Naveed Qazi was born and brought up in Srinagar, Kashmir. He did his schooling from Burn Hall and Tyndale Biscoe, and a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Islamia College of Science and Commerce, affiliated to University of Kashmir. After that, he did his postgraduate degree in international business from University of Hertfordshire in United Kingdom.
Starting off as a blogger on global issues during his early university days, he also contributed to all leading English dailies in Kashmir. In his past, he pursued a career in banking and construction in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. He has been working as an independent contractor for qualitative research projects for around ten years.
1. Who and what inspired you to write?
The Vale Dweller had mostly two inspirations. Many years back, I read the book Gomorrah by Roberto Saviano. I also watched its movie and TV show. It was not his style of writing or his literary techniques that made a serious writer out of me. Infact, I was writing in form of newspaper columns and blogging since the age of twenty. The only thing that inspired me to write city life fiction from his work was that he showed a certain ruination of the city he grew up in. Then somewhere in 2015-2016, I saw an interview of Orhan Pamuk where he discussed about his new novel A Strangeness In My Mind in which he not only showcased the economic problems of the protagonist, through a Bildungsroman type of narrative, but also the social changes Istanbul as a city went from the past to the contemporary times.
Despite knowing that the literary universe of these works was different, I was passionate enough to create my own. Infact, I rewrote the draft many times. I often feel that my work, The Vale Dweller, falls somewhere between realism and speculative fiction.
2. What challenges did you face while writing and getting published?
I faced many challenges while writing fiction. As I am not someone who had an education background in literature or creative writing, I had to learn the foundations myself. For that, I devoted time in churning out character arcs and plots. For me, the resonation of the story with the reader carried a priority.
As for traditionally publishing The Vale Dweller, I had shown the novel draft to one of novelist friends of mine, Shakoor Rather, who also has a successful city fiction novel to his name. He encouraged me to pitch my manuscript to publishers. I did get some stock rejections from publishers after sending them my work.
After that, I researched about literary agents in India. Even my novelist friend encouraged me to look for literary agents. Before showing him the manuscript, I had pruned the story as I thought the script was a little dialectic.
3. How did you come to know about the literary agency THE BOOK BAKERS?
I got hold of a list of literary agents in India on a blog published by Reedsy. After pitching my work, I got a few initial responses, but I eventually signed a contract with Suhail Mathur’s The Book Bakers.
4. How did THE BOOK BAKERS help you and what would you like to say about them?
Suhail and The Book Bakers are a busy and a professional bunch of people. The literary agency is actually a blessing for debutant authors who are inexperienced about what kind of pitching documents are actually needed by the publishers. Also, a lot of patience is required to get traditionally published nowadays. Suhail knows the pulse of publishing, the market trends, and has great contacts within the industry. Over the past few years, I can see that his literary agency has grown tremendously. Even from Kashmir, the place where I come from, he has already represented many literary stalwarts like Shabir Ahmad Mir and Ayaz Rasool Nazki.
5. How do you see literary success for yourself?
Lot of appreciation from fellow authors. I also want a more reader base for my works.
6. When can we expect your next book?
I’ve already self-published around nine books on Amazon KDP, which are mostly about contemporary global politics and international fiction. I’m currently trying to finish off a collection of political essays, which is like a fifth edition in a non-fiction series about global politics. If, like The Vale Dweller, I manage to write another book, whether fiction or nonfiction, in the coming years, that reflect South Asian themes, I will try to traditionally publish it and send it over to my literary agency. It is because regionalist themes have a strong demand in the current publishing market.
7. Any message or tips for aspiring authors?
Make a habit of reading and writing every day. Also, learn the art of rewriting and thorough editing. It is a painful process for sure, but it will make a better writer out of you.
BOOK NAME : THE VALE DWELLER
PUBLISHER : THE ALCOVE PUBLISHERS
BOOK SYNOPSIS/BLURB:
Vale Dweller is a simplistic man having grown up in the suburbs of Srinagar. He is close friends with the Reader, an editor of published works and an ex-salesman. Will their paths coalesce as they chase their material dreams? In his struggles and impulse for memory, the Vale Dweller becomes retrospective of his identity, as he observes the city and interacts with other coteries in his neighbourhood – an acclaimed Kashmir University professor, a jailbird, an old nostalgic writer, a networking bookseller, and a Columnist writing about the feudal past. Due to circumstances, he also meets a Weaver who tries to confront his past after surviving a massacre. After these associations, will he embrace the cultural epochs of the city, and call the place his own, or will he resist its fallacies stemmed out of social ills and political sensitivities? As fate endures itself, will the Vale Dweller pacify with it at the end as events unravel?
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Than you Nidhi for this interview. Looking forward to read more inspiring stories. Once again, congratulations to Naveed. Best wishes to him for his upcoming work.
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