Interview with author Mainak Dhar
I recently got in contact with Indian born Indy author Mainak Dhar. Although calling him an Indy author, besides the strange unintentional double entendre behind the term, may not be entirely fair. In his native India Mainak Dhar is a fairly well established author who has been published by Random House. However, I came across his work on Amazon.com as an independently published science fiction writer. What immediately caught my interest was how well written his books were and how clear and visual his language was. Reading one of Dhar's books is like sitting through an action movie.
Today I had the rare honor of interviewing Mainak Dhar about his breakthrough into American publishing via the strange backdoor route of Indy and self publishing.
Me [Tristan]: I
first came into contact with your work during my research for my upcoming
resurrection thriller called Bitten. I read through two zombie books you had
written, Alice
in Deadland (great title by the way), and Zombiestan.
After reading them on my kindle I went online and ordered the paperback
editions to have on my bookshelf alongside Patient
Zero by Jonathan Maberry and World
War Z by Max Brooks. I definitely rank your zombie books with the
best of them. So I really do appreciate you taking the time to do this
interview. Thank-you.
Mainak
Dhar: Tristan, thanks for having me on your blog. Before saying anything
about myself or my work, let me say that your novel Bitten sounds exciting. The little that I've read shows a lot of
promise and I wish you huge success with it.
1) My first question is: what
compelled you to write a zombie book in the first place?
* I
have always enjoyed post apocalyptic fiction, because it really forces us to
confront what things would be like if all the usual rules and norms that make
for 'civilized' society disappear. I've been a keen student of history and if
there's anything history teaches us it is that our civilized veneer is at best
a thin layer, which often enough is peeled back to reveal the savagery and
cruelty we're capable of. For a writer, that makes for rich territory, to
showcase both the cruelty we're capable of, and yet paint a picture of how even
in such desperate conditions, we can discover hope. Zombies for me were a way
of bringing that message to life, and as you would have seen in both Zombiestan and Alice in Deadland, I try and treat zombies a bit differently than
just mindless brain eating monsters- but almost a metaphor for the evil we
ourselves are capable of unleashing, and in both cases, created by us as a
direct outcome of our hate for fellow men.
2) You write mainly science fiction.
What attracts you to the world of science fiction?
*
I've always had an active (my parents would say overactive) imagination,
including going through a year in school with an imaginary friend. Science
Fiction allows me to give full reign to that, and take leaps into sometimes
fantastic directions instead of being weighed down by everyday reality.
3) Why did you decide to self publish
on Amazon.com? What benefits do you get with self publishing this way that you
wouldn't typically get with a mainstream publisher?
* I
have been widely published in India
by the big traditional publishers including Random House and Penguin, but for
an unknown author who doesn't even live in the US,
getting a break into the US
market is very tough. Amazon allowed me to reach American (and other
international readers) directly with my work instead of spending months or
years pursuing agents and publishers in vain. I was also really inspired by some
of the pioneers like Konrath and many of the great folks over at Kindleboards
like Bob Mayer, Dave Dalglish, Michael Wallace, Deb Geary and others, as their
experiences showed me just what was possible in self publishing. The big
advantages are for me flexibility, autonomy and the ability to really create
one's own connection with readers without being at the mercy of gatekeepers.
The economics also make it a no-brainer given how slow some of the Big 6 have
been in really embracing ebooks. Having now spent exactly a year self
publishing on Amazon, I am really glad I went down this path.
4) As a follow up to the previous
question, do you think there is a downside to self publishing? If so what
exactly?
*
It's not really a downside, but there is the added responsibility of having to
take care of aspects beyond just writing eg. Design, promotion. However, to be
candid, even for a traditionally published mid list author (as I was), you are
expected to carry a lot of the freight of promotion. I actually enjoy managing
the business aspects as it allows me to have end to end control over my work
and honestly do more to promote my work than any publisher would perhaps have.
Also over time, you realize that you form strong connections with designers (I
must give a shout out to Glendon Haddix at Streetlight Graphics who's simply
awesome), editors and other who can support you in bringing your work to life,
and it becomes much easier.
5) From reading your bio on your
author page, I see you have a family too. How many hours do you typically get
in a week at the keyboard writing?
* I
have a family and a full time day job, so time is certainly at a premium. What
I do is take out 30-45 minutes every evening when I do nothing but write. Also
I travel a bit in my job and I am very disciplined about not wasting time on
flights watching movies etc. Instead I get huge chunks of writing done on
flights, in hotels etc. In fact, am typing this as I sit in an airplane some
30,000 feet above the sea on my way back to India for a short break. Also, my
family is a big pillar of support, which always helps. My wife, Puja has been
amazing right from the time I amassed 70 rejection slips for my first novel and
really taught me the power of positive thinking, which is essential for any writer.
Our son, Aaditya, is about to turn four, and he loves seeing my books with my
photo on the back. Of course, he keeps complaining that Daddy's books don't
have any pictures in them like his storybooks. In my novel Vimana, I named the lead character Aaditya and you should have seen
his eyes when I told him Aaditya would be flying a rocket ship in my story.
6) I see that your father is a
prolific writer as well. Is his influence what inspired you to become a writer
or did you cultivate the love of writing independently of your father's
success?
* My
father's is a pretty inspiring story in itself. He began life as a journalist
and teacher, but then went to work for the Government for 30 years and totally
lost touch with that side of himself. He took up writing after retirement; his
first novel was published at the age of 58, and he's now a bestselling author
in India.
I actually was published before my father and encouraged him to write after his
retirement, both to rediscover his old love and also to help cope with the loss
of my mother, which actually was also a big catalyst for me writing at the pace
I do- one of my last promises to her was that no matter what, I would keep
writing. So we probably share the same writing bug (or gene, if there is such a
thing), and in our own ways, we perhaps inspire each other.
7) What, in your opinion, is the
hardest aspect of writing?
* For
me, its getting that initial 'spark' or big idea and figuring out what is
really a big idea that will connect with readers and what is not. Once I have
that, I am usually pretty quick to flesh it out. Inspiration strikes in
different forms, and that's what makes the creative process, while hard, so
much fun. For Zombiestan, the name
suddenly occurred to me one day and it sounded so cool that I began crafting
ideas around it. For Alice in Deadland,
the inspiration came when I saw a painting someone had done of Alice carrying a gun. One
thing led to another, and the idea was born.
8) From beginning to end, how
long does it usually take you to develop a story line, create the characters,
write a book, edit it, and then finish it?
*
Creating the storyline, characters, broad sketch of the idea usually takes me a
couple of weeks at best, and sometimes much longer. The writing process is more
predictable. As I said, I am a bit of a maniac when it comes to discipline in
terms of writing, and I average at least 750-1000 words a day. At that pace
(and with occasional spikes while traveling), the first draft takes around two
months. Then I usually give it a break for a few days, think of new ideas, and
also read new books in my genre to keep my mind fresh, and then come back to it
with fresh eyes for editing, which can take another month or more depending on
the rework needed.
9) Do you plan to write more
zombie novels in the future or are you going to try different things?
* Up
next is the sequel to Alice in Deadland,
and then a collection of shorts that serve as the prequel. Once I release them
(and an omnibus combining all three), I plan to give zombies a break for a
while and work on another idea I have sitting on my iPad.
10) Do you have any advice for
aspiring authors out there, or any tricks of the trade, such as getting
noticed, which you'd like to share?
1)
Don't obsess with the 'how', focus on the 'what'. I see too many people start
obsessing about how to promote, how to use social media, building up fan bases
etc...all of that is important, but it all starts with having a strong book.
Write the best you can, have a great cover, write a sharp blurb, and then take
it from there.
2)
When it comes to ebooks, time is on your side. Unlike a bricks and mortar
store, you won't be taken off the shelf if you fail at first, so remember it's
a long term game and play it accordingly. Keep writing- if you do nothing else,
keep writing. If one book fails, cry, mope, drink or whatever you need to do to
get over it, and then start on the next book by learning from your experience
on what you could have done better. Don't lose hope if you don't see the
success you want early on, and don't get complacent if you do. Always look at those who are doing better
than you and have the humility to learn from them. I sold 118 copies in my
first month on Amazon which was Feb 2011, earning just over $30. It was a dose
of reality, but I kept at it, writing more, learning how to get better, and
looking for inspiration to a number of folks I've met at the Kindleboards
forums, many of whom have seen amazing success. In Jan 2012, I had more than
35000 paid downloads, and you know what? It doesn't make me feel 'successful'
or complacent. I just raise my bar and keep looking at people like Konrath,
Crouch, Mayer, Geary, Dalglish, Wallace and many more and remind myself that my
journey is still only just beginning.
Me: Although
this concludes this session, I am really looking forward to more stuff from you
and I wish you continued success! Thanks for taking the time to do
the interview, it's certainly been a pleasure chatting with you.
Mainak:
Thanks, Tristan. I am a firm believer in the idea of paying it forward, and I'm
very thankful for everything I have and grateful to all those I've learned
from. I would love to help any new writer in any way I can, and my own little
piece of real estate in cyberspace is mainakdhar.com. If you're beginning your own
writing journey and think I could help in any possible way, just get in touch.
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