If you thought techies do not have time/do not care to do anything beyond their software jobs, here is an exception. Two young techies from a leading IT company have put their passion for writing into action, venturing out to publish their stories as a book. This post is a quick review of the book.
Imprints is a self published book, containing a collection of 24 short stories, authored by two writers, Ravi Sidula and GS Vasu Kumar. The 113 pages book is available for purchase on pothi.com for Rs 99 (+shipping)
When I first received the copy of Imprints, I was surprised to see the cover price being under Rs 100. Because when I’d checked last time, it was impossible to get the book price below 100 at Pothi.com (Pothi.com is a self publishing platform, wherein they print a book and deliver, as and when they get an order. This means there’s no huge investment needed in bulk publishing the book, but on the other hand, disadvantage is that per copy price will be a bit high). When I checked with the author on this, I was told that authors have pumped in extra money from their own pocket to ensure that book is priced below Rs 100.
Well, getting back to the book, each story is independent and well knitted. The one I liked the most is titled “You’re not alone”… The story line goes as below: A man is helped to his seat by the Bus Conductor (Mysore-Bengaluru one), a girl sitting next seat starts the conversation saying “how beautiful the world outside…” The man feels excited by the conversation but realizes that the girl is blind. They continue to talk and become good friends, with him explaining how beautiful she is and so on… At Ramanagara the girl gets down and subsequently, someone comes to escort this man as well, as he too was blind…
There’re many other touchy stories, such as one in which an entire family member, suffering from draught, finally decides to commit suicide, unable to bear the burden any more, unaware of the fact that it would be raining heavily next day. There’s another story wherein a person saving money to publish his book had to abandon the plan as he’d to spend his savings on his wife’s hospital bill. Eventually his notebook containing stories reaches a groundnut seller and then to a reader, who likes his writing, goes back to groundnut seller and buys entire notebook from him… (These lines are just to give you an idea what to expect. I’m not able to explain the stories as effectively as it is portrayed in the book)
Like this, several day to day life experiences and observations are converted into short and sweet stories. Language is simple and you’ll be able to connect with the characters very easily as you read the stories.
Each of the stories are dedicated to various persons, which is a good initiative. Most of the stories are also enriched with an image (pencil sketch version of photograph)
The Book is highly recommended by V Balakrishnan, (Infosys CFO) as well
There’s an irony with the pricing of the book. Flipkart says one has to pay Rs 30 for delivery of this book, since the price of the book, at Rs 99 doesn’t exceed Rs 100. This is a bit unfortunate-may be they should just accept Rs 100 and ship it free. A work around for customers would be to look out for another friend who’s interested in buying and buy 2 copies…
Nevertheless, Imprints is a nice book.
Read other book reviews:It happened in India * Raga Chintamani * 2 States * Not a penny more, not a penny less * Zero percentile * Bala Takes the Plunge-Melvin Durai
Imprints is a self published book, containing a collection of 24 short stories, authored by two writers, Ravi Sidula and GS Vasu Kumar. The 113 pages book is available for purchase on pothi.com for Rs 99 (+shipping)
When I first received the copy of Imprints, I was surprised to see the cover price being under Rs 100. Because when I’d checked last time, it was impossible to get the book price below 100 at Pothi.com (Pothi.com is a self publishing platform, wherein they print a book and deliver, as and when they get an order. This means there’s no huge investment needed in bulk publishing the book, but on the other hand, disadvantage is that per copy price will be a bit high). When I checked with the author on this, I was told that authors have pumped in extra money from their own pocket to ensure that book is priced below Rs 100.
Well, getting back to the book, each story is independent and well knitted. The one I liked the most is titled “You’re not alone”… The story line goes as below: A man is helped to his seat by the Bus Conductor (Mysore-Bengaluru one), a girl sitting next seat starts the conversation saying “how beautiful the world outside…” The man feels excited by the conversation but realizes that the girl is blind. They continue to talk and become good friends, with him explaining how beautiful she is and so on… At Ramanagara the girl gets down and subsequently, someone comes to escort this man as well, as he too was blind…
There’re many other touchy stories, such as one in which an entire family member, suffering from draught, finally decides to commit suicide, unable to bear the burden any more, unaware of the fact that it would be raining heavily next day. There’s another story wherein a person saving money to publish his book had to abandon the plan as he’d to spend his savings on his wife’s hospital bill. Eventually his notebook containing stories reaches a groundnut seller and then to a reader, who likes his writing, goes back to groundnut seller and buys entire notebook from him… (These lines are just to give you an idea what to expect. I’m not able to explain the stories as effectively as it is portrayed in the book)
Like this, several day to day life experiences and observations are converted into short and sweet stories. Language is simple and you’ll be able to connect with the characters very easily as you read the stories.
Each of the stories are dedicated to various persons, which is a good initiative. Most of the stories are also enriched with an image (pencil sketch version of photograph)
The Book is highly recommended by V Balakrishnan, (Infosys CFO) as well
There’s an irony with the pricing of the book. Flipkart says one has to pay Rs 30 for delivery of this book, since the price of the book, at Rs 99 doesn’t exceed Rs 100. This is a bit unfortunate-may be they should just accept Rs 100 and ship it free. A work around for customers would be to look out for another friend who’s interested in buying and buy 2 copies…
Nevertheless, Imprints is a nice book.
Read other book reviews:It happened in India * Raga Chintamani * 2 States * Not a penny more, not a penny less * Zero percentile * Bala Takes the Plunge-Melvin Durai
Hey, Shrinidhi....
ReplyDeleteThat was nice...you gave me an open opportunity to publish my novel...!
Let's see how it goes.
I did not know about Pothi.com - Thanks!
i echo kavitha :)
ReplyDeleteHi thanks for your visit :)))
ReplyDeleteInteresting blog you have !!
I will be come back to read more :))
Have a Happy Weekend
Anya :)
(@^.^@)
Kavitha,
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. All the best for your novel...
Anu Menon,
So you're planning a novel too? All the best...
Anya, thanks for visiting... Welcome back.. anytime...
Good info Shrinidhi! Surely try to have a look on the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ashwini
ReplyDeleteI wish to send - for review on your blog - the manuscript of My First Novella, "Mayhem Of The Miserables", which is now live @ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004V52W06 (04042011).
ReplyDeleteThe sneak-preview, for your advance information:-
The primary objective of this novella – “Mayhem of the Miserables” – which also happened to be my first one in this genre – is to entertain you through unraveling the dynamics of the rarely- visited, dusky, back-alleys of the Indian crime, the cunning, the comedy and the cruelty of the miniscule criminals against the meek, the muddled, the mortified & the miserable majority who have been mute masses, which has been the story of India, that has been! But this could well be happening in your own backyard – irrespective of your nationality!
This is the story of some robbing the many, the story of India that has been, awaiting the advent of another “Mahatmaji” (Great Soul), the title given to ‘Gandhiji’, the ‘Father of Indian Nation’ and inspiration to many a great statesmen, across the globe.
The Secular Savior!
There was this Dr. Peria Gunaseelan (roughly translated, it would mean a ‘Great Person of Good Virtues’, at least that would have been the intent of his parents when they named him so), an Ex-NRI, who had returned some decades back – to rescue India from its myriad miseries – via his innumerable ventures? His detractors, who were a dozen a dime – here and there and everywhere, conversely, whisper that he was, in fact, deported from his adapted Middle Eastern Land of decades, after his completion of a prison term, for some demeanor – which hadn’t attracted ‘cutting off of his limbs’ as a punishment – to the chagrin of those adversaries; the veracity of that report, however, I wouldn’t know, yet. And also, I never could ascertain what Degree he had or whether he was a ‘doctor’ with a medical training or a Ph.D. and if so, in which specialization and from which University – India or abroad.
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He was a pure vegetarian and practices utmost frugality in his food consumption. About that part, nobody had any objection but his insisting the same level of thriftiness on the part of all others, hadn’t gone down well with everyone. Actually he was such a miser, that he, brazenly, saved on his food that he insisted on eating always at the cheapest joints when he was away from home – where cockroaches, fleas, spiders, ants, mosquitoes and other such domesticated insects would show up in Rice, Sambar (South Indian style, vegetable stew), Rasam (spicy tamarind soup), Vegetable Fry, even in the Curd and Chapattis (Indian wheat bread) inlaid with the body parts of them. His everyday cannibalism, then again, out-shadowed his vegetables-only food-preference, for he used to have his employees for breakfast, bankers for lunch, supplier-creditors, previously deceived students, old lenders of small hand-loans & such others, for snacks, in between and debtors (customers) for dinner.