So far, I have tasted the joy of publishing two books — “Narendra Modi Ka Nirman” and “Girne Mein Kya Harz Hai”. Both received tremendous love from readers.
Now you might be thinking, “Bhai Sahab, not even a year has passed, and here comes the third book too?”
Well, dear friends, it’s not exactly like that. Writing regularly for magazines and getting published is a different kind of ‘daily sadhna’, while publishing a book is a whole new battlefield. It demands your relentless effort, and a little kripa drishti from a third person too.
The first manuscript I prepared was completed during the lockdown era. It stayed in my cupboard for two years observing a silent maun vrat, and then spent another year undergoing tapasiya at the publisher’s office. No one’s fault really — perhaps, I was just a bit too “patient.”
Initially, I thought, “Let’s publish the next satire collection next year…” But then I remembered — World Book Fair is happening in February! And if something happens before that — soné pe suhaga!
So, without wasting time, I sent 51 pieces picked randomly from my stockpile of 200. The selection process was as random as kids grabbing chocolates on their birthdays.
Honestly speaking — every piece of writing is like a child; choosing among them feels like picking favorites among your own sons and daughters.
But, like a responsible parent, I polished wherever I found a scratch.
About 15 pieces had already been published on esteemed platforms like Hindi Samay, so after a little makeover, they too were included. For the rest, some surgery was done on grammar, sentence structures, and punctuation marks.
A heartfelt thanks to Bhavna Prakashan for accepting my manuscript. Publishing my first book with such a reputed platform was truly an enriching experience.
“Narendra Modi Ka Nirman” had a grand launch, inaugurated by Dr. Indrashekhar Tatpurush ji, former President of Rajasthan Sahitya Akademi.
“Girne Mein Kya Harz Hai” was released in the grand company of the country’s leading satirists at the World Book Fair —
and by God’s grace, almost every name you revere in satire blessed the event with their presence!
And now, coming to “Roses and Thorns” — my English-language satire collection.
The real inspiration behind it? My daughter, Anushka.
Every day, I would nudge her to read my writings, and in her innocent voice she would say, “Papa, I can’t understand Hindi… why don’t you write in English?”
That was enough spark for me.
But no, I didn’t simply run my work through Google Translate — else the soul of satire would have died a tragic death!
Some work I translated myself, some with the help of good translators —
always ensuring the essence stayed intact,
preserving the aroma of native Hindi expressions,
and leaving words like sadhna, tapasiya, kripa drishti untouched wherever they were irreplaceable.
Started publishing some English versions on platforms like Matrubharti, and was happy to see a warm response there too.
Anyway, after 10 years of blogging, digital publishing now feels almost like brewing a perfect cup of tea!
I prepared a final manuscript of 25 pieces and approached several publishers.
Some didn’t even bother to reply.
Some proposed, “Buy 100 copies and we’ll talk!”
Others offered the magical world of hybrid publishing — Gorakh Dhandha at its best!
At that point, I decided — either Traditional Publishing or Self-Publishing — no middle path!
Thus, I found Notion Press to be a promising platform.
I designed the cover myself. I handled the interior formatting too.
My little experience in digital designing and post-marketing came in handy.
And voilà — within ₹3000, the book was ready, including complimentary author copies, and got listed on Amazon, Flipkart, and Notion Press webstore!
Even better — international listings happened too!
Finding a collection of English satire is like finding a gulab blooming in a desert.
There are exceptions like George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, “1984”, and Dr. Gyan Chaturvedi’s “Mad House”, but largely the English world too is quite kanjoos when it comes to pure satire.
That’s why I thought — why not try to fill a little part of this emptiness?
Self-publishing demands hard work, but the peace it brings is unmatched — every aspect stays in your control:
daily book sale reports, royalty updates, full transparency — and most importantly, a boost of self-confidence!
Especially for authors like us who aren’t in the mad race for awards or titles but simply wish to reach the readers’ hearts. Big traditional houses have long waiting periods — and priority is often reserved for celebrity authors.