Feedback....Always be Humble enough to Listen

It feels great to be back writing my blog, sharing my writing experiences after a gap of four months. A lot of interesting things happened during this time which kept me overly occupied and away from blogging. I though still remain very active on my other social networks ie Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. So those who wish to interact with me more often, know my views on various current topics or just be aware of what I am currently doing, can always follow me there. All details are mentioned on my first blog.


I am extremely pleased to announce that my first book It Happens has been picked up by Srishti Publishers, one of the top 5 Publishers in India. It took me nearly a month and a half to understand and finalise my first book contract and I am so happy and excited that I finally managed to do it. During this interim period I realised that if the book has to go to the next level, that if I as an author was to go to the next level, it was important for me to listen to the incredible feedback I received on the book from the readers and make my story even better.


My book was primarily being sold as an ebook with paperback books sold only through Amazon, contributing 5% of the total sales. As per my new contract with Srishti, I had to delist the book and by the time I did, I had crossed the figure of 1500 sales / downloads of my book within a period of seven months. I had 85+ reviews/ratings on Amazon and 110+ on Goodreads. All these figures make me proud of what I managed to achieve especially when a book in India sells on an average less than 2000 copies in its lifetime.



I feel It Happens as a book has a long way to go in fulfilling its potential. This is where the tie up with a name like Srishti Publishers is so important for me and the book. Their network will give me the bandwidth to be available across majority of the bookstores and digital stores across the country. It is one thing writing your story in the confines of your home on your laptop and another to ensure that the reading audience ultimately finds it. I will always be grateful to Srishti and Arup Bose for giving me this amazing opportunity.


In January 2018 I went to see the World Book Fair which is annually held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. It was my first time ever to a book fair of this size and I was simply amazed by the enthusiasm of the crowd there. I went on a friday and majority of the stalls were packed with avid readers. For me first hand experiencing the passion of readers there was incredible.



When I published It Happens on 21st September through the self publishing format which was done through Notion Press, I was in a hurry due to my lack of patience in wanting to quickly experience the happiness of turning an author and have a book on sale in Amazon. I was so keen to read reviews and check my book ranking that I would keep refreshing my Amazon page at least 50 times a day. Still remember the elation I felt when I got my first 4 star rating on Goodreads. Couldn’t wipe out the smile from my face that day.


So when my book was being picked by Srishti and to be made available across India, I knew I had to listen to all the feedback that I received over the last seven months, be it good, bad or negative and ensure my book becomes an incredible experience for the reader. It took me 4-6 weeks to re-edit my book, make the language better and more polished, plug certain gaps and the end product was that I ended up adding another 6000 words to the first edition, making it now a 43000 word book.



Whenever you enter a creative field and put your work out in the open, you have to be ready for receiving both positive and negative feedback. Many people don’t publish their stories in this fear itself that their bubble of self confidence might burst if they get too much criticism.

First and foremost you should have confidence in your own ability and belief in the story and characters that you have written. If you have this, the rest you can take in your stride.

There would rarely be a book or a movie which would not have received negative reviews from anyone. Everyone reads a book with their own perspective, their own logics and hence will have their own view about your story. However majority feedback has to be positive to ensure that the book is a success and the reader has got his or her money’s worth.


When I started assessing It Happens for the step up, there were two aspects to it, first and foremost the storyline and second language and the presentation.

The Positives :

Everyone loved the age gap factor of the relationship especially with woman being the elder by 12 years. It’s a theme which has rarely been written or presented especially in the Indian context. Thus being a different concept in romance, it made the readers love the storyline.

The flow of the story was appreciated. The book starts with the couple already in love and debating the next step in their relationship rather than the cliched way of the man and woman meeting each other and then falling in love. The pace of the book and the characters everyone loved, especially the interaction between Gautam and Rohit. The fact that readers pitied Payal and even considered Roshni as a grey character, showed the passion brought out in the readers by the characters.


The negatives :

The romance between Roshni and Gautam was shown less, thereby reader felt a little less connection between the couple. The emotional and physical side of their relationship was not explored much.

Given the Indian context of the storyline, Gautam’s parents agreeing quickly for the marriage without showing any debate was a let down for many. Indian parents can’t be so easy going.

Similarly relatives or society in general talking negative about the relationship was missing as the readers wanted to have a debate on the practicality of this kind of bond.

The story did not have enough sadness and trauma which generally life has.


How I responded to the above aspects in the new edition of the book and my opinion on them, we will dwell in the next blog which should be up within 2 weeks. Stay tuned.