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All about writing! > Published authors - share your experiences

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message 51: by A. (new)

A. Dharma (adharma) | 3 comments Thanks Ken. I'm actually quite new to this and it's all one big experiment for me.

I'm just hoping for a bunch of downloads, which is happening, and a few reviews from this. If it continues selling, that will be awesome. Also loving the fact them I'm getting the opportunity to connect with writers from around the world and discovering something new about the world of writing & publishing everyday.

Thanks again for downloading Mukti. Will eagerly look forward to your review and feedback on my humble efforts.


message 52: by Manish (new)

Manish Mahajan (manizoya) | 8 comments Adharma wrote: "Thanks Ken. I'm actually quite new to this and it's all one big experiment for me.

I'm just hoping for a bunch of downloads, which is happening, and a few reviews from this. If it continues selli..."


Hi
Is it still available? would be happy to read. I am currently in the process of publishing my debut book (self publishing) and can share a few stories in return if you are interested to review mine


message 53: by A. (new)

A. Dharma (adharma) | 3 comments Hey Manish, sorry the promotion was over on the 8th. I actually received some excellent advice from a few readers on Goodreads and am now working hard to fix the things they highlighted.

Once the new edition is out in a week or so I'll run another promotion. In the meanwhile I'll be glad to read your book. Always interested in indie authors from India.

cheers


message 54: by Wise (new)

Wise Cracker | 1 comments google search brought me to this... you should add Pirates, a publishing house based in delhi who have published Tushar Raheja's new book Romi and Gang..they seem fairer than the rest D 1 Maharani Bagh Delhi and email - captain@pirates.ind.in


message 55: by Shubha (new)

Shubha Sarma (shubhasarma) | 23 comments Hi, fellow authors. I recently joined this hallowed league (it's tough to get in and find a publisher, especially for short story writers like me!). My book, 'Fly on the Wall & Other Stories' has been well received by readers and got good coverage in the media.
I read some of the earlier posts and those by Rohit Gore are indeed encouraging.
However, I do agree with some others that writing is the easiest part... it's in your control. The marketing and publicity can be a different ball game altogether.
I would be glad if people could visit my blog and give their feedback on the book and the blog.


message 56: by Ken (new)

Ken (kendoyle) | 263 comments Nice to see another short story writer here, Shubha. Good luck with your book, I'll add it to my TBR list.


message 57: by [deleted user] (new)

I am currently writing an adult offbeat philosophy fiction novel. I don't know about the market for that genre though. Can someone clarify?


message 58: by Geetha (new)

Geetha Patel (goodreadscomgeetha_patel) | 2 comments I am Geetha Patel,a new author. Could someone please advice me as to how I can market or advertise my book "Song of the Koel" to the Indian readers?


message 59: by Trishala (new)

Trishala (write2trishala) | 5 comments Recently published a fiction novel 'The Seller of Beliefs'. It was an exhilarating experience! The hardslog did go on for some months, but, it felt wonderful to be appreciated by the ones who read the book and gained from it.

A wonderfully crafted fable, peppered with spice and humour, The Seller of Beliefs is an inspiring read for the young at heart of all ages – to reclaim their zest for life.

www.thesellerofbeliefs.in or https://www.facebook.com/TrishalaDShah


message 60: by Adite (new)

Adite | 73 comments Writing my second Mills&Boon romance #TroubleHasANewName was great fun. I had to write about the Andaman Islands when I had never been there. Research and imagination were my only tools... I'm answering questions about my new book on Goodreads. If there is anything you're just dying to know -- except of course the plot! -- ask away!

https://www.goodreads.com/author/7083...


message 61: by Harshita (new)

Harshita Vallem | 3 comments I wrote a book titled – ‘The Third Day – Dwapara Yuga’. Below is the story line of it and the Facebook page where I received the reviews of the book. The book is already available in Amazon.in
Here I would like to say one more thing as well. As many of you either use facebook or twitter frequently my humble request to you is if you love the book I want you to write a two line review over the fb page, not only reviews but it can even be about which character you like the most so far? Or how you felt about the plot that you read until then. In addition, you may like it over the fb page which helps the readers or wanna-be readers to know the book better and aware of. Here is the intricate plot and elegantly written story line:
A day in Brahma's life is divided into four yugas, Satya Yuga, Thretha Yuga, Dwapara and Kali Yuga respectively. He had created sixteen Manas Putras to serve the purpose of creating the entire Universe, for which they had to undergo a painstaking process, parting the soul from their bodies. The art of creating Universe continued fabulously until he had committed an irrevocable mistake on the first day of his life, the mistake that had led to the pact between the Evil and the Good. The mistake that made Brahma lose his honour as one of the Supreme Lords among the Thrimurthi, and had cost billions of lives which in turn questioned the existence of the Mankind. His honour must be regained, Sarayu - the earth must be saved. The pursuit of Brahma for his honour and Elsker - the Universe to save his love Sarayu had begun in this Dwapara Yuga. During the first millionth year of the Dwapara Yuga, the Thala Pata Grandas, the most prestigious and valuable texts, symbols and holy scripts written on the sheets of holy leaves were opened revealing the most unpleasant things - "In the name of Runattma thus raised the Evil. The Asuramrutham is being fed faster. The process of Fetus Resuscitation took its birth, the most horrifying kinds of black magic ever." The terrifying war between the Cannibals and the mankind had begun, but due to the unison of Elsker and Sarayu the war abruptly came to an end during the first millionth year. All the dreadful tidings happened at the beginning of the first millionth year, and Elsker had left to the Omicron Perseus. The second millionth year had begun. The Universal Mind and Elsker had started the quest for Nirbhaya to unearth the City of Lost Souls. To fight the dreadful Evil Elsker was trying to gather his forces; the forces were none other than the Manas Putras themselves who reincarnated in this third Yuga. Elsker was not alone in this quest, the King of Narmada's soul Daksha guided Elsker. Expect the unexpected.
Here is the Facebook Page to know about reviews: https://www.facebook.com/TheDwaparaYuga
Amazon Link : https://www.amazon.in/The-Third-Day-D... .
And my twitter handle: @dwapara3rdyuga

Interested readers can buy the book over amazon...


message 62: by Mohammad (new)

Mohammad V (mohammadalivauthor) | 7 comments Hi, I am Mohammad Ali, author of the fiction "The Three Others"The Three Others.
I have always thought about writing a mysteries and thriller. and i have finally published one and it has been a great experience in just getting it done. However the experience of getting the book known is secondary.
The book is about a man who gets stuck with three people who he believes are to be the devils. Please do read and find the mystery behind it. Its my first one.

Here at flipkart http://www.flipkart.com/three-others-...
Here for Ebook http://www.flipkart.com/the-three-oth...

Its also there in many others websites.

Please do find my profile here for any discussions. Happy Writing.

Thanks you


message 63: by Sheala (new)

Sheala Vast-Binder (shealav) | 23 comments Kevan wrote: "Nishith wrote: "I have just published my first novel, Sakoon, the story of a young Pakistani woman's courage to raise her voice against injustice. My mother's journey from Karachi to India in 1947 ..."

The marketing side is definitely the hardest part! I published my book, 10 Things You Need to Know: A Practical Guide for Internationals Moving to the U.S.,through Smashwords and CreateSpace so have had to do all of the marketing myself. It's been a huge learning curve. Here's my blog about what I've learned: http://www.shealavastbinder.info/2014.... Hope it helps!

Sheala


message 64: by Tracey (new)

Tracey Hook | 60 comments Natural Elements Currently a goodreads giveaway. 8/4/14-8/6/14


message 65: by Tracey (new)

Tracey Hook | 60 comments Hi Sheala,
I just read your blog marketing. It's very helpful. Thank you!


message 66: by Sheala (new)

Sheala Vast-Binder (shealav) | 23 comments Thanks, Tracey! I definitely learn something new almost every day.
What marketing techniques are you using? Are they helpful?


message 67: by Tracey (new)

Tracey Hook | 60 comments Just what's available on goodreads, twitter, facebook, and google. I have a giveaway going on right now until tomorrow.


message 68: by Sheala (new)

Sheala Vast-Binder (shealav) | 23 comments I really enjoy giveaways!
Do you use Linked In at all? I've found participating in the groups (not just advertising but adding interesting info.) is helpful.


message 69: by Tracey (new)

Tracey Hook | 60 comments Yes, I do. I like it a lot.


message 70: by Sheala (new)

Sheala Vast-Binder (shealav) | 23 comments Me too!


message 71: by Tracey (last edited Sep 06, 2014 09:20AM) (new)

Tracey Hook | 60 comments Book reading/signing: September 30, 2014 @ The Wheelock Library in Tacoma, WA. 7:00 PM.Natural Elements The story of a young woman of mixed race struggling to fit into Bombay society.


message 72: by Joyce (new)

Joyce Yarrow | 8 comments Here is the story of my long-distance, novel-writing collaboration with Indian journalist Arindam Roy. Recently published in Los Angeles Review of Books:

http://lareviewofbooks.org/essay/one-...


message 73: by Jasbir (new)

Jasbir S Jagdeo (jasbir_pro) | 7 comments hi all can anyone tell me if it is possible to set the price to zero on kdp. i want to offer the story free the link of which i am providing below. i offered it free at smashwords for a while but upon listing it on kdp i had to change that as it seemed not right to put price at one site and offer free at other.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

it can be downloaded free with coupon code VJ36V.
please rate/review if you like it.


message 74: by Ken (new)

Ken (kendoyle) | 263 comments Jasbir, KDP has a minimum price of $0.99. However, you can set the price to zero on at least two of the other big channels (like iTunes, Kobo, B&N) and then report the free price to Amazon using the link on your book's page. They will eventually match the free price.

As an example, see my free short story on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I8Z6DNM/


message 75: by Jasbir (new)

Jasbir S Jagdeo (jasbir_pro) | 7 comments Ken wrote: "Jasbir, KDP has a minimum price of $0.99. However, you can set the price to zero on at least two of the other big channels (like iTunes, Kobo, B&N) and then report the free price to Amazon using th..."

Hi Ken your short story is being shown as priced at rs 62. Maybe, it is because of location. Thanks for the explanation. I was getting the same idea searching the discussions on amazon. BTW, your story seemed interesting from the sample I read.


message 76: by Ken (new)

Ken (kendoyle) | 263 comments That's odd. I did post the US store link before, but when I go to the Amazon India link, it still shows as zero: http://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B00I8...


message 77: by Jasbir (new)

Jasbir S Jagdeo (jasbir_pro) | 7 comments Ken wrote: "That's odd. I did post the US store link before, but when I go to the Amazon India link, it still shows as zero: http://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B00I8..."

Right, this link shows it as free. Would install kindle for android and read it.


message 78: by Sarita (new)

Sarita Tripathi (Saritatripathi) | 10 comments Hello Everyone
Finally I found a place where I can talk about my work, I guess.. And it's not a crime talking of one's self creation at least here. Recently released my novelette Broken Heart Still Beats..Like most of the people here I self published it and now what next.. Please guide me with your experiences how to promote it to reach the masses. It's a veteran effort by me to bring a social change through my work. But you know for that I must have access to the target readers for that. Do advertising really help and how?


message 79: by Ken (last edited Sep 30, 2014 10:29AM) (new)

Ken (kendoyle) | 263 comments Sarita, congrats on your achievement!

From my experience, writing is the easy part (well, mostly). The real challenge is marketing and promotion. Paid advertising does help, but only the top sites; the others are a waste of money.

There are many books and online resources about the marketing side of self-publishing, but one of the best is Guy Kawasaki's e-book APE (http://apethebook.com). Also follow David Gaughran and Hugh Howey--they're the outliers who have made a lot of money through self-publishing, unlike most of us :)


message 80: by Tracey (new)

Tracey Hook | 60 comments Thanks Ken, That's really good advice.

Tracey


message 81: by Sheala (new)

Sheala Vast-Binder (shealav) | 23 comments I agree with you, Ken! marketing is a bear!

Tracey, how did the book signing go?


message 82: by Sheala (new)

Sheala Vast-Binder (shealav) | 23 comments Congrats on your book, Sarita! if you're going to pay for advertising, learning how to us Facebook's ad manager is the most effective. I mostly do a lot of social networking and giveaways or promos online. I had a marketer tell me that book signings are very effective, although they take a lot of energy and connections to set up.
Have a blessed day!


message 83: by Sarita (new)

Sarita Tripathi (Saritatripathi) | 10 comments Thanks Ken and Sheala for your valued suggestions. You guys are right, I have only finished the most easiest part i.e. writing and publishing. Marketing is a hard nut to crack and will need a good deal of sweat and energy for that.


message 84: by Sheala (new)

Sheala Vast-Binder (shealav) | 23 comments two free places to get some attention: about.me and bublish.


message 85: by Sarita (new)

Sarita Tripathi (Saritatripathi) | 10 comments Thanks Sheala..that's really helpful..


message 86: by Satyarth (new)

Satyarth Nayak (satyarthnayak) | 36 comments My debut novel The Emperor's Riddles released this year. Acclaimed by Amish Tripathi & Ashwin Sanghi, the book has become a bestselling Mystery Thriller. Sharing my journey:

My Path of Becoming a Published Author in India - http://satyarthnayak.blogspot.in/2014...

The Emperor's Riddles by Satyarth Nayak


message 87: by Tracey (new)

Tracey Hook | 60 comments Thanks for sharing.


message 88: by Sandhya (new)

Sandhya Acharya (sacharya) | 4 comments I am working on a manuscript that I would like to submit to a publisher. I am struggling with putting the prosal together. Is it a good idea to talk about prior self-published work or not? Will it help/hurt or not have any impact at all? I was going to include it in the "Biography" section.
My prior work is in the same genre (Children's book), but still low on sales rank on Amazon (that's another possible question!). This is my prior self-published book fyi
http://amzn.com/B01CJ2D2JC


message 89: by Rani (new)

Rani Ramakrishnan (rani_ramarkshnan) | 31 comments Hi everyone,

I am new to the publishing scene. My first eBook Twice Blessed was published in Sep this year.

I have self published it and now I am trying to learn how to reach out to my audiences. Any suggestions on what to do and especially what not to do? Hope to draw from your collective experiences, with you permission , of course.

I refer to myself as a reluctant blogger; my posts are few and far in between but they do mirror my thoughts almost perfectly. https://trumpetbellows.wordpress.com/


message 90: by Vidhya (new)

Vidhya | 15 comments FREE today!

https://www.amazon.com/Incensa-Quadra...

Please take a look and leave a review!
It's my debut YA Fantasy novel!
Incensa (The Quadrant, #1) by Vidhya V.L


message 91: by Trishna (new)

Trishna Damodar | 2 comments It has been six years since I have taken up writing as my profession. I was clueless about the publishing world when I first started out. Got my Poetry book, Mind & Heart Speak Words Self published, as I was told by many that there is not a large market for poetry in India. Nevertheless, I wanted to get into this world of words as I felt alive and calm every time I wrote something.
I never looked back since. I will not say that it has been a smooth journey. There were moments of self doubt and agony, but it was always followed by a new day and a new story. So far I have published two poetry books, a romantic fiction and a family fiction. There is a long way to go and many more journey's to embark upon.
Feel free to have a look at my body of work, and for those who are starting out as writers, do not write to please others, do it for yourself, for the stories/experiences or moments you wish to share!
Trishna Damodar


message 92: by Neeraj (last edited Feb 02, 2020 12:35AM) (new)

Neeraj Bharti Even though my book was selected by a traditional publishing company, I had to self-publish my book due to some legal issues on employment, since I am on H1 B Visa in the USA. As a result, I had to care of all below tasks my self while writing my debut mystery and crime-thriller novel - THE CURSE TO ASHWATHAMA
1. Formatting the interior of the print book
I downloaded the template from kdp.amazon.com that had the margins preset. The only stressful thing was to number the pages (title, copyright, disclaimer pages numbers started from i, ii, iii. While the actual page numbers (1,2,3) had to start from the first chapter. I had to go through some online tutorials to insert section breaks (continuous and next page section breaks). Rest other things were pretty easy, since the margins were already properly set in the template.
2. Book cover - I used GIMP free tool to design my book cover. It is free unlike the costly adobe photoshop. Again, I had go through a lot of tutorials (the best ones being Dale's videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ9yu...) to understand how to design the book covers with spine.
3. Ebook design - I had to do following steps:
a. Convert print word document (step1) to KPF file via Amazon's free Kindle create app.
b. Convert KPF file to EPub via free software calibre. We have to download a plugin in calibre to support KPF file.
4. Distribution - Amazon (including Kindle and Paperback) and Ingramspark (includes Kindle, paperback, hardcover).
5. Distribution in India - Contacted NotionPress that set my book as POD in Amazon.in (KDP amazon doesn't allow paperbacks in Amazon.in. It allows only ebooks to be setup in amazon.in directly)
6. Marketing - It is a big pain in the neck, since I am struggling to market my book. Marketing is something the traditional publishers take care in the best possble way, and it is tough for self published authors to follow the same path.


message 93: by Vivek (new)

Vivek Gumaste | 14 comments In Late 2018 published my book VQE. The Tale of an Indian Physician in the UK of 1980s https://www.amazon.com/VQE-Indian-Phy...

1) The traditional route usually takes a long time even years and is very arbitrary.
2) However while self publishing one should make sure that hard copies are immediately available. For almost 6 months after publcation when the demand was high I had poor service from my POD company


message 94: by Supriya (new)

Supriya 'Deep' (authorsupriya) | 3 comments Hay all,

I published my first novel 'Amitav Ghost' and first 30 pages are free on google books:
https://play.google.com/store/books/d...

amazon.com/dp/B086GT2XRT/ref=cm_sw_r_...

I found this topic interesting. The important steps I followed in making my Speculative fiction 'Amitav Ghost' a reality were:
1. I started writing, and I write everyday: Yes this is important to have continuity, Icompleted first draft without any revision within one month.
2. Revise and revise with gaps, to make sure the shape of book is satisfactory to your level, if you find a peer of friend who can look into it, consider yourself lucky and grab that opportunity.
3. Start pitching for publication,you must be ready with Summary Query letter and sample chapters. (DM me any time for any pitching help).
4. start building your social media presence.
5. patience and resilience are the key, denial to queries doesn't mean your project is not good, it only means it doesn't first to their planning profile.

Stay confident, you will get the publisher who is interested in your work.

All the very best!!!

please read free pages of my book and rate it.


message 95: by Moushumi (new)

Moushumi Chakrabarty | 9 comments Hi,
I have turned my back on traditional publishing, and have made a conscious decision to go for indie publishing. To that effect, I have a free ebook giveaway at the moment. If you're inclined to read a story, head to my pages:
https://mouchakrabarty.wordpress.com/
facebook.com/booksbymoushumi


message 96: by Varun (new)

Varun (varunsayal) | 18 comments I have had great experience on my books with Indian readers. Want more and more Indians to read my books as they are a blend of sci-fi fantasy and mythology.


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