Aditya Shukla's Blog
February 7, 2022
My author journey thus far
Publishing my first book 'Tales of Zygorra' has been quite a journey.
I have been an avid reader since childhood. As an only child, reading was a natural hobby. I was especially enamored by the fantasy genre, eagerly reading series such as Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and A Song of Ice and Fire. As a result, I became absorbed by the different fantasy worlds, oftentimes wondering how it would be to experience living in them. Since reading was such an integral and formative part of growing up, I wanted to recreate the magic that I had experienced by writing a story of my own that would appeal to a new generation of young adult readers.
I began the process during my high school years, specifically in the summer of 2013. I had attended a creative writing course at the Gotham Writer's Workshop, after which I was determined to try my hand at applying the lessons learned. Shortly after the writing course ended, I attended a summer camp. This provided me with the inspiration for my premise of a group of school teenagers at a summer camp being whisked away to a parallel dimension. Since I have always been intrigued by the supernatural, I wanted to explore how teenagers would react to such extraordinary circumstances while learning to put aside their differences. Crucially, the main characters were at the age where they are discovering who they truly are, providing compelling material to work with as the story progressed. I decided to switch around the perspectives as part of storytelling to show how the events are experienced personally for different characters, who each have their own version of the truth. This is further compounded by the strain placed on the characters' friendships and relationships as a result of their unconventional circumstances and personal backgrounds. I drew on the coming-of-age experiences that I underwent as a teenager to highlight as part of the characters’ journeys.
The composition of the cast of main characters is a result of my personal experiences. My Mumbai years had exposed me to sociocultural diversity. My school was English-medium, my grandparents communicated in Hindi and Gujarati, Marathi was ubiquitous as the state’s official language. In addition, I attended a Catholic school with students who came from Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain backgrounds. My transition to New York further broadened my horizons as I met people in high school and college from all walks of life, when it came to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. My interactions with people of multicultural backgrounds and with unique outlooks in Mumbai and New York inspired the creation of a cast of diverse characters. I strove to capture distinct perspectives and experiences to present relatable characters for readers who may otherwise find themselves underrepresented in literature and specifically the fantasy genre.
I did not actually expect to publish this book. After my high school graduation in 2015, I experienced a lull in writing 'Tales of Zygorra'. At that point, I had written a rough draft of the story of 70 chapters. I returned to it periodically during my first two years of college, mainly to complete the story, which had been a personal passion project. However, upon reviewing the completed story, I decided that it could be significantly improved when it came to plot progression and character development. During the last two years of college, I worked consistently on editing my story to add complexity and nuance based on my personal experiences and evolving understanding of the world. My goal became to present a more empathetic and thoughtful narrative, which allowed readers to form their opinions regarding characters and events. While I was busy at Cornell University with my courses, extracurriculars and job recruiting, the flexible schedule of college with breaks throughout the day presented time for me to progress on my personal project.
During the first eight months of my full-time job, I generally focused on progressing my story over the weekends. When my full-time job transitioned online due to COVID-19, I worked from home. During the months of social distancing, I had no commute and did not meet anyone socially. Due to the isolated nature of the phase, I needed to fill my spare time with meaningful and enjoyable activities. I made it my goal to finish the first proper draft of my story, which became my focus during the weekends and after work on the weekdays. It was also during this time that I decided that it would be worth exploring options for publishing 'Tales of Zygorra', the first book of my story, which is intended as a trilogy. I had a lot more time to reflect during the first few months of COVID-19, which allowed me to consider the implications of focusing on the story. Personal growth and progress are important to me, and while certain other aspects of life had stalled due to the situation at hand, taking the book forward would present a challenging and fulfilling experience, as I explored previously uncharted territory. Consequently, I sought permission to pursue publishing 'Tales of Zygorra' from my workplace, which provided consent as long as it was done in my personal capacity.
During the writing process, what kept me most accountable was encouragement and support from family and friends. My parents had been proponents of my writing from the beginning, having faith in its potential even when I did not. While the story was a private hobby initially, over the years, I let more family and friends know about this process. Thoughtful feedback from friends as well as eager inquiries into progress from my grandparents inspired me to stay dedicated to writing the story. Informing people in my life about the book led to them being invested in its development, which in turn meant that they were included in the process. Even in moments where I was frustrated or tired of focusing on progressing the story, I knew that it was more than myself who would be let down. The wrapping up of 'Tales of Zygorra' during the months of COVID-19 was possible due to the resulting discipline; I ensured that each day I made progress on the book, whether it was completing a chapter, developing a character, fleshing out a scene, or planning the content for the upcoming chapters.
I dove headfirst into understanding the publishing process that follows writing a novel. Through networking, I connected with Leadstart, a publishing house based in Mumbai. We had extended discussions about the phases of the publishing process, which requires the coordination of several moving parts. I realized that the post-writing phase is just as exhaustive when considering the editing, designing and marketing involved. After several meetings, I established a contract with Leadstart, through which they agreed to publish 'Tales of Zygorra'. I found the legal discussions surrounding publishing rights to be a valuable learning experience as they showed me the necessary questions associated with ownership of intellectual property. In addition, the considerations for books regarding translations to other languages and adaptations to other media were fascinating.
The ensuing editing process with Leadstart was a collaborative effort focused on language, consistency, world-building, and character development. The back-and-forth between the editor and me helped to crystallize areas that needed to be expanded and elements that had to be preserved. Receiving a professional perspective allowed me to tighten the narrative and reconsider characterization decisions which ultimately strengthened the book. These deliberations allowed me to reflect on the journey as I decided what information should be included in the ‘About the Author’ section. It was rewarding to compile the 'Acknowledgments' section, as I was grateful to have so many people in my life who had helped and supported me through the writing and publishing process.
I enjoyed the evolution of the book’s cover page, which includes an aesthetic depiction of a pivotal scene in addition to a compelling synopsis. The cover's color scheme went through a few drafts with changes in shadows and lighting. This was the case for the font size of the title and author name as well. Determining a catchy synopsis while preserving the mystery was a worthy endeavor. The spacing within the actual book was also modified based on spatial review. I was struck by how even the most minor details, like whether page numbers should be boxed and where the chapter title should be placed, are pivotal discussion points prior to finalization. Once these details were ironed out, it was rewarding to obtain a physical copy of the book, transforming my pipe dream into a reality. I could scarcely believe my eyes seeing 'Tales of Zygorra' and 'Aditya Shukla' on the physical copy where the title and author name are generally located. I am currently in the marketing phase, which is going to be another period of learning and growth. It has been an interesting experience priming my social media accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to promote the book.
I look forward to seeing how this journey unfolds further!
I have been an avid reader since childhood. As an only child, reading was a natural hobby. I was especially enamored by the fantasy genre, eagerly reading series such as Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and A Song of Ice and Fire. As a result, I became absorbed by the different fantasy worlds, oftentimes wondering how it would be to experience living in them. Since reading was such an integral and formative part of growing up, I wanted to recreate the magic that I had experienced by writing a story of my own that would appeal to a new generation of young adult readers.
I began the process during my high school years, specifically in the summer of 2013. I had attended a creative writing course at the Gotham Writer's Workshop, after which I was determined to try my hand at applying the lessons learned. Shortly after the writing course ended, I attended a summer camp. This provided me with the inspiration for my premise of a group of school teenagers at a summer camp being whisked away to a parallel dimension. Since I have always been intrigued by the supernatural, I wanted to explore how teenagers would react to such extraordinary circumstances while learning to put aside their differences. Crucially, the main characters were at the age where they are discovering who they truly are, providing compelling material to work with as the story progressed. I decided to switch around the perspectives as part of storytelling to show how the events are experienced personally for different characters, who each have their own version of the truth. This is further compounded by the strain placed on the characters' friendships and relationships as a result of their unconventional circumstances and personal backgrounds. I drew on the coming-of-age experiences that I underwent as a teenager to highlight as part of the characters’ journeys.
The composition of the cast of main characters is a result of my personal experiences. My Mumbai years had exposed me to sociocultural diversity. My school was English-medium, my grandparents communicated in Hindi and Gujarati, Marathi was ubiquitous as the state’s official language. In addition, I attended a Catholic school with students who came from Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain backgrounds. My transition to New York further broadened my horizons as I met people in high school and college from all walks of life, when it came to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. My interactions with people of multicultural backgrounds and with unique outlooks in Mumbai and New York inspired the creation of a cast of diverse characters. I strove to capture distinct perspectives and experiences to present relatable characters for readers who may otherwise find themselves underrepresented in literature and specifically the fantasy genre.
I did not actually expect to publish this book. After my high school graduation in 2015, I experienced a lull in writing 'Tales of Zygorra'. At that point, I had written a rough draft of the story of 70 chapters. I returned to it periodically during my first two years of college, mainly to complete the story, which had been a personal passion project. However, upon reviewing the completed story, I decided that it could be significantly improved when it came to plot progression and character development. During the last two years of college, I worked consistently on editing my story to add complexity and nuance based on my personal experiences and evolving understanding of the world. My goal became to present a more empathetic and thoughtful narrative, which allowed readers to form their opinions regarding characters and events. While I was busy at Cornell University with my courses, extracurriculars and job recruiting, the flexible schedule of college with breaks throughout the day presented time for me to progress on my personal project.
During the first eight months of my full-time job, I generally focused on progressing my story over the weekends. When my full-time job transitioned online due to COVID-19, I worked from home. During the months of social distancing, I had no commute and did not meet anyone socially. Due to the isolated nature of the phase, I needed to fill my spare time with meaningful and enjoyable activities. I made it my goal to finish the first proper draft of my story, which became my focus during the weekends and after work on the weekdays. It was also during this time that I decided that it would be worth exploring options for publishing 'Tales of Zygorra', the first book of my story, which is intended as a trilogy. I had a lot more time to reflect during the first few months of COVID-19, which allowed me to consider the implications of focusing on the story. Personal growth and progress are important to me, and while certain other aspects of life had stalled due to the situation at hand, taking the book forward would present a challenging and fulfilling experience, as I explored previously uncharted territory. Consequently, I sought permission to pursue publishing 'Tales of Zygorra' from my workplace, which provided consent as long as it was done in my personal capacity.
During the writing process, what kept me most accountable was encouragement and support from family and friends. My parents had been proponents of my writing from the beginning, having faith in its potential even when I did not. While the story was a private hobby initially, over the years, I let more family and friends know about this process. Thoughtful feedback from friends as well as eager inquiries into progress from my grandparents inspired me to stay dedicated to writing the story. Informing people in my life about the book led to them being invested in its development, which in turn meant that they were included in the process. Even in moments where I was frustrated or tired of focusing on progressing the story, I knew that it was more than myself who would be let down. The wrapping up of 'Tales of Zygorra' during the months of COVID-19 was possible due to the resulting discipline; I ensured that each day I made progress on the book, whether it was completing a chapter, developing a character, fleshing out a scene, or planning the content for the upcoming chapters.
I dove headfirst into understanding the publishing process that follows writing a novel. Through networking, I connected with Leadstart, a publishing house based in Mumbai. We had extended discussions about the phases of the publishing process, which requires the coordination of several moving parts. I realized that the post-writing phase is just as exhaustive when considering the editing, designing and marketing involved. After several meetings, I established a contract with Leadstart, through which they agreed to publish 'Tales of Zygorra'. I found the legal discussions surrounding publishing rights to be a valuable learning experience as they showed me the necessary questions associated with ownership of intellectual property. In addition, the considerations for books regarding translations to other languages and adaptations to other media were fascinating.
The ensuing editing process with Leadstart was a collaborative effort focused on language, consistency, world-building, and character development. The back-and-forth between the editor and me helped to crystallize areas that needed to be expanded and elements that had to be preserved. Receiving a professional perspective allowed me to tighten the narrative and reconsider characterization decisions which ultimately strengthened the book. These deliberations allowed me to reflect on the journey as I decided what information should be included in the ‘About the Author’ section. It was rewarding to compile the 'Acknowledgments' section, as I was grateful to have so many people in my life who had helped and supported me through the writing and publishing process.
I enjoyed the evolution of the book’s cover page, which includes an aesthetic depiction of a pivotal scene in addition to a compelling synopsis. The cover's color scheme went through a few drafts with changes in shadows and lighting. This was the case for the font size of the title and author name as well. Determining a catchy synopsis while preserving the mystery was a worthy endeavor. The spacing within the actual book was also modified based on spatial review. I was struck by how even the most minor details, like whether page numbers should be boxed and where the chapter title should be placed, are pivotal discussion points prior to finalization. Once these details were ironed out, it was rewarding to obtain a physical copy of the book, transforming my pipe dream into a reality. I could scarcely believe my eyes seeing 'Tales of Zygorra' and 'Aditya Shukla' on the physical copy where the title and author name are generally located. I am currently in the marketing phase, which is going to be another period of learning and growth. It has been an interesting experience priming my social media accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to promote the book.
I look forward to seeing how this journey unfolds further!
