I Love Books

I take it that you are a new self-published author or one who is thinking of self-publishing books. You must have heard of platforms that help you create an ebook and also distribute it. There are two types, standalone and aggregators.  Amaozon KDP (=Kindle Direct Publishing) platform is the most popular stand-alone book creator and distributor. The books are produced through the KDP while they are distributed across the world through the Amazon's marketplace. There are dozens of other book/ ebook creation and distribution platforms such as Barnes & Noble , Lulu , and so on. Book distribution aggregators named below supply books to these stand-alone book distributors also. ebook distributors, aggregators The ones that distribute books and ebooks to other distributors are better called aggregators. There are many well-known ones. In different countries, there are local aggregators too. Their core activity is like wholesalers who  distribute the book to actual sellers and t...

E-books have become very popular across the globe, especially in developed countries and countries with a big population reading in English/ Roman scripts.  The following factors have contributed to popularity of e-books: Easy publications of e-books through Amazon and scores of other self-publishing platforms  The ease of compiling, purchasing and reading on e-book readers such as Kindle and Kobo book reader (also their desktop versions) Readability of electronic books in different formats including PDF Availability of a huge number of electronic books through libraries, Project Gutenberg, free and discounted book distribution platforms, author websites/ blogs and free PDF books (mostly unauthorized, but with big collections) However, if you thought that e-books have run over the traditional book publishing industry, you are wrong. And, it is not an impression but a hard fact. Look at the figures given by Statista about book purchases in some major book consuming countries. P...

How to use foreign words in English? Should we italicize them? Do we need to give meaning of foreign words beside them or in the footnote? Such question often comes in the mind of authors whose fiction is set in a location where English is not the main language or some characters cannot speak English. The rules for legal or other formal non-fiction writings are clear: such words are explained either at the place where the word first appears or in the footnote or at the end of the article/ book. In the case of fiction, there is no clear-cut rule, because writers, readers and style experts differ widely about what they think as the best way out. For my next novel, Revenge , which is set in Hindi hinterland of India, I did some research. I checked many style-sheets and then tried to pick up the most logical and practical ideas. I am sharing these with authors who need to use foreign expressions in their novels or stories. Some find that italicizing, except a very rare word, leads to alien...

Glad to announce that The illusion , my fantasy novel, is now available on many ebook stores besides being available already on Amazon as paperback and Kindle ebook . The universal book link is here: The illusion fantasy novel on ebook stores   The stores on which the ebook is available are: Angus & Robertson Apple books Baker & Taylor Barnes & Noble Bibliotheca Bol.de Kobo Nook OverDrive Scribd Thalia Tolino Vivlio

 When you put your life in danger in order to save the city from a terror attack... You do that on earth, and follow it in a world that mirrors the earth. When you have succeeded, you take a vow to never do that again! What? Are you in your senses? "Yes," say the wise men. At the end, you lose nothing but a pair of shoes, because the ultimate monitor passes your intentions and your actions. For real action, visit here:  The illusion

This post is addressed to new fiction writers, the self-publishing lot, who do not have an agent and a traditional publisher behind them. Since I have facility with Gimp, the Photoshop alternative, and have composed a number of book covers and other art pieces, I can help you with second opinion on a book cover you have already created troubleshooting if you are stuck with a wrong size or quality of book cover that Amazon etc are not accepting guidance on placement of elements, their comparative sizing, etc on the cover minor tweaks to the cover Since I am myself a self-published author, I will not charge anything for such 'minor' help. After all, it is not a Fiverr job! You are welcome!

Today I created a mockup for my new fantasy fiction book, The illusion. It took me just  5 minutes to check which one I liked, out of many offered free on this website. It comes out so good, isn't it. I tried another website but that made the spine too thick for the size of this book. This is free. Will like to donate once I make some money out of the book. Photoshop would have taken a few hours and a 'professional' 3D design maker would have taken at least $50.  

  Topsy-turvy!  The world can turn upside down even as you plan a trek with your friends. But your actions in the other world save you, and the real world!  This is the beauty of The illusion .