In Conversation with Author Sonia Kundra Singh

Welcome Sonia! It’s an honor to have you on my blog “Things in Black N White”. To begin, can you tell us a bit about your writing style?

 Thank you. There are really no rules as to how to write. The language is supposed to flow, no careless use of sentences and no overuse of literary words that belonged to the era of Jane Austen. I like freestyle writing yet with I use it with caution, making sure that my readers have a pleasant time without having to take out their dictionaries. 

 How much does Indian readers loves Romance genre? How is your debut novel accepted by the crowd so far? 

 I think Indian readers are romantics by heart. And with the onset of Mills and Boons, I see copies flying everywhere. Love Me In The End is well liked by the young audience of mine and also inspiring those who are still searching for love in an arranged marriage. 

 Tell us in brief about your journey so far. What you learned and how you implemented it?

 It’s exciting to have your book in your hands once it’s published and it is not entirely an easy process if you are a first time writer. It’s always a struggle whenever you want your book out whether it’s the first or the second. Each time you are assessed and measured by the way you write and how you write it. Even if you are not putting your best foot forward, believe in yourself because you are the best judge of your writing. 

 Which is your favorite character in “Love me in the end”? 

 ‘Amitab Melhera’, the father of the heroine is so far my favorite character. I loved writing about him, highlighting the mistakes he didn’t know he was committing and all the while loving his daughter with all his heart. I have a weakness for interfering dads.

 After “Love me in the end”, what are the upcoming projects? Do you plan to write for different genre? 

 I am coming up with my second novel soon. It’s already under process and titled Love Me Like A Gentleman. It’s a romance again. I definitely plan to combine romance with thriller sometime very soon. Chik Lit is another genre I would like to explore. 

 After the first novel’s success, readers’ expectation grows. How are you planning to catch up with your readers’ expectation in next novel? 

 The first novel is always a testing phase to see if your readers like the way you write and it boosts your confidence further when it’s well liked as well. You cannot force a reader to buy your book unless they like the story. It’s a risk you have a take as a writer. My second novel is more on a sensitive side of people struggling with themselves as to what is right and what is wrong.

 Anything you want to say to your readers? 

 I just want to say that they have given me a lot of encouragement and love so far. I hope to continue making romance a very reality in your lives. Keep reading me!

Some more about Love me in the end :

A fanatically devoted father, a headstrong daughter and a devious rake make their way into the world of an arranged marriage, which is a sham. It was going to be the perfect match according to the father, but Ria was impulsive and Arman hated being tied to a girl he had never seen before. Ria was determined to put up a fight to the end and Arman, guided by his instincts, did not offer any help but to desire her with his heart. Could Arman convince her that he was the one for Ria?


To know more about Sonia, please visit her official website : http://www.soniakundra.com/

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My experience to share with budding new authors

First of all, I would like to thank to a wonderful group BRL on facebook for taking initiative in helping the new budding authors to find the path in fulfilling their dreams. I am a new author, still finding my way to achieve my dreams and laid targets. I may not be the right person to help the new author, but I would do my best in giving away basic information. By basic information, I also mean important information, which every new author should be aware of.

So, following are the questions which came to my mind and I am sure every budding author has it.

Step 1: Are you planning to write the book, but still the plot is unclear?
Wait until you come up with good plot. I feel story should come from heart and author should not write for just the sake of writing. This is because a good plot is one which is your main selling pitch.

Step 2: Are you in writing stage of your novel?
Get the chapters reviewed by your close friends (one who read good amount of novels) or request few fellow authors to review it and give their honest views so that you can improve by time.
Do not upload these chapters on blog or on any public media. It’s not safe to do so. Circulate it among the trustworthy people only.

Step 3: Done with the novel...Now what?
Proof read your first draft and try to eliminate as much as grammatical mistakes and spelling mistakes you can. Some might opt for professional editing which cost around 4000-5000 (can vary from editor’s service). As an alternative, if you have a friend or relative who is doing English literature or has done PhD can help you in editing. Point is to make your manuscript look professional and error free. Goal is to impress the publishers.

Step 4: How to approach publishers?
Go to each and every publisher’s website and check for their instructions in submitting the “Book Proposal”. Every publisher has different requirements. Some ask for ‘Synopsis + any 3 sample chapters + author’s detail’ while some ask for ‘Synopsis + First 3 sample chapters + author’s detail + chapter wise explanation of novel’.
In all this, what I have experienced is that the synopsis is the main selling pitch of the novel, as it describes your plot. Refer to step no 1.
The synopsis should be just one page long and it should describe your plot in this one page. (Get the synopsis check by the reviewers before shooting mails to publishers.)

Step 5: I have sent the book proposal. What now?
The publishers take at least 3-4 weeks of time to respond to your book proposal. Two things can happen:
1. They like your proposal and will ask you to send your manuscript for further evaluation. If they like your manuscript based on their own criteria, they will give you offer. Cheers!!!
2. They will reject your proposal. Cheers!! Now you are free to go to another publisher.

Just one thing I would like to mention here ‘Do not lose hope and believe in your work’. Rejections are common and very necessary for your success. So, be happy you are getting rejected.

Well, this was my experience, as right now I am still in my journey in pursuing my dream. I had many friends who guided me well – Kunal Bharadwaj, Nisha Arppit, Abhishek Bose, Ankit Lal. Hope this post will help few new authors or willing to be authors in their journey.

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