Writing

Why did I write Plagued

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Today, we crossed 1 MILLION confirmed cases and 50 THOUSAND deaths globally due to the Novel Coronavirus.


 Sometime in February, when the COVID-19 disease was less known and shrouded in mystery, I wondered - like many others - what might happen if it spread massively across the globe and affected us all. Unfortunately, this has come true, and we are today living a strange quarantined life in fear.

 I began writing Plagued in early March, after vociferously consuming information about the disease and its impact on public health, human behaviour, commerce, logistics, politics and science. I tried to imagine what it would be like to live in a post-Corona world.

 By the time I wrote the first few chapters - it was mostly overnight, when I wasn't doing Zoom calls or doing my full-time job - a lot of things had changed. Italy and Spain were overrun by the virus, Europe was in shambles, and the US had begun to recognize the virus as a serious threat. Closer home, India had a few hundred cases and we were terrified.

 Then came the lockdown, and the hope that this may go away soon. I wrote this book thinking this would go away soon, but in my book, I imagine a virus much worse that decimates millions. Through this thought exercise, I only hoped to plan for the absolute worst case scenario and how we can help the poor and the worst-affected in the apocalypse.

 Today, I'm pained to see the visuals of hundreds of thousands of doctors, nurses, and workers offering essential services toiling away in high-risk environments. While I continue to do my duty of staying home to contain the spread, donating to (hopefully) effective emergency funds, and supporting as many people in my local ecosystem as possible.

 The gentleman who cleans my car in the morning has a full-time job at the hospital; he's a cook there. Their job is still on. These guys are still out there, everyday, helping us fight this virus. The new month is here, and he came to collect his monthly pay. Someone rang the doorbell after nearly a week!


I spent the past few nights working hard to complete my novel. I just finished. I am in a hurry, because I don't plan to sell the book for money. I am putting it on Amazon Kindle, and sending all the proceeds to healthcare workers. I feel it's the least I can do in this situation.

Why not simply donate? Why go through the trouble of writing?


 Good question. My answer is in three parts. 

Firstly, I love writing and I think we must all try to utilize our strengths for the betterment of society in these difficult times. 

Next, I know that people are working from home, living in fear, more alone than ever, and figuring out what to do with all that extra time. Is is easy to fall back on that lazy option of Netflix; it is better to read a book (I've managed to read two books this month). And I imagined you'd like to know what happens to the world and how we will change when all this ends. I hope this situation ends soon, and we - and our loved ones - are safe when it does.

And lastly, this is an easy way for you to do something you love - read a book - and, in the process, help those who really need your support right now. If 'Plagued' isn't your cup of tea, that is okay; but make sure you visit one of these links and contribute to those in need:

Is this only an e-book? Or is there a Print Version?


 There's no time for a print version right now, although I'd love to have released both together. In the current situation where everything is under lock-down, Publishers aren't going to start printing for at least a few weeks. But the funds for donation are required now. So I've decided to release on Kindle only for now.

If there is an opportunity for a print version soon (and I hope there is, because that would mean things are getting better), then 100% of all earnings from the paperback will also go to COVID-19 Relief.

Why did you publish on Amazon? Don't they take a commission?


 Yes, Amazon takes a commission. Which means I will get only a part of what you donate. It's about 70% in India. Less from Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk etc. I would ideally want everything you donate to go to those in need. Amazon was the simplest and easiest way to host an e-book online. I'm also hoping more people discover the book through the site!

What is this book about? Should I think of this as a Donation or a Book Purchase?


 I'd love for you to think of it as both. This is the fourth book I've written, and the second I've published. My first book is this one, here. I'm sure I'll publish the other two works as well, but this one is urgent; so it jumped ahead in the line!


It offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling portrait of friends who are separated by borders but united in their suffering.

As the disease begins to spread, Ved flies back home from San Francisco to attend his father's retirement party. His girlfriend, Jinny, is attending to her sick grandmother in China. Everything changes for them and their families in the next few weeks, as millions are infected and the world goes into a lock-down.
The pandemic sets the backdrop for a strange new world, where people work from their homes, are constantly online, and filled simultaneously with fear, revulsion and hope.


You can buy the book here on Amazon Kindle starting 5th April 2020. I will send proof of every donation I make on your behalf.

Thanks,
Anirudh

Picture Courtesy: Angelina Bambina [ShutterStock]

Product-Market Fit V/S High Art

A tried and tested technique for internet entrepreneurs, especially those based in China, is this:
1 - Look up international comparable with unicorn potential.
2 - Perform extensive local search-engine queries to check organic traffic.
3 - Optimize and tweak business-model to fit observations.

Even if Step 1 is overlooked, Steps 2 & 3 are considered critical. E.g. if you want to start selling cakes online, then perform enough searches to verify traffic on the keyword "cake". Your findings may show great demand for blueberry cheesecakes; boom, that's your MVP (minimum viable product).

In other words, the market precedes the product. The grand-question of Product-Market fit is neatly obviated. You give people what they want. Why try inventing things which may or may not have buyers?

Of course, killer innovation may not happen. So some may question this method, and call it inferior to the conventional maverick route. But it's hard to imagine a sad billionaire. So the ends must justify the means.

The issue only occurs when you gauge artistic value of a business; all businesses are a form of art. I can't bring myself to digest the thought of an artist who Googles his or her audience's tastes, and tailors art accordingly.

 

The Idea-Person-Thing

“The three grand essentials of happiness are: Something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.”
— Alexander Chalmers

In my attempt to distill happiness into its purest form, I thrust all three of these pursuits into a single idea-person-thing combination. That idea-person-thing becomes my all. I wake up to it, I breathe it, I eat it, I sleep with it.

It is always with me. It possesses me, and takes over everything else. I cannot give up until I win. And I cannot win unless I keep wrestling. There are a million things that badger me, that try to pry my attention away from this absolute purpose of existence. Even if my eyes leave it for a moment, I must return to it. I have been wired that way. I am obsessive, and I don't give up.

It is difficult to explain the past few months, that have flown by in breathtaking pace. I wake up, think about new ways to realize the idea-person-thing, feel let down by a lot of things that happen, pick myself up because I know I can't win unless I keep wrestling, win small victories that fuel me for weeks, and keep working until I'm too tired to work.

You cannot be unimaginably happy unless you go all in.