Sunaina: Freelancers usually work in isolation, right? Does it get to you?

Namrata: Because I've been doing this for 10-12 years, it doesn't get to me as much because I found virtual communities. Earlier this year, I also launched a free community and resources for freelancers, and we catch up regularly to discuss topics such as pitching, following up for payments, getting published, invoices, presentations, etc. But we also rant if we want, and that's how we interact.

I generally host these sessions on Google Classrooms. I've built a support system through virtual communities and am no longer lonely. When I started freelancing, sure, I was!

Sunaina: Have you experienced gender discrimination? Is publishing more inclusive?

Namrata: I've experienced discrimination during many roles, including publishing, which has ageism. At 28, when I wanted to switch to publishing, I knew I had to start with an entry-level role, but many folks said I was too old for it and were looking for someone young. A decade later, I still face the same. But what if I didn't know I wanted to be in publishing when I was 18? Because I have no prior experience, you can pay me less, and that's fair! But not giving me an opportunity because of my age? That's a different thing altogether.

In banking, it’s a similar story again. Your skin colour, age, and looks matter, particularly in client servicing. Years later, women still experience this, and I wonder how long it'll take for this to change.

That's why I like freelancing; I'm my boss and decide how I operate or take leave. And you know what? Most freelancers or people I work with are women, which is entirely unintentional. But it's happened this way, and there's a certain comfort because we don't have to over-explain to each other. Sometimes, we use only emoticons to express ourselves.

Sunaina: What has been your experience in publishing?

Namrata: Right now, I'm mentoring someone in their late 20s, and she shared a similar experience with ageism. In 2014, when I moved to Mumbai to work with a publishing house, they made it evident that they wanted to work with someone younger to become the face of their brand. Plus, publishing remains conservative about its sales jobs and prefers hiring women for creative roles and men for sales or operations.

Sunaina: I always assumed it's more inclusive because it's women-driven.

Namrata: It is, but in India, most publishing houses are run by families, so the rules are slightly different. They prefer hiring youngsters for entry-level roles and expect you to work out of a specific location. (However, the location thing also applies to publishing houses in the US and the UK.) But they all did function in the pandemic; they did not shut down their operations.

It's high time we become more flexible and inclusive, hiring people from diverse walks of life, queer communities, marginalised communities and people with disability. I was a wheel-chair user for a specific time in my life, and expecting me to relocate, especially when offices aren't wheel-chair friendly, is unfair, right? Are our lit fest wheel-chair friendly? No! I approach lit fest organisers and ask if they are accessible, but they are usually not. Despite publishing them, they don't make them accessible.

Bookstores are also not accessible. In one instance, an author with a disability had to question this. He was invited to a bookstore that ran so many ads about that visit, but when the author reached the venue, the bookstore was on the first floor. He wasn't even informed. But after this incident, the bookstore began informing its visitors. With social media, sharing such information has gotten easier; brands should start using features such as Alt Text because all these things take minimal effort.

Of course, some fabulous women are in publishing, but it should be a more welcoming community. At lit fests, you see the same writers and rarely do you see marginalised writers on a panel on marginalised writings. Nobody else can talk about their experiences or lives.

Sunaina: Right! Can you suggest two books every first-time author should read?

Namrata: Stephen King's On Writing is the number one book every writer should read. Julie Cameron's The Artist's Way is another brilliant book that can even bring you back from writer's block and push you to write. I've read that book about 8-9 times during different phases of my life, and every time, I've written better after reading it. Tumhare andar k artist ko ye book jhanjholta hai. Yes, that's what it does.

Sunaina: And what are you reading now?

Namrata: I'm reading Yeh Un Dinoñ Ki Baat Hai by Yassir Abbasi because I've been learning new languages for three years and started learning Urdu in 2023. This book is a curation of pieces written by Bollywood stars from the yesteryear, and it has certain portions in Urdu and some in English. So, it's interesting to read the Urdu portion and check if I've gotten it right.

Sunaina: I've been reading several translations, especially Southeast Asian literature. But now translations are the most popular fiction, and when you visit bookstores, you find diverse Southeast Asian books. What's happening with this trend?

Namrata: The eye is on Asian writers; if you look at Booker Prize nominations, you'll find more translated work. So, translations or international cinema taking the main stage is quite a thing! If someone had told me that a Telugu movie would win the Oscars five years ago, I wouldn't have believed them. So, the world wants to consume Asian literature and cinema because they realise the quality of stories we bring to the table is great, and people want to be entertained.

One of the main reasons we connect with Korean or Japanese literature is that the core of our culture—how we perceive family, love, or marriage—is similar. I was surprised when I learned about the Korean series obsession, but they felt so familiar when I watched them. Crazy Rich Asians reminds you of a Karan Johar movie, no?

Sunaina: I get what you mean! I don't watch Korean movies, but my friends are obsessed with them. Since the pandemic, people have spoken about KGF or Korean TV shows like Coffee Prince or Crash Landing You!

Namrata: I started watching them out of curiosity!

Sunaina: What about the future excites you?

Namrata: I’m excited about what everyone is building and working towards. Some of the people I work with are conducting research projects that will make publishing more inclusive and diverse. I'm closely involved in those projects. Helping them reach a larger audience through diverse content formats excites me.

We spoke about how translations are getting the spot they rightfully deserve, and people today want to consume diverse literature. These books are also being picked for screen adaptations, and considering how writing isn't very lucrative, these opportunities are great. Sahitya Akademi Awards are recognising queer writers, and the future that way is hopeful.

Another fun thing we do is Bookbot Reads, where we leave books in Mumbai metros based on the themes we pick every month. Whoever finds these books can keep them; if they want to pass them forward, they can drop them back in the Mumbai metro again. Some authors we work with love this initiative and send us free copies. It’s one of my initiatives to make reading more accessible. I live on the outskirts, and there aren’t any bookstores nearby. I know many folks might be experiencing this, so I want to do my bit to help people read more.

I saw someone pick the book, flip its pages, and turn around to see if anyone would claim it, but when no one reacted, their expression immediately changed. They seemed happy. In another instance, we did this with a children's book and timed it during holidays. So when a child picked it up, it was endearing to see him happy, and he showed it off to his mom.

We’ve left books from our libraries, newly purchased ones, and books from different languages. We’re more than happy to take books from writers for this.

So, that was my conversation with Namrata. Follow her on LinkedIn and discover more about Keemiya here. See you! 👋