If somebody says that they want to write a book but do not know what to write about, they will never write a book.
Ravi Subramanian
Given my extensive background in foreign banks, writing about them came quite naturally to me. Thankfully, God has been kind to me.
There's a market for fiction based on financial services. People wanted me to write stories based on this sector. There's a gap in the market, and I'm trying to fill it.
If you have sold the film rights to somebody, take your money and leave. If the producers need you, they will call you. But you have to be careful about who you are selling your book to, and ensure that it is not tampered with.
I can write in my living room with my wife and kid around.
I get to office early at about 8 A.M., and I'm back home by 6 to write.
People think writing is a very distinguished, cerebral thing, where all you do is write. It doesn't work that way. People have to see online promotions, see piles of your book in stores, and you have to make sure the guy recommends it!
The problem with most of the want-to-be authors is that they are unable to focus. Either they have no idea of where to begin, or they have hundreds of ideas and don't know which one to pick. Both scenarios leading to one result... they give up even before they start.
I believe Bitcoin is a very convenient way to shop and to transfer money to any account around the world. Governments should work around a framework for the currency instead of putting restrictions on it.
Corporate career is like my wife, and writing is my girlfriend. My priority is the first but enjoy doing the second, as I have taken to writing as a stress-beater.
I believe if you've written a book, you have to stand up and say, 'Guys, buy the book.'
A misconception that exists in the eyes of the general reading population is that authors make truckloads of money.
At times, parents foist their own choices on kids and try to get them to read the classics. But kids have very high filters and don't take to it. At other times, parents simply don't know what books to select for their children and end up giving books that aren't appropriate.
There is a certain amount of intrigue that gets created by revealing portions of the book and, in the process, generating a certain amount of interest. Often, authors do this by releasing a few chapters online or even releasing film-like trailers.
Bitcoin is complex: the entire private and public key issue, the transfers, the mining of bitcoins... but if you tell it as fiction, people would understand and remember.
If a reader likes a particular author, they keep reading all his books, and if the supply is not kept up, then the reader shifts his loyalties.
Generally, people who crib about corporate politics are, more often than not, those who've played the game but lost it.
The opportunity to create wealth in foreign banks exists only in the investment banking space. Working in a local company teaches you to think long term.
I would like to implore all the governments of the world to come together to form a protocol to regulate virtual currency.
An author needs to be in the market. He or she needs to come out with a new book every year. That keeps you alive in the public mind and gives a push to your older books.
My favourite authors are Jeffrey Archer, for his story telling skills; John Grisham, for the completely new genre he created; and James Patterson, for the way he created a new business model out of writing.
If evil wins in a Bollywood film, it is bound to flop. A lot of people here want to change society, so they like to read about it being changed. And that means good usually triumphs.
In India, we don't read thrillers; we read authors.
If I did not have a de-stresser such as writing novels, I would lose focus at work.
Books should be both enlightening and entertaining.
I had, at a point in time, decided not to write on the corporate world. But if people expect me to set stories in a work environment, then why go away from it?
It is almost impossible to win back a reader's loyalty once it's gone.
I've always wanted to write, but coming from a small-town background - I was born and brought up in Ludhiana - you think you're not the kind of literary person who will write books that will sell. There was always a kind of defensiveness in me.
In Indian companies, people aren't too worried about the pace of growth as long as you're setting up a business which will survive for years.
I find writing to be a great stress-buster.
One can become drab, dull, and boring doing the same thing every day. Writing helps break the monotony.
To make time for writing, one has to take time out from somewhere. Obviously, a fair amount of time that you spend with the family gets compromised. But my family has been very understanding and supportive.
I'm probably one of the few authors in this country who could very comfortably live off my writing.
I enjoy writing and promoting my books. I enjoy the feedback. But all this is because I don't depend on it commercially. I don't need that money. I have a career.
The first draft is usually junk. You have to work on it seven to eight times.
A self-confessed fan of Harlan Coben, I find it difficult to not read a new Harlan Coben novel the week it comes out.
I firmly believe that there is no better thriller writer than Harlan Coben.
A thriller needs to hold the interest of the reader from the very beginning. It needs to engage with them, hold them in rapt attention, and prevent them from putting down the book.
When you write, you put your thoughts in the public space. You get both positive and negative feedback.
In fiction, if people like one of your books, they tend to pick up your other books as well.
My understanding is that a book becomes a best seller only when it is pirated, sold on footpaths and at traffic lights.
Kids who read are bright.
Books marketing has moved from the review culture to a preview culture.
With social media, one can target the audience and reach out to the segment in a very precise, cost-effective manner.
There is some confusion in my mind whether to continue to write on banking or try newer pastures.
I always felt that one needs to be remembered long after one has gone.
After my first book, I figured that since it was successful, I wanted to continue things better.
A writer must experiment with genres. Otherwise, it is a restriction on the craft.
You need to be the CEO of your own book.
You don't have to be a criminal to write about fraud!
