“It is very important to have a command over the medium you write”

says TR Bhanot, an acclaimed children books author, in conversation with Varsha Verma. 

Well-known children book author TR Bhanot’s main USP is script and correct English. Hailing from a family of farmers in Punjab, Bhanot is a self-made man. He has done post graduation in English and has done honours in Physics, Maths and Urdu. He is former head of language department at Air force School in Delhi. He has worked for publishers like Arya Book Depot, Children Book Trust, Scholar Publishing House, Frank Bros and Dreamland Publications. 

On languages… 

T R Bhanot

“English Grammar is my favourite subject,” he says. “I authored a set of English Grammar books in late 80s which are still prescribed as textbooks in north-east states.” Bhanot also writes in Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi. He also knows Sanskrit and Persian but does not have good writing capability in these languages. “Overall, I have authored 1000+ titles till now. Of these, 100 were authored while I was myself a student. I have confidence on my abilities and work on ethics,” he tells. He also writes Urdu Ghazals and checks PhD theses from various universities for language correction. 

Association with Dreamland… 

Talking about his association with Dreamland, Bhanot shares that he joined Dreamland in 1986 and has authored around 500 titles for them. “This is like my second home. All my needs are fulfilled with honour and respect and I work here without any tension in my mind,” he shares.

“Eighteen years back, when computer was introduced, Bhanot authored a set of eight computer books of 48 pages each, without any prior knowledge of computers and these books were bestsellers at that time,” adds Ved Chawla of Dreamland Publications. 

On subjects… 

Though Mathematics, Science and English are his favourite subjects, he also loves to write fiction and religious books. “I have authored Krishan Leela, Mahabharata, Panchtantra, etc after studying old text in Sanskrit. These were written on demand from Indians abroad who wish to know more about their civilization. But, it was not easy. Since I have a scientific mind, I got stuck at many points where facts and analysis did not match. So, I researched it further so that I put across facts that deem logical,” he shares. “When I write, it is logical. My next sentence takes birth from the previous sentence.” 

On academic books… 

Bhanot is seriously concerned about the quality of educational books available today. “Many publishers get content compiled from multiple sources and present it in the form of a book, which is not right. I have also seen publishers who limit the authors with the number of pages. In such a scenario, the quality of the books suffers,” he points out. 

Another very important thing he feels is that whatever subject one writes, one needs to have a command of the language that is the medium of the particular book. “Last but not the least, everything should be logical,” he says. 

On success… 

A God-fearing person, Bhanot attributes all his success to God and as he puts it, “I am a play thing in the hands of destiny. I owe all my success to Goddess Saraswati.” 

Adding further, he says, “The credit for my English language base goes to my Muslim headmaster Maulvi Mohd Iqbal Hussain, who I remember even today. Many heroes die unsung, but I am fortunate to have found a strong foothold at Dremland Publications, which has helped my name spread all over.” 

Making of an Award-winning book!

Shals and Shreya share how they came up with the award-winning book Timmi in Tangles in conversation with Varsha Verma.Timmi in Tangles is about this young girl Timmi and her world, which includes her home, the neighbourhood and her school, and the adults and friends in her life. Two of her closest friends are Juju the giant, and Idliamma, who loves idlis, stories and trouble. The closest adults are Amma, Timmi's mother, and Kamal Mausi, who takes care of her and the household. The book was recently in news for winning the Kotak Junior Children Writing Award.

Shals Mahajan and Shreya Sen

The author Shals (also, Shalini) Mahajan has recently realised that publishing is not life-threatening and writing can continue in the hereafter. Ze is thus pursuing talking to trees and cats in between brief bouts of writing and other necessities. Ze has studied English Literature and is also a queer feminist activist and researcher.

While, the illustrator Shreya spends most of her time contemplating about all the world changing things she can do. But most of them stay in her head, and sometimes she can’t even speak. Human beings, fairy lights, news papers and watermelons, amuse her.

Other than that she studied animation and film design from NID. Currently she is working as a full time graphic designer. Here, Shals and Shreya talk about their recently awarded book Timmi in Tangles and more.

Varsha (ABP): What was your reaction to being awarded at Crossword Awards?

Shals: Timmi is a delightful and imaginative person and I have been entranced with her world since I first met her in my stories almost fifteen years ago. I was, of course, quite delighted and happy to get the award, and more so since it means my love for Timmi and her world is shared by others as well.

Shreya: I fell in love with the script the moment Anushka handed it over to me. I was supposed to read just a page. But I spent the entire night reading it. Just couldn’t stop myself it was so good. When we won, I called up Shals and she said, “Dude we have won”.

I was like, “Yay!”

Varsha: Describe your journey as a children author/ illustrator so far? In what languages do you write? Shals: I write in English.

There is not much I can say about my journey as a writer for children, because I have not, so far, really sat down to write saying, “Okay, this will be for children.” I write about characters and people I fall in love with in my head and see where they take me.

Shreya: Its’ been great and really satisfying, right from my internship in Tulika and up till now. All the people that I have come across and the response that I have received from people have been very great.

Varsha: When did you "know" you wanted to write/ illustrate professionally?

Shals: I began writing when I was in my teens as a way to deal with things jumbling about at superspeed inside my head and am glad that I have continued with it. I am not sure that I write “professionally” since it is not what pays my bills, but yes, over the last two decades, I have learned to give more space to myself as a writer and be comfortable with it.

Shreya: I realised that this is one thing that I loved doing. In spite of full time jobs I always found out ways of illustrating.

Varsha: In your opinion, what is the hardest part of writing/illustrating a book? Why?

Shals: I guess that would be the writing of it. The way it works for me is that till I actually write it down, I do not know what will happen next. So the suspense adds to the frustration and to top it off, I am an excruciatingly slow writer.

Shreya : Sometimes catching up to what works for the publisher is demanding. More than anything I have understood it’s very important to understand who you are doing the book for- the writer, publisher and the reader. If you can crack this well then everything falls into place.

Varsha: What factors are kept in mind while writing for children?

Shals: For me it is only about the people in the story and staying true to them.

Shreya: To depict the story well and always try to go a little beyond the words.

Varsha: What comes first - the illustrations or the story?

Shals: In this case it was the story for sure. Then the publishers searched for an illustrator who would be able to capture Timmi and her world without making it something other than what it is. And Shreya came in and loved the stories. After that it was a long wonderful collaboration between Shreya, Anushka and me till we all were happy with each of the illustrations.

Shreya: Both happen together I guess.

Varsha: What publishing advice do you give to aspiring writers/illustrators of any age?

Shals: I do not think that I qualify to give any such advice. I can only say that I decided to begin publishing only after I turned forty though I have been writing for more than two decades.

Shreya: Don’t be scared of what might work and what may not work. Do things from your heart and it will be conveyed to another heart. Don’t be too disheartened because some day people will understand you!

Varsha: We live in a time when young people have numerous choices for entertainment. What would you like to say to children who may be hesitant about reading a book for "fun? Shals: Try it out – there is a large world waiting to be explored, many adventures to be had, many friends to be made, and all this without the interference of adults. Shreya: Read as many books as you can. You and I might read the same book but we will definitely find different stories in them.

Varsha: Which is the next book that readers can look forward to?

Shals: This year it is a work of non-fiction on understanding and living gender differently, that I have co-authored with three of my friends and colleagues. There are a couple of novels and stories that I am working on but since I am still writing them, it is rather difficult to say when they will be out.

Shreya: One for Tulika!

Book on parenting with a difference!

 Author Shunali Khullar Shroff, in conversation with Varsha Verma, reveals the realities of a parent in today’s ultramodern, supersonic, and chaotic world in her debut book titled Battle Hymn of a Bewildered Mother.As much with life, parenting in the new millennium does not come with an instruction manual. If you happen to be a girl about town, a super successful career woman, a must-live-each-day-as-it-comes kind of person, impending motherhood can be as imposing as a trip to outer space without an oxygen mask. Battle Hymn of a Bewildered Mother isn’t just another run-of-the-mill parenting book, in fact it is opposite of everything you know. 

Shunali Khullar Shroff

“Well, this book is not for someone who is looking for an insight into raising a perfect family. There are books that fill you with self-doubt and there are books that reassure you. My book aims to achieve the latter. It aims to assuage your guilt and feelings of inadequacy as a parent by drawing attention to the fact that you are not the only one struggling to fit into the stereotyped image of a good mother/father and thus it encourages you to embrace your inner goof with ease,” tells Shunali Khullar Shroff, author of Battle Hymn of a Bewildered Mother begins her journey as someone chronically devoid of what is naturally termed as the maternal instinct. But in spite of her misgivings, she eventually realises there is nothing else she’d rather be doing than burping her babies while avoiding all traces of tranquilisers. This brilliant, whimsical, bumpy tale of everyday madness has a voice of a mother both honest and hilarious. 

It aims to assuage your guilt and feelings of inadequacy as a parent by drawing attention to the fact that you are not the only one struggling to fit into the stereotyped image of a good mother/father and thus it encourages you to embrace your inner goof with ease.
From exchanging her corporate suits for messretardant mommy wear, from balancing work clients to battling two girls’ questions and demands, this book is a journey of a mother constantly walking on thin ice over the Bermuda Triangle. Based on the principles of lunacy and humour, Shunali Khullar Shroff reveals the realities of a parent in today’s ultramodern, supersonic, and chaotic world. 

Response so far... 

On asking about the response to the book so far, Shunali replies, “As a first time author, I wasn’t expecting trumpets and bugles but am surprised by the number of people who have enjoyed the book. Some of these are the followers of my blog but most of them are people I do not know who have heard about the book by word of mouth. I am pretty overwhelmed by the kind of wonderful feedback that is coming my way by means of e-mails and social media.” How the book 

came up... 

“There was a lifetime’s gap between my days as a journalist and a blogger. I took to PR and then raising my own two children during those years. Then I took to blogging a few years ago. It was instant gratification because people read and responded right away. A friend whose opinion I value used to read my blog regularly and she suggested I put together a book about raising two children, and more specifically two girls in this century. This world is very different than the one I grew up in. We had normal childhoods which did not include gadgets, poor language, zero physical activity and Justin Bieber. I write about a lot of things on my blog, parenting was just one of them but I decided to take a stab at it and that’s how the book came about,” she shares. 

“It took me a year to put it together with some unwelcome interruptions. Then a few months to clean it up. Once the manuscript was completed, I sent it to several publishers directly, without an introduction, merely with the help of addresses on their websites. I heard back from three of them in quick succession. When I spoke to Ashok Chopra, MD, Hay House, a publishing veteran and an author himself, I got the feeling that he truly believed in my writing and decided to go ahead with them,” shares Shunali. 

Nothing like writing... 

“Anais Nin famously said that we write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect. I write because there is nothing to do better with my time than reading or writing. It makes me feel like me. 

I have an insatiable appetite for reading and as a writer my desire remain to be honest and occasionally amusing because I like to read books that amuse me and make me think at the same time. When I start writing, it is like starting on an exciting adventure as one never knows with clarity how it is going to end up sharing and sometime bringing me a surprise too. But yes, the first line is crucial to the rest of the chapter and even the book and one instinctively knows when that line is not working,” tells Shunali. 

Hardest part of writing a book... 

“In my case the hardest part is getting started. It is true for almost all writers, from what I read and hear. For me the other challenge for my book, being a hands on mum, was to set that time aside for writing without the cacophony of my children and the rest of my household. I know of author friends, who shift to Goa or a cottage on a hill for months to be able to produce prodigious works. As a mother of small children, I do not have that option. I also lack self discipline as a writer, which is such a pity because if I was the kind of person who could rise at five am to write, I might have written half a dozen books by now,” she laughs. 

Advice to debutant authors... 

“Read, read, read...every single day. And keep a diary. Don’t be in a hurry to get published, be sure of your work first. If it does not fancy you, it will fancy no one else. The other thing I want to say is that you are never too old to start writing,” suggests Shunali. 

Books are the best... 

In this digital age, where do books stand? “I am deeply concerned about how gadgets, though they are marvelous inventions and improve our lives in many ways, are also doing irredeemable damage to this generation. With these gadgets, youngsters are all likely to develop cervical and psychological problems in due course. I would say that books will help you understand life and human nature better than any game, app or television show. 

WhatsApp and FB will not build your character the way books will. Imagine all the places you can travel to and all the lives you can lead through reading? This is something I say to my own children all the time,” concludes Shunali.

Confessions of a self-published author!

-Prashant Pinge self-publishes a book after establishing himself as an author through traditional route. 

Prashant Pinge is an acclaimed author of children’s fiction from Mumbai. He has been writing for over a decade, with five books and two short stories to his credit. His books have been nominated for the Crossword Book Awards, with Raja & the Giant Donut being shortlisted in the Children’s Writing category in 2011. More recently, he selfpublished his book Sceadu.

Here, he shares more about his experience of self-publishing.

Varsha (ABP): Why did you go for self-publishing?

Prashant Pinge

Prashant: I have taken the traditional publishing route for all my previous books. So the decision to self-publish my YA fantasy, Sceadu, was not an easy one. The biggest deterrent was my complete lack of knowledge of the publishing industry.

However, there were a few reasons that attracted me to venture down this road. Firstly, the self-publishing industry has grown by leaps and bounds in the past five years, especially with the availability of several online platforms that have dramatically increased reach.

Secondly, there are a lot of online resources available today that provide information about the self-publishing process. Thirdly, self-publishing would provide me with complete creative control, something that was really tempting given my background as a marketing professional. Lastly, I have always loved to experiment and knew that regardless of the outcome, the experience would be a reward in itself.

Varsha: How has been your experience?

Prashant: The experience has been a very interesting one so far. The preparation phase started almost five months prior to the actual date of release since I had to manage every aspect of this process with very limited resources at my disposal.

It involved a lot of multitasking to ensure that everything came together properly at the time of the launch. Of primary importance was to get the book, including cover design, ready well in time and in all the popular e-book formats. It required spending long hours learning from the numerous resources available online.

Then there was the aspect of pre-launch publicity which was a key factor in creating buzz around the book. The book launch went as planned, but the marketing continued even after that. In general, the actual ‘publishing’ has been a relatively straightforward process. It has been the marketing which has consumed a lot of time, so much so that it hasn’t allowed me to pursue much writing during this period. Also, while sales have been growing steadily, I do feel somewhere that a physical distribution channel, even in this digital age, would have made things easier. All in all though, my journey in self-publishing has been a tremendous learning experience.

While we do see online marketplaces slowly propagating to the smaller cities and towns, I feel that a physical network still offers a significant advantage in this industry.

Varsha: Do you think it would be better if you went through a publisher route? Why/Why not?

Prashant: I think this question is best answered at an individual level. Both routes offer various advantages and disadvantages. In the traditional route, the publisher has a lot of resources in place, especially with regards to editing, distribution and publicity. There is also the aspect of credibility associated with a publisher.

However, this route can often take long, even up to two years at times, and is often not even available to many authors. The greatest advantage of self-publishing is that it offers authors a chance to see their work made available to the world. There are many good authors out there who remain unpublished and selfpublishing is a boon for them.

This also happens to be the biggest disadvantage as anyone who fancies themselves to be an author now has an easy outlet to publish. This has, to a large extent, damaged the credibility of this channel, popular as it may be. Self-publishing, however, is very simple, cheap and quick, and also provides authors with a better earning model than traditional publishing, assuming similar sales of course.

Varsha: How are you marketing your book?

Prashant: The toughest aspect of publishing, be it the traditional route or the selfpublished one, is marketing. It is no secret that the number of books that are published every year is staggering. It therefore becomes essential to ensure that your book stands out amongst the competition.

And this is an extremely difficult task to achieve unless you already have substantial recognition in the market. Even traditional publishers have very low marketing budgets although they can provide an advantage through their established publicity channels. Besides, the market is so dynamic, with so many books released every day that it is very easy to get lost in all the information. In my case, I started early, about five months prior to the launch to ensure that a steady buzz developed until it culminated in a publicity blitz by the time the book was ready for release. I got an attractive cover made, developed an animated trailer video, had my website redesigned, sent out my book for reviews, wrote blogs, contacted the media, participated in book tours, chalked out a social media plan and the list goes on. There are, in fact, a lot of resources available online for book marketing. Everything depends on how much time and money you are willing to spend.

Varsha: Where all is your book available?

Prashant: Sceadu is available as an e-book on all the major online bookstores around the world such as Amazon, & Noble, iBooks Store, Kobo, Ciando and Flipkart. It is also available for download in various formats on Gumroad, an exclusive online platform for selling digital content. I am currently exploring the possibility of making it available as a paperback.

Varsha: What about your next book?

Prashant: My next work, a children’s book, is being traditionally published later this year. I am currently working on a romantic comedy, which I also plan to release through a publisher. While my experience with self-publishing has been fantastic, especially as a marketing professional, it is a lengthy process which hasn’t allowed me to devote much time to writing. The other aspect which I especially underestimated was the importance of a physical distribution network, especially in India. For instance, the publisher I usually work with has a network spread across more than 120 cities in India. While we do see online marketplaces slowly propagating to the smaller cities and towns, I feel that a physical network still offers a significant advantage in this industry.

Self-publishing: Blessing for novice authors!

The self-publishing route has helped many novice authors get established in the publishing space. As more and more authors are taking this route, Varsha Verma of ABP finds out how the selfpublishing companies actually work.Self-publishing: Self-publishing had always been there... In 1931, author of The joy of Cooking got 3,000 copies of her cook book published by an author. It became a bestseller after it was acquired by Bobbs- Merill Company. More recently, the popular trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James was also a self-published book initially and so was Amish Tripathi’s The Immortals of Meluha. These are just a few which made history, there are many more.

Once called vanity publishing, self-publishing has come a long way...it is an easier and quicker way for authors to reach out to their readers. Few of the well-known selfpublishing companies helping authors include Notionpress. com, Cinnaon Teal, Pothi. com, BecomeShaspeare.com, AuthorsUpfront, Zorba Books etc.

“Self Publishing is here to stay and is growing in exciting ways, as is clear from the catalogue of the self publishing platform - AuthorsUpFront - I co-founded in 2014. Authors are in a position to take controls back in their hands thanks to technology. Of course editorial inputs cannot be done away with,” says Arpita Das of AuthorsUpFront.

What they offer?

Malini Nair, head of publishing services, BecomeShakespeare.com, shares, “BecomeShakespeare. com, a brand of Wordit CDE Pvt Ltd, currently provides editorial, design, self-publishing, book marketing and distribution services for English fiction and non-fiction. We provide best in class services in each of the above categories and wish to help writers improve their craft.” While, Naveen Valasakumar, CEO, of notion.com shares, "We offer free to use publication tools. The content can be typed in, proof read with our assistance, layout of text/ cover design can be done using our templates.

Automation is the key of Notion Press. We have developed a user interface which automates the processes mentioned above, get peer reviews and plan the book's distribution globally. The three stages of content creating, reviews, printing /publishing are done with our assistance. Through our analytics, we can tell the author where one's book is doing well - e-Pub, PDF or retails online. One of our clients, an IT consultant, and author of a book on "How a CEO needs a CIO', commented that using Notion site was easier and simpler than buying a movie ticket.”

“We offer an end product, which is comparable to any international book. We have primacy to author’s inputs during the publishing process and provide clarity regarding each stage of publishing. Authors can get professional inputs and guidance from experts. What’s more? We offer wide distribution both within India and worldwide with a focus on online. And an author can publish his book within 30 days!” shares Shalini.

Why self publishing?

On asking about why they ventured into self-publishing, Malini shares, “We were looking at the self-publishing space for a while and found large gaps in the services available for authors. This is when we began with creating a self-publishing programme as close as possible to a traditional publishing setup, but designed for authors aspiring to look at publishing as a source of revenue.”

While, Shalini Gupta, founder director Zorba Books shares, “As with any new venture so with Zorba Books the path was neither straight nor easy. We wound our way through a maze of traditional publishing, book exhibitions, library setups and corporate requirements to finally finding our niche with self-publishing. We realised that new talented writers had no option but to go to traditional publishers. However, hundreds of them were not getting published because they could not draw the attention of the traditional publishers or the traditional format did not suit them. Since no publisher took on the author’s work for publishing, the individual would have to file away the manuscript and forget about his/her dream of being published. So we decided to provide an alternative to talented writers in the form of self-publishing and drive the growth of self-publishing in India through Zorba Books. The fact that we did not have a hard core background in publishing made it possible for us to break the conventional mould and bring in fresh thinking in the form of the new option of self-publishing and in the way we operate - honest, open and offering great service. The journey is not over and we continue to expand into new realms and push the selfpublishing boundaries.”

Challenges...

But self-publishing comes with its own set of challenges. “Unlike the western markets where self-publishing is widely accepted, authors in India are just about getting acquainted to it. Hence, a lot of time and energy gets spent in explaining authors the features and benefits of this model of publishing versus the traditional model of publishing,” shares Malini.

Similar views were shared by Shalini, who says, “Awareness regarding the option of selfpublishing is low amongst prospective authors. They need not be at the mercy of traditional publishers but can fast-forward their writing career through self-publishing. Besides, most authors do not realise the importance of marketing in selling. Every new author needs to market his book aggressively and over a long period for the sales to show any result. Marketing is an intensive, time consuming exercise and needs to be carried out consistently over a period of time.”

Marketing efforts…

And these self-publishing companies are not leaving any stone unturned to make sure that the books are available at major outlets and online bookstores. “At BecomeShakespeare.com, we provide distribution services to leading brick and mortar bookstores, chain stores, airport retailers, etc. apart from online retailers like Flipkart and Amazon. The format is simple: we take the risk and rent space out at these bookstores, while creating a ‘SIS’ (Shop-in-Shop) model, which enables us to distribute this shelf space among our books. Similarly, we also provide all the best practices the traditional publishing firms have, i.e. good editing, proofing, cover designs, pagination, printing in bulk, aggressive pricing, media mentions, book events, book reviews and author interviews, to name a few,” Malini.

Similarly, Naveen mentions that they had tied up with 500 dealers for book distribution. "Cost of publishing a book comes down to one third the cost of self publishing with Notion. A self publisher would at least spend Rs 55,000 excluding the Reprinting cost of book. As an author one will have to invest in his book and we will co-invest with him. This will ensure that he is committed to the project and plays along with us for marketing and publicity related work," shares Naveen.

While, Shalini adds, “Marketing is a maze of activities and baffling for a first time author. We have a three pronged strategy to help the author with marketing. First, we help the author de-clutter the marketing maze and arrive at marketing solutions that are most suited to his/her needs.

While doing so we keep in mind the author’s background, the book genre and the budget, based on which a marketing plan is drawn up. Second, we aid the marketing effort by offering various marketing aids such as developing a website, preparing a book trailer, etc. Last as with all publishing, it is the author’s responsibility to implement the plan, though we are always ready to guide and help.”

“Self-publishing is a nascent industry in India with limited awareness amongst the public. But this is gradually growing and would empower wouldbe authors to get their work published and make their voices heard. As literacy increases and disposable incomes rise, India will follow the same rapid growth trajectory that the Western world has followed,” concludes Shalini.