Hi! I’m happy and grateful you are considering joining The Write Path. This shows you are serious about bringing your book out and marketing it well. This manifesto will make everything about this community clear to you, right at the outset. Afterwards, click on the tab under the manifesto to join the community. See you there soon! If you have any questions or need help in joining, write to me at hi@ganeshv.com or WhatsApp me on +919972169400.
THE WRITE PATH COMMUNITY MANIFESTO
The intention: To bring book writers together into a safe, energising and supportive environment that will help them write their books, get them published and promote them well.
Why? I am passionate about helping people in their efforts at self-expression. Writing books is an important form of self-expression. However, most of us writing books (and those who want to write them) face several struggles along the way. Spotting the right idea for the book, fleshing it out properly, finding the right target audience for it, structuring the book well, creative bottlenecks, writing consistently, getting the book published, marketing it…we authors grapple with several doubts on these and other aspects. And then there is the whole mind game: finding the motivation to keep going, bouncing back from setbacks, fighting distractions, the potential mental isolation that comes from writing for weeks or months together, the need to write while managing a hundred other priorities, the monster of self-doubt…
I have created this community in response to this situation. The Write Path is a one-stop resource and support hub for published authors and those aspiring to be published authors. You could be writing your 1st book or your 17th. Your book can be on any theme and genre, and meant for any kind of reader. You can be living anywhere in the world. You can be grappling with any aspect of being an author. You are equally welcome here.
The driving belief: Everyone has at least a book in them. And, if they go about it the right way, they can bring out a good book into the world and make it reach the right people.
Guiding values & traits of the community: honesty, support, empathy, open-mindedness, nonjudgemental, inclusive, a solution mindset, growth, the credo of ‘I am enough’, curiosity, play (meaning fun, an informal ambience). In every sense, this is a safe space.
The nitty-gritty: This is a community of authors (published ones and those in the making) on FB. It is not aligned with any particular publisher, literary agent, distribution agent, bookseller, etc. It is totally neutral, and meant only to give authors the best information, guidance and inspiration possible. Impartially.
All conversations are centred on writing, publishing and marketing books and the various associated aspects. Members can share their experiences and perspectives vis-à-vis their books and hear the experiences and perspectives of others. They can air their opinions on the publishing industry. They can ask for information, help and guidance on any matter related to authors and book publishing. They can share helpful resources. This give and take will provide them validation, inspiration, new knowledge and guidance.
They can get answers to their questions on any aspect of becoming or being an author: spotting the right idea, finding the market fit, structuring the book, the dynamics of writing a book, literary agents, publishers, publishing models, royalty, distribution, marketing, tackling bottlenecks along the way, adaptation of books to other formats, translation, copyright, publishing contracts, mindset matters, etc.
From time to time, online masterclasses, fireside chats and other events will be conducted by the group admin. Many of these will be free of cost to members while others will have a nominal registration fee. Through these events, members can hear from and interact with seasoned professionals from the book industry.
Crucially, members can draw strength from the fact that they are not alone on their journeys; they have a band of cheerleaders and confidantes.
To start with, this community will be focussed on South Asia. Later on, this may change to include other regions too.
The value members get: With the help of The Write Path, members will be able to write their books, get them published and promote them much better and easier than they could have by working alone. And the sense of camaraderie and support will ensure that they are in a better frame of mind all along the way.
- Ganesh Vancheeswaran, the founder, will trigger and lead several helpful conversations. He is the author of two popular books (The Underage CEOs: Fascinating Stories of Young Indians who Became CEOs in their Twenties and 22 Till I Die! Precious Learnings of a Freewheeling Entrepreneur), an editor and a book coach who has helped several writers become published authors. He has been hosting the online masterclass ‘The Write Path’ for the past 3 years.
- Members can get their questions answered by him and hear his opinion on the matters they raise.
- They will benefit from the opinions and experiences of the other members of the group. (This is why this group is on Facebook.) The same members will be their accountability buddies too.
- Periodically, Ganesh will share useful resources with the members – such as tips on productive writing, contact details of literary agents and publishers and information on lit. fests, bookselling and distribution networks, book review forums, etc. Other members are welcome to do so too.
- A monthly webinar/masterclass/fireside chat/AMA on a topic from any of these three areas: writing books, publishing books, marketing books. Anchored by Ganesh, some of these will feature seasoned professionals from the publishing world.
- Members will be intimated about interesting events in the publishing world so that they can attend these if they want.
- There will be discussions on trends in book publishing.
- Focussed activities such as writing sprints will be conducted from time to time to help members generate momentum in their book-writing work.
The fee: An annual fee of Rs. 1000, which translates to just Rs. 80 a month. Beyond this, while some events will be free, others will have nominal registration fees. If any of these is open to the public also, The Write Path members will get the benefit of discounted fees.
Welcome to the author life!
Click hereto join The Write Path.
If this doesn’t work, you can pay me by Google Pay on 9972169400 (Account holder’s name: Ganesh V) and WhatsApp me on the same number.