Avishek is a teacher by profession and has been writing plays and stories for the last twenty years. A good number of his plays have been staged at different platforms.
As an enthusiast blogger, he keeps on writing motivational blogs and speeches which have been delivered by his students at various podiums.
1. Who and what inspired you to write?
Writing has been my passion since childhood. I remember, once upon a time, I used to dream about becoming a Hindi poet. Maybe reading poems of Mahadevi Verma, Sumitra Nandan Pant and other such great names in the world of Hindi literature, germinated the seed of writing in me. Being an avid reader, I used to devour any Hindi literature classic, I could lay my hands on. The idea of writing something like them was very strongly seeded in my mind. And thus, I started writing Hindi poems and plays since my teenage. So for me, the inspiration came from there. Apart from the school curriculum, I was introduced to English literature much later in my life.
2. What challenges did you face while writing and getting published?
Thankfully, I did my schooling from a great missionary school in the area, De Nobili School. It is run by Jesuits and has a glorious history of about 75 years. So though, I have a technical background in my higher education, but then too I have sufficient command over the English Language. So writing was never a problem.
The problem in the initial stage came from an unexpected quarter and that was, I cannot sit for long durations due to my medical problems. So, I took very long to complete the book.
Getting the book published was another battle. Having no idea about the publishing industry and it's working made me face numerous rejections.
3. How did you come to know about the literary agency THE BOOK BAKERS?
Thankfully, I got the cell number of Sri Suhail Mathur, founder of The Book Bakers Literary Agency from a website. I contacted him and sought his help. He was very quick to break the ice and after going through my stories, he agreed to introduce me to the world of publishing. And then as I feel, rest is history for me.
4. How did THE BOOK BAKERS help you and what would you like to say about them ?
I strongly believe in destiny. As I mentioned in my last answer, Sri Suhail Mathur was like god sent to me. He not only introduced me to the nuances of the publishing world but also guided me in creating a brand value for my book.
The Book Bakers Literary agency undoubtedly stand at the top rung in the industry. Their friendly attitude rightly mixed with astute professionalism is something which should be imbibed by every aspiring literary agency.
5. How supportive is your publisher of your work?
Ans: I consider myself to be lucky that I got Locksley Hall Publishing LLP as the publisher of my debut novel. They had been very supportive during the entire process. Apart from maintaining topmost quality in their printing they also provided many complimentary services like making the promotional banners and a top-class book trailer. They have a very efficient marketing team lead by Avantika Sinha. She is constantly taking care of the book marketing needs as well as making the presence of the book prominent in social media. Surely Locksley Hall Publishing LLP is a dream come true for any author.
6. How do you see literary success for yourself?
This one is surely difficult to answer. I feel that over the years, the reading habit of masses has gone down due to two prominent reasons. First is inadvertently the rise of visual media like films and web series over books, and secondly, more and more authors aspiring to create literature. In the process, most of them forget that for any medium to succeed, it needs to be entertaining. The writers wrote, not to tell a story but to get recognised as a man or woman of literature. So ultimately the more entertaining mediums passed over and the reading habit of people slowly died. Perhaps this is one of the major reasons why fiction is lagging behind nonfiction, in the present publishing scenario.
We need books to entertain. Whenever books like ‘Harry Potter’ or ‘Five point someone’ comes into the market, people will start reading just to know what is there in those books.
So, for me, literary success is when I see my readers fully satisfied with the stories in my book. They should be satisfied that their investment behind my book is not wasted.
7. When can we expect your next book?
My next book is titled ‘SAMYANTAKA’. It is a historical mythological fiction written especially for children and young adults. I have already completed writing the book and it is in the final stage of editing on my end. Once it is done, I will be sending the manuscript to Sri Suhail Mathur of The Book Bakers Agency and hopefully, some result will come out soon.
So, you can expect something good coming up in the next few months.
8. How has your experience being working with Locksley Hall Publishing ?
As I have mentioned earlier, Locksley Hall Publishing is a dream come true for any author. Working with them had been surely a wonderful experience. And if given a chance, I would certainly like to work with them again.
9. Any message or tips for aspiring authors?
I would tell them, write whatever comes into your mind. Don't underestimate yourself and don't keep any bars. Also don’t hesitate to take help of professionals where ever it is needed. And all the best.
BOOK NAME : POSSESSED
PUBLISHER : LOCKSLEY HALL PUBLISHING
BOOK SYNOPSIS/BLURB :
Enter a mysterious world of eerie situations and dark characters.
A suspended police officer takes refuge in the house of an old lady, being cared for by a young governess until things go awry one fateful night.
A prostitute’s kinky customer decides to take her inside the jungle but they have little idea what awaits them there!
Two college students fall madly in love with each other. They decide to stay together ‘until death does them apart’. But destiny has some other plans.
The disappearance of a man’s estranged grandfather brings him face to face with a dark secret that could put his own life in danger.
Thrilling, intriguing and suspenseful, these creepy stories depict the darker side of beings, human and not, that are enough to send a shiver down your spine.
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