We were lucky to catch up with Annika Sharma recently and have shared our conversation below.
Annika, appreciate you joining us today. Have you signed with an agent or manager? Why or why not?
I signed with my agent, Stacey Donaghy of Donaghy Literary Group in 2014.
I wrote my first novel in 2012 and sat on it for a year while I was in graduate school. I started querying literary agents for what was, at the time, an up and coming genre called New Adult Fiction, featuring characters in their college years. I sent out 13 queries in total, and had 2 full manuscript requests.
I submitted my query to Stacey in November of 2013, received a full request in January, and in July, I received a phone call from a Toronto number while I was at a Starbucks with my best friend. I actually ignored her call, thinking it was spam! The message she left said she had just read my manuscript and was interested in representing me…and I nearly lost it. I rushed home, told my parents in near-tears, and called back.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve had such an eclectic journey – where do I start?!
I guess I’ll begin with saying my career has been anything but linear and it’s all led to where I am now. I double majored in Biobehavioral Health and Neuropsychology in college, and wrote my first book during the summer before graduate school. A year later, I queried my agent, Stacey Donaghy, and her offer of representation came about 8 months later, followed by my first book deal. Like many authors, I had a day job at the time as an early education teacher and I wasn’t feeling fulfilled. Missing health sciences, I enrolled in my MPH. As I wrapped up and moved to NYC in 2017 for my internship (literally the day I moved!), I landed another three-book deal for a romcom series surrounding a group of four South Asian best friends in the city, each with their own love story.
In 2018, I had finished my MPH and gotten a job in the city as a communications manager at a medical school…during which time, my best friend said I had a lot to say and should start a podcast for South Asian women. I said I was too busy…but the idea stuck. I put out an ad on a Facebook group and received a ton of interest, eventually landing on my current co-host, Nehal, alongside my brother as the producer. We launched as The Woke Desi in 2019 and rebranded to That Desi Spark in 2021, and the show’s success was unprecedented. We’ve been on Forbes, the TImes of Inda, invited to speak at numerous events, and been on a billboard campaign by Spotify! We interview experts around four areas relevant to South Asian millennials: health, social justice, societal issues, and entertainment.
For three years, I worked, wrote, and podcasted. I released my first in the three-book series in 2021, entitled, “Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words,” and in 2022, right as I was five months pregnant (no better time, right?) I left my full-time job and jumped into creativity. I had my daughter and released my second novel in the series, “Sugar, Spice, and Can’t Play Nice,” about a fake engagement just two months after.
It’s been an interesting journey learning about what I’m interested in (health) versus what I’m passionate about and obsessed with doing (writing/communications). For ages, I tried to reconcile the practical choice with the gifts I’d been given. But now I see my purpose.
I love writing stories, creating conversations, and building spaces for my community – whether it’s for women, marginalized people, South Asians, or anyone else. Having the platform to change perceptions and to evoke solidarity is so powerful. Through authorship, I’ve been able to tell stories of South Asians living their lives and doing the most human thing: falling in love and finding connection, and it’s been my mission (and the mission of every other brown writer out there!) to make sure our stories don’t always come from places of trauma but paint our community as vibrant, complex, beautiful people. Through the podcast and speaking opportunities, I’ve had the privilege of highlighting the incredible work of South Asian therapists, doctors, social workers, celebrities, advocates, leaders, and more. Representation isn’t only what we see on TV, it’s recognizing ourselves in every domain and being inspired by those with shared traits.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I think the lack of stability and the very non-linear, customized element of creative journeys can be challenging for someone who perhaps has a more traditional career. For example, with stability, a reliable and steady 9-5 typically has “next steps” in a career trajectory (you can go up for a promotion), health benefits, paid time off, an HR structure, learning opportunities, childcare or maternity benefits, and retirement. A creative career (specifically freelance or self-employed) often requires figuring out all of those elements or going without.
The creative journey opens up a world of possibilities: social media content, speaking opportunities, influencing, passive moneymakers like affiliate links, creating courses on what you know, and the ability to curate your career…but it also means you have to find the direction yourself because the possibilities being endless can also be overwhelming. When I was teaching or working in a traditional role, the infrastructure existed to choose my next steps, discuss them with HR or my supervisors, and move forward, whereas in creative life, I AM HR and my own boss and I need to navigate much of it alone.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One of my biggest 2022/2023 lessons has been in saying no. Not everything is an unmissable opportunity. As a first-generation adult who has watched her immigrant elders toil away, it was ingrained that every single offer on my time was an opportunity to create something bigger, whether it was offering help to someone else or going to every event I was invited to. Saying no was synonymous with ungratefulness. My friend joked that I’d be asked to speak at a conference and I’d say, “No, I’ll pay you to speak at your conference!” because I had no concept of saying no or being selective.
It also burned me the heck out. And I’d often feel disappointed or unfulfilled after saying yes. I’d spend hours on free labor that didn’t pan out because I never set any conditions or treated my own time as valuable.
Becoming a mother and narrowing down my focus as a creative helped me realize that my time is important and that I now have the privilege of choosing which events feel the most impactful for me. FOMO is not a good reason to go to an event! Recognizing that has eased my mind so much. Now, when I say yes, it’s either already started at “hell yes!” or it will become an exuberant one…and I’ve never regretted a no.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.annikasharma.com
- Instagram: @annikasharma
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/annikasharmawrites
- Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sribindupisupati
- Twitter: @annikasharma