One thing to know about Richa is that she doesn’t suffer words gladly. Rich Saxena is a writer, mom-blogger, book-marketing consultant, content writer and curator, and a rebel. Her write-ups have been featured in Dainik Bhaskar, Dainik Jagran, Indore City Times, and more.
With a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other, she has been the key-speaker at events like Mompreneur Circle Meet 2019, The Immersive Project, and Galgotias College, among others. She is a contributing author to the anthology A Jar Of Memories that explores the celebration of motherhood.
Take a look at what Richa has to say about her journey and body of work, along with her life-long affair with words.
Interview
Questions and answers
Being a writer, mom blogger, and a book marketing consultant must have been quite a journey when you have a newborn baby who requires care and attention. What are some of the challenges you have had to overcome?
I took to writing very early in my life, and like all other introverts, it became my safe space. However, after taking a sabbatical from my legal job, I started writing professionally. It began with academic writing, and later I got associated with My City for kids (A Blogging Platform, especially for Moms). Even when I started at Half baked beans, my job was to curate social media content and a couple of blogs every month. The biggest challenge for me is to keep myself focused. I am always restless and want to try my hand on different things, and at the same time, I fail to maintain consistency. If something does not interest me, I quit. As for all other roadblocks, they cease to exist if there is a willingness to do something.
How did you develop interest and hone your skills to become a content writer?
Content writing happened by chance, but with time it became a part of me. Interest came from the boredom associated with the sabbatical and the urge to explore my writing skills.
According to you, what skills should an aspiring content writer possess?
Content writing/curation requires utmost dedication because what you see onscreen is just a 200-word article, but there is extensive research that goes into it. If you want to touch the heights in content writing, adhere to the following rules-
Develop a knack for research and fact-finding.
Create worth for your work.
Never go for shortcuts like Copy/Paste/Rephrase.
Do not be choosy in the beginning, and try your hands on everything that comes your way. Then figure out what your niche is.
Learn basic SEO and keyword integration.
Stay aware and keep learning new things online.
What does Half Baked Beans mean to you? Can you recall the first time you thought of being a book marketing consultant?
Half Baked Beans is my safe space- my creativity comes alive here. I was introduced to the publishing trade here, and since then, learning has never stopped. Chetan, the founder of HBB, is a great mentor and acknowledges new ideas. I started as a content curator at HBB, but later, when they launched their marketing division, I was happy to be a part of it. Honestly, marketing is not my forte, and I had my reservations. But with time, I developed a knack for it. Collaborating with authors, designing campaigns with influencers, tracking the trends in the industry, and implementing them in HBB gives me a high. I have two rules that I follow to the T- Honesty & transparency. I guess that has worked with all my marketing pitches to date.
You wrote a heart-warming piece about how, as a mother, you sometimes feel like a failure that resonated with the readers of your blog, and it is also something that all mothers think from time to time. What made you write this particular piece? Is it something you felt at one time?
Ah, that was three years back! In this period, I have realized that guilt is an integral part of a woman’s life, and most of the time, it is self-laden. We pressurize ourselves so much during motherhood that we forget to cherish ourselves. Every mother goes through this guilt-trip at some point in her life, and it is okay. What is not okay, is to punish oneself for it. Now I do not focus on being a perfect mother but on striking an ideal relationship with my son.
Which are the books published by Half Baked Beans that are closest to your heart?
Honestly, many books are one of their kind as we have published about 130+ titles to date. But if I had to pick specific titles, books like ‘4 AM Conversations’, ‘These Lines of Mehendi’ & ‘Batman’s guide to life’ are the ones that struck a chord with me.
When you complete reading an extraordinary book, did you ever feel as if the author was like your close friend? Have you experienced this while reading?
So far, I have never felt an invisible bond developing between the author and me