Interviewed by: Sirish Turlapati, Senior Correspondent, Higher Education Plus

Nikhil Chandwani is an author of 14 Books, Co-Founder of NYK Daily and Founder – Writers’ Rescue Centre. He is Times of India’s ‘Times Writer of the Year 2022’. He is the world’s most followed long form writer on Instagram.

Can you tell us more about your professional journey and career milestones?

My professional journey was divided in two phases. I was a loner in the first phase and subject to trolling, bullying and isolation. In my second phase (that I am in right now), I am surrounded by good people, and I’ve gained my confidence. I am turning 29 this year, and I’ve written 14 books, I run two firms with a decent turnover, I am getting married in December this year in Hyderabad, and I am incredibly lucky to have a family of 1million+ on Instagram.

What mistakes do you think amateur authors and novices make and how do you think they can avoid them?

Authors feel writing a book is enough. They don’t focus on sales. They don’t learn the art of marketing. The subtle art of marketing is something that must be learned by everyone. Like back in the day, the life skills included cooking, swimming and self-defense, now the life skills include learning how to market a product and handling sales. New writers must learn this art when they’re young or else they’ll be left with a masterpiece without anyone around to read it.

What were some of the major challenges you faced as an educator and how did you manage to overcome them?

I educate people in the field of history, politics and similar topics on Instagram. The biggest challenge how to creatively share content on the platform. Initially, I wrote swipe and read articles where people can swipe next and read 1000 words pieces on my Instagram. I had around 1.5-2 million readers every month. However, once I started making reels to educate people, around 60 million+ watched the content monthly. So, I just made a few purchases and now planning to start digital podcast to find a bigger reach.

Can you tell us more about your creative process when it comes to writing books? For instance, how do you pick a topic and how do you deal with writer’s block?

Research, patience and confidence are three ingredients needed. Plus, learning about the market, adapting to the dynamics of post COVID world (people are not going to book stores and buying things online) is also needed.

What future projects are you working on?

I am finishing my 1 year PGP at IIM Nagpur. Once that is done, I am planning to start an eco-friendly venture, a brainchild of my fiancée and business partner Arushi Sana. Arushi and I run a news platform NYK Daily at the moment that has around 23 employees, and we are planning to expand this venture by adding a few more dimensions to it.

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Q. When did you think of the idea of starting the Wrters’ Rescue Centre?

It started in 2015 when one young guy from Nagpur named Siddharth Roy had approached me with his story. I mentored him randomly and then I realized the need for a proper 1-1 mentorship system for writers. A kind of a Gurukul setup. That is where Writers’ Rescue Centre started. 2015- a long cozy drive with Siddharth Roy, where I came to know his entire story, dreams, and aspirations he has. I loved and lived his dreams from that day and mentored him. He is now an author of three books, 40+ guest lectures and a multiple times TEDx speaker and also holds few awards. Later, I started getting writers every month, every week, every day with their aspirations, problems, and dreams. I found writing as a subtle solution for all of them.

Q. What is the greatest hurdle you’ve faced as an entrepreneur?

India is impatient. That is the problem I faced. Our students wanted to become millionaires in a day, but that is not possible. The first step with WRC is research on a subject, then learning the writing art forms, thirdly, it is actual writing of the book, then editing and later publishing. Later, the book is marketed depending on the niche and then, we take our candidates for public speaking. The process takes time, and it needs a lot of patience. This was the hurdle I had to face so far.

Q. Any advice that you would like to give to the budding authors?

My advice for budding authors would be, do not be one article, one story or one book wonders. Writers are very important to the world and so, I recommend all aspiring writers and authors to use their pen to bring constructive changes in the environment around you.

Q. Tell us about some of the success stories.

Nikhil Linga from Khammam, whom I met me at the age of 16. Now he is the world’s youngest published author on an ethical hacking concept, Nitin Upadhyay from Raxaul who belonged from an underprivileged background wrote his book on a broken lava phone. Kanika Muniyar, who hailed from Nanded, was confused about what to do in life, but now she is a columnist with leading English dailies. Nikhila Chalamalasetty from Vijayawada is differently abled and she lacked confidence in herself. She has faced several situations where people used to make fun of her in class and college. When she came to me I tried to convince her of the fact that she has got high potential which not be wasted just because of few non-sensible people. She then wrote her first book “The day I started flying” which a motivational book. She is constantly giving lectures in colleges and schools.

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