Tag: selfpublishing

Interview: Sakshi Sharma- Fiction and Children’s Books Author

We caught up with Sakshi Sharma, the author of two books at the Pothi Store: Maya Wants to be a Baker and Kismat and Karma.

Sakshi Sharma is a finance professional with past experience in companies including Johnson & Johnson, Penguin Random House and Columbia University Press in New York City. She is passionate about writing and reading and has a 8k+ subscriber base across her media platforms (@mere_meer on Instagram). As a mother of a three-year-old, Sakshi was very keen to enter the children’s book space. Maya Wants to Be a Baker is her first children’s book.

Pothi.com: Tell about how you zeroed in on such a unique topic for your children’s book ‘Maya wants to be a baker’.

Sakshi Sharma: During the pandemic, my husband did a lot of baking and I saw my three-year-old daughter taking great interest in baking donuts and chocolate cakes with her father. She really enjoyed being his sous chef.
This inspired me to write a book to introduce young minds like my daughter to unique career paths. Through this book, I wanted kids to feel that they have the freedom to become what their heart so desires, even if it is something non-traditional like a baker.

Pothi.com: You’ve written an adult fiction called Kismat and Karma. Tell us about the transition from writing books for adults to writing for kids. Why did you make this transition?

Sakshi Sharma: My daughter, Meera, loves reading new books and I’ve always wanted to pen a book for kids. Though my overall passion is writing fiction and creating new stories centered around women, I was also very keen to pen a story with a little girl as the protagonist.

Pothi.com: Tell us a little about Kismat and Karma.

Sakshi Sharma: Kismat and Karma is a modern take on the Bhagavad Gita. It is about two women, Kismat and Karma, who attempt to answer an intriguing question: “Are we resigned to our fate, or can we change it through our noble actions?”

Kismat and Karma hail from opposite sides of India. They have varied, yet almost parallel experiences of immigrating abroad (New York/London), finding love (arranged and unrequited) and facing loss and trauma. Destiny brings them together in New Delhi.

Essentially, Kismat and Karma is a women’s take on Krishna and Arjuna, wherein one woman mentors the other, but both play an essential role in shaping each other’s life.

Pothi.com: You’ve spent a larger part of your work life in the corporate space. What made you migrate to writing?

Sakshi Sharma: I’ve always wanted to be writer. I studied finance and worked as an Analyst and Accountant for several years in New Jersey and New York City.

But writing is for the soul. Some of my poems have been published in Hindustan Times and I also wrote poetry for my University magazine.
Ms. Catherine Sameh, one of my University Professors at Rutgers New Brunswick, awarded me the only “A” in her Writing class. She confided that she typically did not award A’s but that I merited the grade with the final paper I submitted to her. I still have that essay with her notes and markings. That set the foundation for me to actually think I could be a writer someday.
In 2013, I started my own blog/website when I was still working in the corporate space in the States; penning short stories, poems, and humour pieces about love, marriage and motherhood. Today, I have two published books and I am working on a thriller next!

Pothi.com: What has your experience of writing and collaborating with an illustrator been like? As a writer, how do you best advise children’s writers to collaborate with illustrators?

Sakshi Sharma: My husband connected me to Supriya, who is an extremely talented illustrator. She created sample illustrations of Maya and her baking adventures. The pictures came out better than I could ever imagine.

Writers can connect with illustrators on platforms like Reedsy, Upwork and Pothi. Another great source is to directly connect with budding illustrators on Instagram. You can see their work and engage with them directly. Look under appropriate tags like #childrensbook and #illustratorsofinstagram etc.

I was able to find a wonderful illustrator for my fiction book Kismat and Karma. He was able to create the cover for my book exactly to the specifications I wanted. He created the silhouettes of two women, one in modern and the other in traditional attire; highlighting my two female protagonists. In addition, he hid the word ‘Krishna’ in Hindi in nine different places in the front cover. The number “nine” is quite symbolic in my novel as well as the significance of Krishna as my book pays homage to the Gita.

Overall, it is important to effectively communicate your expectations with your illustrator and understand the kind of output you will be getting for the price quoted by the illustrator.

Pothi.com: What is your advice to every aspiring writer who is hesitant to self-publish?

Traditional publishing is a dream avenue for many, but there are many roadblocks to it. For example, it can take months, or even years to get a solid response from a literary agent who can then pitch you to a leading publishing house. The turnaround is slow and you may lose out on the freshness of your story.

I would advise aspiring authors to develop their own brand by creating a blog/website/media page and posting engaging and quality content regularly to build an audience base. When their manuscript is ready, I would encourage them to hire a quality editor to refine their story. Once it is edited and ready for publishing, they can easily self-publish and market their book in their circle and social media handles. There are plenty of authors who have been picked up by traditional houses because of the success of their published work!

Many years ago, authors did not have such opportunities and they suppressed their dreams of becoming published authors. I would encourage every author to self-publish. The feeling of seeing my daughter reading my own book is priceless.

Pothi.com: What has your experience with Pothi.com been like?

Sakshi Sharma: The Pothi team have been instrumental in helping my fiction novel and children’s book become available for paperback printing in India. The Pothi website is extremely user-friendly and has easy-to-follow instructions. Whenever I had any queries and issues in uploading my files, the team responded quickly and addressed my concerns. They have a cool Cover Creator which helps any novice create/edit their own book cover. During this pandemic, I really wanted to launch Kismat and Karma and Maya Wants to Be a Baker for everyone to read and Pothi made that dream a reality for me. Highly recommend Pothi to all aspiring authors!

Pothi.com: Thanks so much Sakshi Sharma! We wish you luck on your publishing journey!

Catch us chatting with Sakshi Sharma on IG Live on Nov 25 at 4 pm IST! Our insta handle is pothidotcom.

Interview: Vivek Hattangadi- Author of Pharma Brand Management Books

It was World Pharmacist’s Day last week on September 25. We got an opportunity to speak with author Vivek Hattangadi, author of several pharma-brand  management books at the Pothi.com Store.

Photograph of Vivek Hattangadi

You can reach Vivek Hattangadi at vivekhattangadi@theenablers.org for brand management consulting, and training.

Pothi.com: You have been invested in the pharma field for several decades. Tell us how you decided to start writing books.

Vivek Hattangadi: That’s a very interesting question.

I have been inspired by my students and mentees.

Often after brick and mortar Learning and Development sessions, I was loaded with questions on email from my students. Some were very tough questions and I had to run to the British Library and rummage through the books from my small library at home, before I could respond satisfactorily.

On one occasion, my student from Kathmandu, Arpana Dangol, said, “Sir, when you write, you make even the complex topics so lucid and simple. Today, there are no books specific to pharma brand management. Why don’t you write one?”

I thought over this, started writing and even completed one:WHAT THE PHARMA CEO WANTS FROM THE BRAND MANAGER.

But who would publish it? That’s when I started looking for a publisher and learnt about self-publishing. And then Pothi.com.

I really loved the name पोथी which in Sanskrit has a lovely connotation. Since then, I have been using Pothi as my platform for self-publishing.

Pothi.com: You have published several books on our platform. What do you like about self-publishing?

Vivek Hattangadi: Oh! There are several things which I like, but the most important thing about Pothi is the high level of professionalism, integrity and even punctuality during normal times. I don’t have to look outside for copyediting, proofreading or formatting. All done under one roof.

I don’t have to worry about the logistics part too and availability on e-commerce sites.

And most importantly, Pothi is very cooperative and helpful.

Pothi.com: That’s really heartening to hear. Tell us about your writing routine.

Vivek Hattangadi: I wake up at ब्रह्ममूहूर्तम (Brahma muhurtam) and commence writing at 4.00 am continue till 6.30 am. That’s the time I can fully focus – totally undisturbed. And that’s the most suitable time to think.

Then by 9.30 am, I am back to my usual work. As my guides, two books are always on my tableside: Roget’s Thesaurus and the Oxford Dictionary. I rarely use online dictionaries.

Pothi.com: What should a writer remember while writing a non-fiction book?

Always try to make the copy conversational and articulate as a story. When you do this, you engage your readers.

Have plenty of case studies. That helps the readers in retaining what they have read.

Use simple language which even a 10-year-old can understand. Using jargon is a sin. That alienates you from the reader.

Avoid writing in the third person or else, you create a deep chasm between you and the readers.  Use the second person.

Pothi.com: What books have influenced you the most?

Vivek Hattangadi: Obvious Adams written way back in 1916 by Robert R Updegraff. The lessons in brand management are relevant even today.

Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilivy. To me it is like the Bible of advertising. Everything he has written is after thorough research. Anyone in advertising or brand management should internalize the lessons from this book.

The Copywriter’s Handbook by Robert Bly. It is a guide to copywriting, especially for the greenhorn writers. This is a book for everyone who writes and wants to enhance their writing skills.

Pothi.com: Tell us about the Covid impact on the pharma industry and on your pursuit of writing.

Since pharma produces drugs, many which are life-saving and boost immunity against viral infections, this industry hasn’t been affected significantly.

An interesting phenomenon during the lockdown period: strong brands became stronger because of accessibility, small brands suffered a lot. That’s a big lesson for pharma – invest in building brands.

Covid turned out to be a boon for me. I had to stop travel – which on an average used to be a fortnight every month. And there’s one book I completed in record time – 51 LESSONS FROM VIVEK HATTANGADI: PHARMA BRANDING, SALES AND LEADERSHIP – within less than three months of the lockdown.

Pothi.com: What are you working on now?

Currently, I am working on my seventh book DOCTORS AS BRAND ADVOCATES: Make Your Brand the Darling of Doctors and Patients.

In this book, in 21 steps (chapters) I have elaborated on Philip Kotlers’ thoughts on Human-to-Human Mindset (H2H Mindset). This forms the basis of the patient-centric approach in pharma marketing. Patient-centricity in marketing, which is a natural outgrowth H2H Marketing principles, will be the new marketing model for the 21st century.

Pothi.com: Our readers would love to hear you read an excerpt from one of your books.

Vivek Hattangadi: Sure! Here’s an audio clip from one of my books:

Pothi.com: Thanks so much for talking with us and sharing your delightful audio clip! Wish you all the best for your future projects!