After making the decision to cut short her career as a medical doctor, Dr Keli Hariparsad fully shifted her focus to publishing. She announced herself as an author in 2019 with her debut novel, The Four Hundred Club. A year later, Hariparsad founded her own publishing company, The Krest House. Tabloid Newspapers sat down with the former medical doctor to discuss her recent book release, Splitting an Empire, and her journey as an author.
Tabloid Newspapers (TN) : You started your professional journey as a medical doctor. What inspired your transition from medicine to writing?
Keli Hariparsad (KH): On some level, I had always known I wanted to be a writer after school. Unfortunately, we live in a world where creative careers aren’t taken with the same seriousness as academic careers, so it was very easy to be convinced a future as a writer was not a viable option for me. When choosing a university degree, I had the academic aptitude for medicine and so this was the skillset I chose to follow. After graduating med school and spending time in the hospital environment, I still felt the pull towards creative stories. It felt like a life purpose for me, so I chose to leave the world of medicine for the world of storytelling. From patients to pens.
TN: How has your background in medicine influenced your storytelling or character development?
KH: During my years in medicine, I had a great interest in the field of psychiatry because it was a speciality that took a holistic approach to human beings. While every part of medicine does this to some extent, psychiatry thoroughly delves into human experiences, consequences, thoughts, behaviours, personalities, and patterns. I think this ability to get into the nitty-gritty part of being human has helped me create very realistic characters and settings – my first book, The Four Hundred Club, is described as blurring the lines between fiction and reality.
TN: Your debut novel The Four Hundred Club was published in 2019. What was the inspiration behind that story?
KH: The Durban Four Hundred, my debut book, was published in 2019 through a self-publishing company that no longer exists. But in 2022, well after I’d started The KREST House, my own publishing company took over the rights to the book. We rebranded it as The Four Hundred Club with a new cover and ISBN. We now refer to my debut book as The Four Hundred Club, published in 2022. The story revolves around seven millennial adults making a reality TV show in Durban. It’s very trendy and topical for the times. While the surface story about characters on a reality TV set is filled with glitz, glamour, and scandal, the inspiration behind the book was to highlight the millennial experience. The book addresses themes like the generational wealth gap, social media, and modern working culture.
TN: Can you tell us about your new book, Splitting an Empire? What themes or messages were you hoping to explore?
KH: Splitting an Empire is the second instalment of the 400 series. It is set four years after The Four Hundred Club. While The Four Hundred Club was very character-driven, Splitting an Empire is more plot-driven, following feedback from readers. The storyline revolves around the original characters – plus some new ones – and how their glamorous, reality TV-perfect lives are shattered by scandalous news. While still a luxurious read, like its predecessor, this book also subtly explores themes about modern culture – hypergamy, feminism, and ambition.
TN: Do you have a set writing routine or environment that helps you get into the creative zone?
KH: Writing is a priority for me, so I like to get it done early, before the work day starts. In addition to writing novels, I also write for a personal blog called Quintessentially Keli (www.keli-h.com), where I explore topics around authorhood, fashion, art, and inspiration. I also have a professional blog called Keli H | Author in the Art and Industry of Books (www.medium.com/@kelih) where I talk about the business of books. I aim to write at least one post per month on each blog and work on my next book. By waking up early and getting straight into it, I can ensure I meet my writing goals.
DNN: What challenges did you face writing your second book compared to your debut?
TN: By the time I started working on Splitting an Empire (the second book), I had already established The KREST House, my publishing company. We publish authors from around the world, not just South Africa. The authors who have trusted me with their manuscripts will always be the first priority for me as the head of the company, so my own writing definitely took a backseat for a while. It took me three years to write the second book as I only got to it when and if there was time. Still, I am not regretful about this – I enjoy working with stories, whether mine or someone else’s. Now that the publishing company is better established and we have a wonderful team, I find more time to step back from ‘publisher Keli’ into ‘author Keli’.
TN: How do you approach character development—do you start with the plot or the people?
KH: I love to write character-driven stories as the genre I write in is called contemporary fiction. Contemporary fiction is about having characters explore the modern social, political, and cultural world. I started with character development because if you put a very realistic character into a setting, they sort of steer the story themselves.
TN: You founded The Krest House in 2020. What was your vision for the company when you started it?
TN: I started it with the very specific mission of sharing the most inspiring stories the world would ever read. These are stories that call the reader to action or ask them to evaluate their circumstances, stories that are about progressive topics not traditionally published, and stories with great visual potential. I hope that one day the company can be a central space for all storytelling formats, beyond only books.
TN: How has running a publishing house changed your perspective on the literary world?
KH: As an avid reader growing up, I never thought too hard about where books came from or how they were created. I simply enjoyed them. As a publisher now, I see the multitude of talent and workforce required to create a book. There are writers, editors, fine artists, digital artists, software specialists, graphic designers, proofreaders, book binders, and PR teams. So many skilled people are required to produce a book. I understand now that books are not just entertainment – the creation of a good book is a genuine craft.
TN: What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned as both an author and a publisher?
KH: The biggest shock to my system was to learn that there are over 160 million books available to readers and nearly four million get added every year. I don’t think that as an author I understood just how competitive the career would be until I became a publisher. Now, as an author and publisher, I have learned that if I am quiet and introverted about my work – or feel cringe promoting it – then I will never get readers to pick my book out of that massive number of options. Only the authors who are loud and proud about their books will get their work the attention it deserves. It may be a tough pill to swallow, but authors need to have confidence and audacity in the current literary landscape. This is no longer an industry where you can just rely on being a good writer – you also need to be a marketable writer.
TN: Do you find it difficult to balance your creative writing with the responsibilities of running a publishing company?
TN It is definitely true that the authors of The KREST House are the first priority for me. But I really don’t mind at all, as I am happy working with all kinds of stories – whether my own or others.
TN: In 2022, you were awarded Best Upcoming Female Author at the National Book Behind Awards. What did that recognition mean to you personally and professionally?
KH: Previously coming from a society that constantly told me I couldn’t be a writer for a living since it wasn’t a ‘real, viable career’, the recognition felt satisfying. Not only did I prove them wrong, as I am now a full-time writer and publisher winning awards for my work, but I have also proven to future aspiring writers that they absolutely can pursue an artistic career if they put their mind to it.
TN: Has winning that award changed your career or how people perceive your work?
KH: I’ll be honest and say it hasn’t changed anything in a big way because we don’t have a loud, spectacular literary culture the way other countries do – where the literary industry is part of the entertainment industry, and entertainers get big recognition. But it has given me a quiet, inner self-confidence to recognise my writing is genuinely good. Validation of their work is all writers really want, and now I am able to validate myself.
TN: What do you think are the biggest challenges facing new authors today—especially women and authors of colour?
KH: The biggest challenge facing new authors is definitely that statistic of 160 million books being available to readers. For most debut authors, their book just ends up being another insignificant one in that pile – getting lost among it all. The best way for a debut author to succeed is to talk often and with pride about their book. Be so loud and proud about it that the world can’t miss its existence. But women and authors of colour are taught to ‘sit down and be polite’. It’s culturally perpetuated that women should feel embarrassed about talking about their achievements and their huge successes because it’s just not polite to be vocal about these things. I hope this will change in the future.
TN: How do you think the publishing industry can evolve to become more inclusive and accessible?
KH: Some may not like my answer, but I believe young people of all cultures, races, and religions need better exposure to what careers are available to them out there. As a person of colour, most of our community are not taught that we can be anything other than doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants, teachers, etc. In the publishing industry, we are in need of skilled wordsmiths and designers, but sadly, young people are not exposed to these kinds of careers. This has resulted in an industry where there is no variety of voices running it behind the scenes. This industry can only become more inclusive and accessible when people with different backgrounds choose to join it, resulting in the inclusion of books with varied human perspectives.
TN: What advice would you give to aspiring writers who are struggling to break into the publishing world?
KH: My advice would be to reassess whether they really understand what publishers are looking for. There are hundreds of millions of talented writers in the world. Not every talented writer can be published because no publisher has the resources for that. Publishers are primarily looking for three things: a well-written manuscript at the bare minimum, a confident and marketable personality, and anything that can reassure them they will not make a financial loss if they spend their money on publishing your book. Aspiring writers should take heart in this because struggling to break into the industry does not mean they are bad writers. Their work is likely good, but publishers are looking for other things too, which can all be worked on.
TN: What do you hope readers take away from your books?
KH: My books are contemporary fiction and they contain themes revolving around how modern society works. I don’t take sides or offer opinions in my books, but I use characters to explore the current world we live in. I hope that readers can take away different perspectives in a fun way.
TN: If you could tell your younger self one thing about this journey, what would it be?
KH: I would tell my younger self a quote I once read: ‘Pay attention to the things that excited you as a child because they are connected to your life purpose.’ I might have been braver to stick up for my dream career if I’d known this.
TN: Do you see yourself returning to medicine in any way, perhaps through your writing or advocacy?
KH: Honestly, not likely. I’ve found happiness as a contemporary fiction writer and owner of a publishing company. I feel like I’m living the quintessential author dream.
TN: What’s next for you—any upcoming projects or goals you’re excited about?
KH: There is a current unique project I’m excited about. My company is on the search for a talented creative writer to co-author further books in the 400 series with me. The search is being done through a creative writing platform called The Axone Universe, part of the University of Cape Town’s innovation hub. Creative writers just need to sign up to the platform; they will be given a copy of The Four Hundred Club, and all they need to do is write a short story using their favourite character from the book. The writer of the best short story will be considered for a publishing agreement to author the next books in the series with me.
TN: Which book have you read recently and couldn’t put down?
KH: I’ve recently read The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. It’s a fun murder mystery.
TN: If you could have dinner with any author, living or dead, who would it be and why?
KH: Penny Vincenzi, who has passed on. She was an editor at Vogue magazine. She also wrote fiction about glamorous characters caught up in scandals. I would love to hear about her fabulous world of the fashion magazine and how it translated to her opulent stories. Vincenzi has influenced so much of my own writing because I have never seen an author with the kind of grasp on sentence sequencing and story structure that she has. I aspire for my books to be as expertly written as hers.
