Interview with Abhinav Verma
Abhinav Verma
Designer, Author, Musician,
Traveller, Acoustic Consultant
www.abenav.com
Q1. Please share your educational and professional journey with us?
Hi, It all started long back when I was preparing for engineering college entrance examinations and I kept failing. I did not get good college. That is when I realized that for me as person to grow, freedom is very important. I can just be a mediocre if I don’t get my freedom. I left home with my parents consent and rest is history. I became a DJ then sound engineer and now I work as an Acoustic consultant. But it hasn’t been an easy ride as it looks. Also I did my masters in Acoustics from Manchester to gain more experience and it paid well.
Q2. You are a Book Designer and have a great experience. What do you think before design any page for a book? Do you read a book before design pages and cover?
Absolutely Yes. It’s the first thing I do as soon I get the script. You wont believe that I am not a good reader. Its just I love it now. That’s how nature changes the person. It makes you do, which you don’t like and make you start loving it.
Every genre has a different audience, and it demands different interior design, font selection, formatting and even the way of writing. And then cover has to be in sync with the title of the book too. It is my passion too and that is why I spend enormous amount of time on one book. That is why I work with one client at any given time.
Book designing is still a very alien concept and people wonder that do they really need it. Its like a bought a home and you start living. Now you of course do some interior designing. Fancy curtains, decent looking wardrobe finishes, door colors, wall paint. And you do it because you have to live in it. Same goes for the book. It is your house of thoughts. It’s a very personal thing and trust me it doesn’t cost a bomb to add some design concepts in the book. Any publisher can do it but vanity publishing is all about business and that’s where self publishing comes handy.
Q3. How do you help any newcomer to become an Author and in self publishing a Book?
Sometimes I get a call and people inquire about book publishing, saying that they are still finishing the script. But they don’t call back and then they approach me after few months for publishing. Problem is that lot of people need that push to finish writing their scripts and they lack that motivation. Sometimes, people approach me to help in writing and I do that. I don’t do hand holding but I keep sharing success stories of my other authors with them, to keep them motivated or sometimes if they are out of topics or stories for their book.
Once they finish writing, its all on me. They just sit back and keep giving me some more content as I ask. Because when a writer submit the script, it is mostly in a blog form and its my job to convert it into a book. It takes usually 1-2 weeks to publish from there if they provide me all the information and content on time.
I am telling you, its quite easy to be an author these days and anyone can do it. Self publishing is always free. I charge fees to prepare the book ready for self publishing.
Q4. Which is the best strategy to promote any Book organically?
Talk about it and keep talking about it. I sold 1000 copies of Omoide because I could connect to the book, it is about me, my stories, my ups and downs. SO, when you could relate to your book, you will find it easy to speak about it from heart and that’s what consumers crave for. Heart felt stories never go unheard. So if you want to promote your book, make sure
- You have enough stories in the book to which you can relate.
- Keep talking about it in podcasts, interviews, friends meet up and where not.
- Always collab with other service providers and give a free ebook copy to potential clients as a joining bonus. You don’t know where one Ebook can take you.
Q5. People see Book Writing as a main source of Passive Income after a great success of Kindle and Online Book Store platform like Amazon and many more. How do you see this new scenario of earning?
If you look at Highest paid authors, may it be J K Rowling or Stephen king, they all started low and were very consistent. Like 2 books were published in a year and for many years. And they never stopped it until they became best seller. But you gotta hang there as a best seller and that could be challenging.
And it doesn’t stop there. Lot of the books were adapted for the movie and that’s where lot of money comes in. Also they do lot of public speaking, it is as well their major source of income.
I say if you really want to make money from the books, write for 1-Children and 2- Fiction. They sell crazy.
Listening to what I said, you cannot take it as main source of income in the beginning, but with time and consistency in performance, you will be paid that you don’t have to do any other job. Why not!
Q6. Which one thing do you want to change in yourself and why?
It might sound arrogant but I don’t think there is anything which I would like to change in me. Whatever I am today, is because of who I was in the past and looks like it was a good journey so far.
But yea it could have been better, if I were more patient. I am very impatient to whatever it comes and sometimes it bounces back even till date and reminds me that go slow.
Q7. You are a Designer, Author, Traveller, Musician at a same time. Which one do you like most and why?
Why I have to choose one! I love all of them. You forgot to mention ‘Acoustic consultant’😀. I always believe that one should do what they like and also they should have a job or business which makes them wealthy. Without this balance, you will start hating your passion no matter how much you loved it. And without passion in life, you will start hating your business or job no matter how much wealth it generates.
Balance is a key!
Q8. Tell us about one of the moments which changed your perspective towards life?
12 years ago, I was in Goa with my dad. He had some meetings, and I went along with him. I was jobless then, finished my studies, spent lot of my parent’s money and been trying to get this first break. It did not happen. And then same day, when I was in Goa, I got the call from a company in Bangalore. They said that they want to meet me and see the future prospects. I got excited that atleast I got one call. I told my parents that I got the job and they got me arranged everything.
Fast forward, I knew that now I am in Bangalore with a rented room for which my dad is paying, and I have been called for interview. I might get a job or may not. But my parents are already thinking that I got the job. And with all that running in mind, I reached his office at 9.05 am. I still remember the time. Suddenly he had to leave, and he asked me to wait till evening when he comes back. I really wanted to get it over but see how nature tests your patience. All that while, I did not eat anything. Watchman gave me some water and that’s all I had. I think those 6-7 hours, I was restless and they changed my life forever.
I knew in back of my mind that If I don’t get this job, I will have to compromise my passion for Acoustics and music and that is why, it was very important and crucial for me to get the job. I told myself that no matter what happens, I need this job. 5.30 PM and he arrived. He called me up. He looked at my profile which had nothing much to stare but he still did. May be he was thinking, that how can be say No to me. And he tried but I was stubborn, I knew I have to convince him and I did.
That day I realized, if you really want something in life, you will get it. Just be stubborn, just be honest and hardworking. For next 3 years, I worked without any holidays except Sundays for the salary of 3000. I used to leave home at 7 AM, change 2 buses to reach my office and then again 2 buses to get back home. It will be 9 PM and then gotta cook because I cant afford to eat outside anyday. I still remember I sued to save some for one beer in a week.
No one can ever achieve anything without sacrificing something. You want to be a big, be ready to sacrifice a lot!
Read more about Abhinav Verma @
Website: www.abenav.com
Instagram: tutunovember
