An Indian's Blog: India Was One, page 4
March 31, 2017
March 12, 2017
March 4, 2017
A Checklist For Indie Authors
Being an indie can be hard. Very hard. Take it from me; I’m one. Here are some of my experiences that I want to share:
Back when I wrote my first book, I was new to the game. Now that I have put a few years doing this, I can say that I know a bit more. In no way do I consider myself an authority, but I’m sure lots of you have experienced something similar, if not the same. I’m merely sharing this so that the newbies don’t have to go through my horrible experiences.
As all indies know, there is a very limited budget to spend. So, the best, and the most economical, way to do things are free. Fortunately, almost all the tools available are free (or inexpensive). If you are serious about getting your work seen by many, and by many I mean many strangers and not friends and family members, here are a few “musts.”
1. Website: You have to have a website showcasing your work. There are many free website builders available in the market. They will help you get started for free.
2. Facebook: Creating a Facebook Page for your book is an excellent way to spread the word, and it’s very easy to setup one. After setting up the page, you can invite your friends to like the page (and hope & pray that they invite their friends and so on)
3. Twitter: Create a Twitter account to tell the world about your work and then use free services like www.hootsuite.com to tweet.
These three are the minimum “musts.” And the good news is that they all are free. You don’t have to spend a dime on creating these. There are other few you should think of having. However, they can be secondary, depending on the type of book you are writing. All of them are free.
1. YouTube: This is an excellent resource to have to have a book trailer. You can use this to make a free video - www.stupeflix.com
2. Pinterest: Even if your book doesn’t have any artwork, you should create an account here and upload your work.
Apart from these free resources, there are many free resources available that you could (and should) take advantage of.
February 24, 2017
February 19, 2017
Our Future
An excerpt from Beyond The Milky Way. This book was published on November of 2015. So, I wrote this in June-July timeframe.
They were hovering over America. They could see its outline, the familiar shape of their country with two oceans on either side. But something looked different. A thin crack seemed to run right in the middle of it. Confused, Don narrowed his eyes. As they got closer, the crack grew bigger, and to his horror he realized what it was. It wasn’t a crack at all. It was an oil pipeline running right through the middle of his beloved country, dividing it in two. It looked ugly, old and rusted, like a carcass of a big snake. In some places, some people desperate to steal oil had broken the pipeline. It didn’t seem to have been used in a long time.
What the — he thought, angrily at first, and then as he laughed sarcastically, what have they done? The divide has manifested itself from symbolic to literal. “What have they done?” he moaned.
“What?” Rick asked.
Don told him. When he left Earth, the Republicans had fought to get the pipeline installed, and the Democrats had thwarted their efforts (successfully). The president was a Democrat who had used his veto power. Then, there was new leadership, and a Republican president was elected. He had approved the installation of the pipeline. Oil was transported from Canada. Soon, the earth had dried up, and there was no more crude oil. There was nothing to transport. The pipeline was neglected, rusting now.
They could see the land below at a distance. The land was dotted with oil rigs — lying dead, lifeless and rusting — having sucked the land dry. They looked like blood-sucking mosquitos scattered over skin. Big squares, denoting huge fields, thin lines denoting roads, amoeba like shapes denoting bodies of water — dried up with a cracked floor. The squares were tinged light brown. Was freshly harvested or was it burned? Houses were tiny dots, black trails of smoke emanating from them, moving lazily, like a worm’s body sinking slowly in deep water.
“The brown shapes you see are ponds,” said Rick.
“But they’re dry.”
“Yes,” Rick replied.
“How did this happen?” asked Don.
“Side effects of hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking,” came the reply. “In their greed to find oil, many people drilled holes in the ground randomly, polluting the underground water tables. So, people stopped drinking it. They drained their ponds to stay safe.”
As they moved, the scene before them moved. Now, they could see the top of a huge chimney. It was the part of a huge factory which appeared to be abandoned. There was no smoke coming out of the chimney to pollute the air.
When the factory was in operation, it employed thousands. It was the single biggest source of employment for the people in the town nearby. Just like a ripple on still water, it also had a rippling effect on the local economy. Communities started building grocery stores, barbershops, medical clinics, car washes, places of worship, restaurants and bars. They even built a small mall, a golf course and a movie hall. Things were great. Life was good. Everything was easily available and plentiful. The factory continued to make attractive products for the community, and the smoke blowing from the chimney symbolized a successful industry, making record profits for the owners.
Then the trouble started. The factory closed. Thousands of people lost their jobs. And like an earthquake in the middle of the ocean, it had a slow but devastating effect. The mall closed, closing several businesses, a few restaurants went out of business, as there were no customers, the golf course closed, and so did the movie hall. The grocery store remained open but the shelves were emptier. Out of desperation, many non-believers turned to religion for spiritual guidance from a higher being — someone who was above them. But that ‘someone above them’ was not a divine being, nor was it anything to do with spirituality. It was the factory. Why did it close? Was it an economic reason (as given by the owners), or was it more than that? Did they shut it down due to environmental reasons?
The factory was emitting a lot of gas that was hazardous to the environment. And of course, the height of the chimney made everyone around feel safe. Like ostriches burying their heads in the sand and thinking they will be safe, they failed to realize the source of their entire problem. The government had imposed stricter rules and heavier penalties to keep the environment clean. So, instead of doing the right thing, the owners decided to close the factory with no regards to the livelihood of thousands of workers and their families.
And the owners had been very clever in deceiving people by blaming the government. People believed them — blaming the government for all their problems and not the owners.
February 18, 2017
So You Think You Can Write
So you want to be an author, huh? Join the queue. Millions of dreamers want to be one, and they are very talented writers with a repertoire of some fancy and obscure words that are seldom used. Their grammar is perfect and their statement construction is flawless. So it should be a no-brainer for them to write great books that everyone wants to read. Right? Wrong.
There are many elements that make up a good book. The most important element (at least in my opinion) is that the story should come from the heart. When I started to write my book in January of 2010, it took me less than a week to pour my initial thoughts down. However, to expand on the idea, to read over and over again for typos, to tighten the storyline, etc. — took me about fifteen months. Was it worth it? Absolutely. It was a journey down memory lane that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you decide to write a book, don’t hurry. I know…I know…you must be thinking, “it’s easy for you to say.” But believe me, it’s worth it. I too was very impatient in the beginning as I was very eager to have my “masterpiece” out.
My thinking was very simple. To make people read my book and let them decide if it was worth their time. Unlike seeing a movie (where one spends only 2–3 hours of their time), reading a book is at least a week of their time. So it better be worth it.
There are many elements that make up a good book. The most important element (at least in my opinion) is that the story should come from the heart. When I started to write my book in January of 2010, it took me less than a week to pour my initial thoughts down. However, to expand on the idea, to read over and over again for typos, to tighten the storyline, etc. — took me about fifteen months. Was it worth it? Absolutely. It was a journey down memory lane that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you decide to write a book, don’t hurry. I know…I know…you must be thinking, “it’s easy for you to say.” But believe me, it’s worth it. I too was very impatient in the beginning as I was very eager to have my “masterpiece” out.
My thinking was very simple. To make people read my book and let them decide if it was worth their time. Unlike seeing a movie (where one spends only 2–3 hours of their time), reading a book is at least a week of their time. So it better be worth it.
February 16, 2017
Us vs. Them
I wrote this in my book over a year ago. It has become so relevant now.
An excerpt from my second book, Beyond The Milky Way.
“You mean to the region where the aliens — ,” Don caught himself before offending Tom, “your people live?”
“No,” Tom replied. “I mean different regions on this side.”
“Don’t you have countries? Borders?” Don asked.
“No. We don’t need them.”
“Why not?”
“As I said, people very rarely go to other regions.”
“It’s very different on our planet. Countries and borders are very well defined.”
“Tell me, has it worked?” Tom asked innocently. He already knew the answer. He was drawing Don out.
“Of course. Our nationality is our identity. It defines us. It separates us from the rest,” said Don proudly.
“And therein lies your problem,” he said.
“What problem?”
“Don’t you see? Without realizing it, you’re saying ‘them’ and ‘us’. Define ‘us’ and define ‘them’? Is ‘us’ something based on your nationality?”
“Yes.”
“So people from your planet are not one but different by country,” Tom continued.
“Yes.”
“So when does ‘us’ stop?”
“What do you mean?” replied Don.
“Let’s break it down. You have states within countries, right?”
“Right.”
“So, breaking them down further, you have cities within states and neighborhoods in cities. Are you with me?”
“So far, yes.”
“Good. Let’s continue. Houses in the neighborhoods, families living the houses, and some of them are joint-families.”
“Joint-families?”
“Families living together in one house.”
“Oh, right.”
“So when does ‘us’ stop?”
“Okay, you’ve lost me. I still don’t get it,” Don replied.
“Is ‘us’ as in your country and ‘them’ as in other countries, or ‘us’ as in your state and ‘them’ in other states?”
“Well…er…”
“But the states are in the same country,” Tom continued. “So, I ask you again, when does ‘us’ stop? ‘Us’ as in your country, ‘us’ as in your state or ‘us’ as in something else?”
“I see,” said Don, realizing what Tom was saying. He didn’t know what to say.
“And what happens if you move to another city or to another state?”
“Then I’ll be welcomed,” he replied. “We take care of our own.”
“’Take care of our own.’” Tom laughed sarcastically.
“What? Why are you laughing? What’s so funny?” Don asked.
“What’s ‘our own?’” Tom replied. “Is it religion, nationality? Or is it the human race? Is it gender, color of your skin? What is it?”
An excerpt from my second book, Beyond The Milky Way.
“You mean to the region where the aliens — ,” Don caught himself before offending Tom, “your people live?”
“No,” Tom replied. “I mean different regions on this side.”
“Don’t you have countries? Borders?” Don asked.
“No. We don’t need them.”
“Why not?”
“As I said, people very rarely go to other regions.”
“It’s very different on our planet. Countries and borders are very well defined.”
“Tell me, has it worked?” Tom asked innocently. He already knew the answer. He was drawing Don out.
“Of course. Our nationality is our identity. It defines us. It separates us from the rest,” said Don proudly.
“And therein lies your problem,” he said.
“What problem?”
“Don’t you see? Without realizing it, you’re saying ‘them’ and ‘us’. Define ‘us’ and define ‘them’? Is ‘us’ something based on your nationality?”
“Yes.”
“So people from your planet are not one but different by country,” Tom continued.
“Yes.”
“So when does ‘us’ stop?”
“What do you mean?” replied Don.
“Let’s break it down. You have states within countries, right?”
“Right.”
“So, breaking them down further, you have cities within states and neighborhoods in cities. Are you with me?”
“So far, yes.”
“Good. Let’s continue. Houses in the neighborhoods, families living the houses, and some of them are joint-families.”
“Joint-families?”
“Families living together in one house.”
“Oh, right.”
“So when does ‘us’ stop?”
“Okay, you’ve lost me. I still don’t get it,” Don replied.
“Is ‘us’ as in your country and ‘them’ as in other countries, or ‘us’ as in your state and ‘them’ in other states?”
“Well…er…”
“But the states are in the same country,” Tom continued. “So, I ask you again, when does ‘us’ stop? ‘Us’ as in your country, ‘us’ as in your state or ‘us’ as in something else?”
“I see,” said Don, realizing what Tom was saying. He didn’t know what to say.
“And what happens if you move to another city or to another state?”
“Then I’ll be welcomed,” he replied. “We take care of our own.”
“’Take care of our own.’” Tom laughed sarcastically.
“What? Why are you laughing? What’s so funny?” Don asked.
“What’s ‘our own?’” Tom replied. “Is it religion, nationality? Or is it the human race? Is it gender, color of your skin? What is it?”
February 14, 2017
How Reading on a Kindle Made Me a Better Writer
After the advent of eBooks and e-readers, there has always been a big debate brewing between Kindlers and non-Kindlers. These camps have transformed gentle souls into ferocious arguers. I would encompass all types of e-book die-hards under the “Kindle” umbrella, may they prefer .mobi, ePub, PDF or any other formats, although, these three are the most popular ones. And non-Kindlers fall into the paperbacks, hardcovers, magazines, comics, etc. category. I prefer a Kindle. I know, I know, I can see the non-Kindlers sharpening their pens or cracking their knuckles to type a counter-argument on their laptops. But just wait a minute, give me a chance to explain myself.
Being a tech-geek, Kindle is a no-brainer to me. It’s convenient; I can carry several thousand books at a time; my virtual library on Amazon is unlimited; I can read in the dark; I can change the size of my fonts; and so on, I can go on and on forever. But that was just a marketing spiel given to me by Amazon. But that got me thinking; apart from what Amazon tells me, what are the benefits for me as an indie author? Here’s my take on it:
Vocabulary: It has most definitely improved my vocabulary. Of course, one can argue that the same is possible with traditional books. But it was inconvenient and broke the flow. If I came across a word that I didn’t know, I had to 1. Open the dictionary (assuming it was right next to me wherever I was: at home, on a crowded train, on a beach, relaxing by the pool, etc.) 2. Flip the pages to find the right word, and pray the word was there — sometimes it wasn’t. And when it wasn’t found, it brought a disappointment in me that was quickly replaced by annoyance that I wasted my time and enjoyment of being immersed in the story. Moreover, forget about taking notes or doing any research on Wikipedia. Compare that to the reading experience on Kindle. All I have to do now is keep my finger on the word I don’t know. And voila! A window pops up which gives me the definition. If I want, I can research it further on Wikipedia or/and take notes. It has made me a better writer. Also, if a word is not found in a dictionary, what then, what would I do? What could I do? I had to hunt for a newer dictionary. But not with my Kindle, the dictionary is regularly updated, and I can have multiple dictionaries on the same device.
Distribution: Me being an indie, and I’m sure most of you can immediately identify with my plight, I depend on reviews. For me to get my book reviewed, I don’t have the luxury of mailing a physical copy to anyone who agrees to review my book. However, I can email a copy (any format). This gives me an immense advantage of being cost-effective.
New Edition: It has become tremendously easy for me to come out with a new edition now. All I have to do is to upload it on KDP site, and all my customers can download the latest one.
I can go on and on listing several advantages, but I better stop. So, in conclusion, Kindle to me as an indie is a no-brainer. It’s cost-effective, convenient, improves my skills, etc.
Of course, if you are still not convinced, and want to stick to the non-Kindler camp because you like the smell of a book, here is a solution. You can always spray this on your Kindle (http://smellofbooks.com/)
Being a tech-geek, Kindle is a no-brainer to me. It’s convenient; I can carry several thousand books at a time; my virtual library on Amazon is unlimited; I can read in the dark; I can change the size of my fonts; and so on, I can go on and on forever. But that was just a marketing spiel given to me by Amazon. But that got me thinking; apart from what Amazon tells me, what are the benefits for me as an indie author? Here’s my take on it:
Vocabulary: It has most definitely improved my vocabulary. Of course, one can argue that the same is possible with traditional books. But it was inconvenient and broke the flow. If I came across a word that I didn’t know, I had to 1. Open the dictionary (assuming it was right next to me wherever I was: at home, on a crowded train, on a beach, relaxing by the pool, etc.) 2. Flip the pages to find the right word, and pray the word was there — sometimes it wasn’t. And when it wasn’t found, it brought a disappointment in me that was quickly replaced by annoyance that I wasted my time and enjoyment of being immersed in the story. Moreover, forget about taking notes or doing any research on Wikipedia. Compare that to the reading experience on Kindle. All I have to do now is keep my finger on the word I don’t know. And voila! A window pops up which gives me the definition. If I want, I can research it further on Wikipedia or/and take notes. It has made me a better writer. Also, if a word is not found in a dictionary, what then, what would I do? What could I do? I had to hunt for a newer dictionary. But not with my Kindle, the dictionary is regularly updated, and I can have multiple dictionaries on the same device.
Distribution: Me being an indie, and I’m sure most of you can immediately identify with my plight, I depend on reviews. For me to get my book reviewed, I don’t have the luxury of mailing a physical copy to anyone who agrees to review my book. However, I can email a copy (any format). This gives me an immense advantage of being cost-effective.
New Edition: It has become tremendously easy for me to come out with a new edition now. All I have to do is to upload it on KDP site, and all my customers can download the latest one.
I can go on and on listing several advantages, but I better stop. So, in conclusion, Kindle to me as an indie is a no-brainer. It’s cost-effective, convenient, improves my skills, etc.
Of course, if you are still not convinced, and want to stick to the non-Kindler camp because you like the smell of a book, here is a solution. You can always spray this on your Kindle (http://smellofbooks.com/)
February 1, 2017
Will we have two Americas?
What does the future hold? Will it still be a beacon of hope for refugees and immigrants to create a new life?
Read and find out: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY6AF67
Read and find out: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY6AF67
January 30, 2017
India Was One
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