Self-published Author Interview - Saurav Dutt

Today we’re talking to Saurav Dutt, author of a number of books and winner of the Dark Tales Quarterly horror competition 2010 and the Dark Static short story contest 2009. Here’s what he had to say:


Tell us about your self-published book and where it is available.

My book is a biography of Academy Award nominated actor Mickey Rourke. As well as providing a career retrospective, it is a commentary and film criticism analysis of his life and work. It is available through Amazon UK and US on paperback and Kindle formats as well as the Lulu website on paperback, Ebook and digital download.

Why did you decide to self-publish?

Ultimately, it was to have the creative control I so savored and needed to portray the exact vision of my work that I had in mind when it was first conceived.

What was your biggest challenge to overcome in self-publishing your book and why?

Having the tenacity to self-promote and pursue as many avenues of promotion as possible especially when that side of being an author was completely alien to me at the outset. It was time consuming and sometimes self-defeating to trawl through these multitudes of hyperbole to find the best ways to promote and market.

What has been the best part about self-publishing and why?

Having a more one to one relationship with my audience and getting back the positive feedback from them is pleasing knowing that I could reach them through my own endeavors and with a writing style that was completely my own and not diluted by editors, literary agents or publishers. It was purely my own work from the first to the last word, and getting praise from complete strangers was worth all the effort as they understood my vision.

What advice do you have for other writers who are self-publishing their book?

To stay true to their creative truth and to never ever compromise or dilute their art for the perceived likes and dislikes of others. In other words, don’t commercialize your work for the sake of somebody else, stick to your guns and your vision and believe me, there is an audience out there willing to be engaged.

Is there anything you would like to add?

As well as my biography on Mickey Rourke, I have published books of poetry and fiction ranging from horror to drama. Most recently my book “The Far Lonely Cry of Trains” made the shortlist of the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel award and my first novel “Dark Mood Rising” won the Exeter Writing Competition in 2010.

Thanks for the information Saurav, and good luck with book sales!

Do you need help self-publishing your book? Please write to me here or at http://www.jexbo.com/. I'd love to hear from you!