From Blog to Book … The Journey of 'Friendship Calling'

“What started off as a whimsical blog-post, spiralleditself out into a novel!” This is probably the simplest way I can sum up my literary exploit of the last year. And things around that have kept my life upbeat and happily busy in the last six months.
“Friendship Calling” was released on 4th November 2013 by Notion Press Publishers on some of India’s premier online bookstores and a few days later on global platforms as well! The personal story which me and my close buddies had treasured in our hearts for years, the tale which we always wanted to tell to the world, was finally out for everyone to read!
The date for the release of the book was carefully chosen. 4thNovember: a very significant day in the life of one of my close friends, Kaushik, who occupies a large part of Friendship Calling and may also, be called the ‘hero’ of the story!
Working with a professional publisher was itself a new learning for me. Understanding the nuances of book publication, repeated edits of the manuscript, cover theme and design, author-bio and book-blurb - apart from learning new jargons and concepts, I also had a decent insight into what goes into a book apart from the writing!
The run-up to the Book Launch was exciting, as we planned periodic teasers, sample chapters, character releases, all on platforms like Facebook, Google and the likes! And the funny part was that during this time I was touring in England and Ireland, so every week, these releases came out from Manchester, Dublin and London! Also, after a midnight walk down the streets of London one night with my friend, I remember sitting at the deserted Thames riverfront with him, recounting the story of Friendship Calling to him! Little did I know then that a few months later the Book would be read by people and book clubs in that part of the world!
Post the launch of the Book on the auspices of Diwali, excitement surged! The publisher’s dynamics changed and focus shifted to marketing the book. But I was happy in my own way as my primary reason for the book was achieved with the launch itself. My friends and I wanted the unforgettable stories of our college days to be etched forever, we wanted Kaushik to be with us forever, we wanted to tell our story to the world; and Friendship Calling did all of that for us!
Frantic activity soon picked up its tempo as we saw a Facebook page being created for Friendship Calling and ‘likes’ coming in and being tracked and milestones celebrated on the social network. Copies of the book got distributed to known and unknown circle of friends and very soon, sales started picking up on Flipkart, Amazon, Bookadda and other online bookstores where the book was made available. Reviews started coming in from those who by then had read the book. Happily, the range of reviews was healthy and they gave me the first taste of ‘public feedback’ on my writing! In the months that followed, Friendship Calling got reviewed and appeared in a couple of prominent National Dailies, The Hindu and The Times of India, apart from some book-blogging websites.
In the midst of all the hype and hoopla, what touched me the most was the feeling that the book was being read by so many people…our story had reached the hearts of so many readers…and will continue to do so…the journey had begun!
With Friendship Calling now well on its way, it was time to return to the blog which had laid low in the interim. I had picked up significant learning and feedback in this new journey in these six months and that gave me the boost to continue with my passion of writing and blogging. An amateur author still yet, but with a satisfying start-up, my blog is now back in a new avatar!
So, what am I writing these days? Ah, the idea that sparked during a discussion with Atul Uncle in the sun-room of his beautiful house in Ardee, Ireland! Another fascinating story that lies buried in history and old suitcases, scattered in diaries, notes and photographs, a thrilling tale that spans decades and continents…something from my very own family!
Yes, it’s a great idea to tell that tale to the world… so, “Family Calling…” in sometime may be!!


                                                      ------------------------------