About Prasenjeet Kumar:
Prasenjeet Kumar is a Law graduate from the University College London (2005-2008), London University and a Philosophy Honours graduate from St. Stephen’s College (2002-2005), Delhi University. In addition, he holds a Legal Practice Course (LPC) Diploma from College of Law, Bloomsbury, London.
Prasenjeet loves gourmet food, music, films, golf and traveling. He has already covered seventeen countries including Canada, China, Denmark, Dubai, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Sharjah, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, UK, Uzbekistan, and the USA.
Prasenjeet is the self-taught designer, writer, editor and proud owner of the website http://www.cookinginajiffy.com/ which he has dedicated to his mother and http://www.publishwithprasen.com where he shares tips on self- publishing.
What inspires you to write?
I generally love writing about things that I am truly passionate about. I believe that my writings should help change people’s lives forever (for good, of course!). This is what inspires me to write. Writing is also a truly liberating experience for me. It can heal old wounds and in the process of influencing others, it can bring a lot of meaning to your life as well.
I own three brands so far. The first one is Cooking In A Jiffy (www.cookinginajiffy.com) where I write and compile cookbooks based on the Home-Style” recipes of my dear mom.
The second brand is Quiet Phoenix where I write uplifting books for Introverts and Highly Sensitive Persons (being an Introvert myself). The theme of the series is that just as the Phoenix bird has the potential to be reborn literally from the ashes, so do introverts have the power to rise from any difficult situation.
The third one is Publish With Prasen (www.publishwithprasen.com) where I share tips on writing and self-publishing.
Even though I own three completely different brands, I believe there is a synergy amongst all my brands. I want to encourage people to take 100% control of their lives and not leave anything to fate.
Tell us about your writing process.
Every day (even on Saturdays and most Sundays), I start my day at around 10:00 a.m. after my breakfast as if I’m going to work. I work on my laptop. I spend a lot of time creating a structure for my book, which consists of short chapter headings, before writing the actual chapters. I find coming out of the “writer’s block” every day in the morning to be the most difficult part of writing. When you start writing a book, you are not sure how to start, what to write and when to write. I start writing whatever comes to my mind first and then proof read and structure the sentences or paragraphs later.
What advice would you give other writers?
Keep writing and build your e-mail list. You won’t get many fans if you just write one book. It is also very important to be directly in touch with your readers. I know all of it sounds difficult but the most efficient way to achieve this is by making your first book perma-free in the series. This is your funnel book. Put a big fat advertisement at the front and the back of your book of another book that you have written. Tell the readers that they can grab your second book FREE of cost if they subscribe to your mailing list. This is your magnet. Once you have set up a system, make sure to regularly send e-mail newsletters to your fans. Twice a month is sufficient. If you send too many or too little e-mails, you may annoy your readers or they may simply forget you and unsubscribe. That’s it. However, to implement this strategy you must write a minimum of three books. The first is your funnel, the second is your magnet and the third one is the book your readers will purchase if they like your first and the second book. This is why writing regularly is so important.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I chose to self-publish my books and not to approach traditional publishers. Self-publishing has empowered many authors. This can be a great way to reach the market and find new readers. You also earn 60-70% of royalties. However there are also enormous hurdles. You are responsible for everything from writing, editing, cover designing and book marketing. As a result, authors can end up spending way too much. This is why it is important to view your writing career as a business and work on a shoestring budget.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I have a feeling that more authors will self-publish in the future. Readers will read books on their cell phones. So it will be very important to make your book available in that format. Google Play may become an important e-book retailer site that targets audiences using Android and other mobile devices.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Cooking, Self-Help and Authorship
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Prasenjeet Kumar Home Page Link
Link To Prasenjeet Kumar Page On Amazon
