Rose Garg is the new writer round the block, yet there’s something different about her. Instead of getting her book published by a celebrity and all the marketing strategies that go with it, Rose chose to publish her book on Kindle. But, that’s not how her journey began.
Rose says she “has been reading ever since I can remember. Also wrote poems and short stories as a child. I believe that as everyone is born with some talent -- cooking, baking, organising – I am gifted with the talent of writing.”
Being a voracious reader, her favourite authors are Arthur Conan Doyle, Joseph Conrad, Guy de Maupassant, Rabindranath Tagore, O Henry, Jack London, Fyodor Dostoevsky. “My book is my way to pay tribute to all the people that I have read. I wish I can write a little bit like them someday with more depth and soul to it.” That’s how her book, A Moments Indulgence: A Collection of Short Stories written in narrative prose, came to be. It has 10 stories set in various parts of the world.
The beauty of Kindle is that my book is released all over the world. You cannot fool the reader today.
Like many writers, she too dreamed of making it big and once her collection of short stories was ready, she knocked on the doors of many publishing houses for years. “They were apprehensive about short stories. As I was waiting for them to respond, I realised that if I did not do anything about it I may lose all hope to write. That’s when I got to know about Kindle publishing. Their self-publishing platform gives me full control over the entire process and it is fully transparent with no middlemen. How Amazon treats my book is purely based on its performance and not on whether I am an established author or not. The good news is they have started publishing Indian authors now.”
Does she regret not having a formal book launch? “I thought about what was more important for me? Is it me getting a book published or to get people to read what I write? Kindle is a blessing in disguise. Then I thought why not try it. Knocking the doors of publishers would amount to more knocking and not writing. So I decided to use this platform.”
Rose is already working on her second book, again a collection of short stories because “it’s my forte and I believe I have a knack for writing it. I also believe that the world today prefers to talk in tweets and vines. A short story can squeeze in somewhere between the packed schedules of people - while commuting or with a cup of coffee.”
She says that she will continue to sell on Kindle and her book has received five star reviews online. She is thrilled and adds: “The beauty of Kindle is that my book is released all over the world. You cannot fool the reader today. You can have the biggest marketing strategy but if your book lacks content then you are not going to be successful. When you sell on Kindle, it gives my book the advantage of being on the same page as Jeffrey Archer, which may not happen in a bookstore.”
Any regrets about not having people touch your book physically? “I am a child of the 21 century. People adapt themselves to technology, which is making the world smaller. And we have to cater to this world. With kindle, my book is available at your fingertips.”
Her e-book will be available for free till May 7 on Amazon.
