I live in Anza, California, in the United States, and I have been writing for over 35 years. I have had books “conventionally” published by what we in the States call “The Big 5 Publishing Companies.” I have had books published by what is referred to as “hybrid” publishing houses, where the author is charged a fee and then supposedly receives professional layout, formatting, editorial, publishing, and marketing services. Well…that’s what they say, anyway. I have self-published my own books on Amazon, which initially cost me nothing, but they take a pretty high royalty cut. Competition is stiff, as there are now millions of self-published books on Amazon, and it’s hard for me to separate myself from the herd. I pay $300 per title to a book formatting company, Word2Kindle, to format my book’s interior, create cover art, and issue PDF files, so I can go to Amazon’s Kindle platform and get them up and running myself. I am always happy with their services. So, the point here is that by hook or by crook (there are a lot of crooks), I have 16 books floating around out there in the book world with 9 available on my author’s website, with plans to launch another 7 within the span of another year. Why the hurry? You may ask. I’m 75 years old and feel that I am running out of time. So there is a keen sense of urgency. Also, I have a rock-solid belief in myself as a writer and in my ability to say something noteworthy, even if the literary agents and small independent presses here in the US apparently feel differently. Believe me, fellow authors around the world, if you don’t believe in yourself, it’s highly doubtful that anyone else will. All of which brings me to my relationship with Rajib Das, the founder and editor of Twist & Twain.
Rajib has a rare spirit of generosity in the American publishing industry writ large. Call it the differences in our cultures. Call it an empathy for other struggling authors. Call it anything you want, but call it fortuitous for me because he runs my work and lets the chips fall where they may. Knowing this, I try not to take advantage of the man by submitting too much work, but sometimes I fear that I have.
I like the magazine’s user-friendly website which features top-notch photography and graphics. And, I particularly like feeling that I am part of a community of international writers, because with English being a second language in many nations around the world, the magazine is generous in allowing their voices to be heard, and I for one want to hear what they have to say because I want to feel like I have a stake in being amongst the membership of the “family of man.” I also believe that the only way for the family, indeed, the species Homo sapiens, to continue to exist on Planet Earth is through tolerance of one another despite our differences in race, culture, and beliefs. And the only way for this belief to become a reality is through a policy of live-and-let-live. To me, this is exactly the vibe that Twist & Twain promotes. So if you are down with this, send in your work. Let the rest of the world, indeed the rest of humanity, hear from you. Again, I for one would like to.
I have submitted so much work that it has allowed me to use the bylines to establish what we here in America call “street cred” as an author. The late Charles Bukowski was an American author who was dubbed “the poet laureate of the low life,” and indeed he was. Bukowski was rude, crude, and lewd in his writing style, which turned a lot of readers off, but he knew his audience, and he played to them, developed a following, and carved out a paying career in writing, which, if you are like me, you know is pretty hard to do. However, Bukowski was no fool when it came to knowing which side of the bread the butter was on, and he was sure to always write to his editors who ran his pieces in magazines and who published his many books, and personally thank them in letters that were not only heartfelt but also endearing. In other words, the smart author thanks and supports the people who support her/him. It’s quite frankly patently stupid not to. And this is why I’ve come to establish a relationship with Rajib Das, and that relationship has proven to me that our politicians here in America always have a ripple effect that affects people on the other side of the world. Quite frankly, as a member of the family of man, I feel it necessary to apologise to my other citizens. Even though there is not much I can do about it, I will at least acknowledge it. Take, for example, one of our recent correspondences, which Rajib has shared: “How are things in the US following the West Asia conflict? In India, there is a sudden shortage of cooking gas. Not many households have piped gas. People usually depend on gas cylinders delivered by gas agencies and it is normal for the delivery person to take a bribe for delivering the gas cylinder to the doorstep. In such a confounded situation, the black market is thriving. Restaurants are shutting down because it’s hard to get commercial cylinders. Street restaurants are the hardest hit. They no longer have access to gas cylinders as the black market is charging triple the price for delivery to their small restaurants.”
And I replied: “Mark my words, the main reason Trump started this war was to draw public attention away from the Epstein scandal, and there is little doubt in my mind that he is a paedophile. I thought that article on the peace symbol would draw some comments, and now I feel it was mistitled; that people wouldn’t know that the commentary on the Iran War would be front and centre. Live and learn.”
It’s a privilege to have a candid correspondence with a magazine editor, particularly one who lets me know what is happening on the other side of the world. So if you are inspired by what I wrote and if you believe in the value of your writing, then submit a piece to Twist & Twain. Being a member of the family of man that Rajib is, the odds are very good that he will run it, and your work will see the light of day, and your voice will be heard.
That in a nutshell is why as an American in Anza, California, USA I am thrilled to submit my work to Twist & Twain Magazine which is based in Guwahati in northeast India.
