I cannot write in isolation. I write with people around me.
— Ravi Subramanian
I believe any fiction writer is inspired by real life.
One shouldn't say yes in desperation to the first publisher who approaches. New authors especially should wait and weigh their deal and agree only when they are sure that they have landed themselves a good offer.
When you write stories linking reality to a big storyline, people relate to it better.
You need to be the CEO of your own book.
Given my extensive background in foreign banks, writing about them came quite naturally to me. Thankfully, God has been kind to me.
There is some confusion in my mind whether to continue to write on banking or try newer pastures.
Books marketing has moved from the review culture to a preview culture.
It is almost impossible to win back a reader's loyalty once it's gone.
My understanding is that a book becomes a best seller only when it is pirated, sold on footpaths and at traffic lights.
When you write, you put your thoughts in the public space. You get both positive and negative feedback.
A self-confessed fan of Harlan Coben, I find it difficult to not read a new Harlan Coben novel the week it comes out.
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.
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 find writing to be a great stress-buster.
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'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.
Saying 'I am not interested in politics' is no guarantee that people will leave you alone. The politically-inclined will single you out as a soft target and go after you.
Generally, people who crib about corporate politics are, more often than not, those who've played the game but lost it.
It is important to send your work to as many publishers as possible. For every one publisher who may show interest in your work, there will be at least five who will reject you.
If you are careful about the content and writing style, readers will not feel that you are in a hurry.
A writer must experiment with genres. Otherwise, it is a restriction on the craft.
After my first book, I figured that since it was successful, I wanted to continue things better.
With social media, one can target the audience and reach out to the segment in a very precise, cost-effective manner.
Kids who read are bright.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
One can become drab, dull, and boring doing the same thing every day. Writing helps break the monotony.
In India, we don't read thrillers; we read authors.
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.
A lot of things that I write about have happened to people around me, if not necessarily to me or in the organizations I've worked in. Having said that, it's fiction and has a lot to do with my imagination and creativity.
While a lot of management development books try to teach you a lesson or give you a scenario of what corporate culture and work practices are about, they're theoretical and written in a sermonizing way. Most people don't get past the first chapter, and they just look nice on the bookshelf.
I keep saying my books don't have superheroes. They have ordinary people in extraordinary situations.
You don't have to be a criminal to write about fraud!
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.
I always felt that one needs to be remembered long after one has gone.
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.
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.
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.
In fiction, if people like one of your books, they tend to pick up your other books as well.
I firmly believe that there is no better thriller writer than Harlan Coben.
The first draft is usually junk. You have to work on it seven to eight times.
I'm probably one of the few authors in this country who could very comfortably live off my writing.
If I did not have a de-stresser such as writing novels, I would lose focus at work.
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.
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?
