When Rithvik Singh began posting his writing online in 2016, he could hardly have guessed where it would lead. A decade later, the Delhi-based author is one of India’s most loved writers, and his success has helped restore the Indian publishing industry’s faith in the commercial potential of poetry.
But people have found solace in my words, a home for their hearts, and I’m eternally grateful for that,” he says. Singh began as a self-published author. His collection ‘I Don’t Love You Anymore’ became one of the highest-selling self-published books in India. “For the first time, a self-published poetry book was number one in the ‘Books’ category on Amazon. Nobody had anticipated that kind of love, not even me.
This was followed by a three-book deal with a leading publishing house in 2024. Posting on Instagram (@wordsofrithvik), he writes and makes videos about heartbreak, love, healing and letting go and has over 6.24 lakh followers on the platform. An English Honours graduate of Hansraj College, University of Delhi, he worked as a content lead at a storytelling company before leaving corporate life in 2024 to write full-time.
“I’ve always wanted to make people feel understood through my words,” Singh says. I still read over fifty books every year,” he says, adding, “I believe literature saves lives. There is a rare understanding of the human heart in Singh’s writing, a tenderness that has made him one of India’s most popular literary voices. “I’ve always been a voracious reader. It has surely saved mine during the most trying times. Poignant and breathtakingly beautiful, Singh’s writing speaks to those who feel everything deeply. If you are looking for hope or healing, these books can be a good place to start. I Don’t Love You Anymore: His breakout poetry collection on modern love, heartbreak and loss, written for those who want to learn how to say goodbye to the wrong people and love themselves. Warmth: A collection of poems he wrote at sixteen, tracing love, leaving, hurt, hope and healing. Warm and reassuring, it focuses on growth and new beginnings and Singh calls it ‘the softest’ of his poetry books. Thank You for Leaving: A poetry collection about heartbreak, attachment, healing and finding the strength to move on from toxic relationships. It goes beyond romantic heartbreak to explore friendship breakups, dysfunctional family dynamics and learning to relish solitude, among other things. How to Stop Overthinking Forever: A self-help book about self-esteem, toxic thoughts and people, emotional intelligence and self-love, offering readers a way to get rid of the habit of overthinking. I Cannot Say Goodbye to You: His first romance novel and a feminist work of fiction about Aashna, who grows up starved of her parents’ love and later learns to become a ‘leaver’ rather than someone who stays with a person who cannot treat her the way she deserves. Did You Ever Love Me?: Poetry for those who over-love and wear their hearts on their sleeves, suggesting that being a sensitive person is a blessing, not a curse.
Since then, he has published six books with the publishing house, all of them national bestsellers.
I only wanted to tell people who are hurting that there is hope, that just as pain entered their hearts unexpectedly, so will happiness,” Singh says. “I never set out to write bestsellers. For a growing number of readers across India and beyond, his words have become a source of hope and a gentle reminder that they are not alone. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test Get the latest Lifestyle News and more. Download the TOI app.