Bestselling writer Ravinder Singh is now also publisher Ravinder Singh and he is enjoying letting the entrepreneurial seed within him sprout. The 33-year-old writer, with a female fan following that would be the envy of many a Bollywood stud, has been nominated in the Popular Awards category at the Raymond Crossword Book Award 2014 for Like It Happened Yesterday (Penguin Books India). 

Names on the list include historian Ramachandra Guha, Manmohan Singh’s former media adviser Sanjaya Baru, former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and bestselling writers Ravi Subramanian, Sudha Murty, Ashwin Sanghi-James Patterson and Durjoy Datta. The results will be announced on April 28. A t2 chat with the Gurgaon-based ‘writepreneur’.

What does such a nomination mean to you?

A nomination is always a happening thing. It tells me that many people are loving my work. Of course, only one among all the nominees is going to win, but in this country, where we are pushing to make reading a habit — we are such a huge population but sale of books is quite limited — such nominations and awards endorse the reading habit and set a trend. Crossword has been one name that has come in time and time again to take the journey of books forward. 

You have been nominated for a story about revisiting childhood. But you are better known for your love stories. What do you think makes a good love story?

A good love story is one that people can relate to. They are able to see themselves as the protagonists, they can cherish their love stories while reading it. A good love story is one where you are not just reading it, you are living it. 

So many people are attempting to write nowadays. What is your advice for budding writers?

The one tip I would love to give is that before you guys submit your work to publishers, please avail yourselves of a professional editing service. You must polish your work before you submit it. Because publishers receive so many manuscripts every day, for them the first impression is the last impression…. That’s what I have learnt and I want to make others follow this as a healthy practice. 

So, which is more important, the story or the language?

(Laughs) Both, if you want to make a bestseller. The books on the Raymond Crossword shortlist will be judged on story-writing skills and the story. However, I am keener on style of writing. I believe that the same story can be narrated in different styles. And that’s where the mastery of an author comes in. 
The best example I can quote is grandmothers’ tales. I don’t think I can tell a story like that. They will create such suspense, even if the story is quite simple... once upon a time there was a lion in a jungle… but the suspense they create! It’s the storytelling style that spells magic, a lot more than the story. Of course, the story is the backbone.
 
Despite having a successful career in writing, you have ventured into publishing. Why divert your attention?

Well, in the true sense this is not diverting. I would rather call it vertical integration. When I started, I was rejected by so many publishing houses... I almost got my hands dirty understanding the book business. 
At one point I realised that every day at least 10 people are reaching out to me, saying even I want to become an author. I thought let me take a break and understand what I can do for them. My entry into writing was very bumpy, very tough. I wanted to make their ride a little less bumpy. 

It started with a Penguin anthology (Love Stories That Touched My Heart, 2012). It was my way of holding the hands of 25 first-time authors and giving them their first break. I am glad the book sold more than 200,000 copies. That’s quite unprecedented, for debut authors. That was my pilot project. I thought if this works out, maybe I’ll jump on to something bigger. 

That something bigger is Black Ink, which is my baby, my publishing venture. I am running a programme called The 3 Interesting Storytellers. I am going to publish only three books per season. For the past month-and-a-half, I have been working with three first-time authors and I am very glad that in the next 30 days the very first book by Black Ink will come out. 

Is this a self-publishing firm or is it traditional publishing?

No, Black Ink is not meant for me to self-publish my books. It is only meant to publish budding authors and it’s completely a traditional model, in which the authors do NOT invest a single penny. All the money is invested by me. They will rather earn royalty from the sales. 
The only difference is that for the first time there is an established author who is bringing out these new authors. The entrepreneur bug inside me wanted that I should start something of my own. 

You studied business management recently. Did that also contribute to you starting Black Ink?

Yes, I did my MBA from ISB, Hyderabad, class of 2012. It was a one-year flagship course where the entrepreneurial bug completely set inside me. Even though I joined Microsoft immediately after my course, I quit within eight months, with an idea that I will come to Delhi-NCR, continue with my writing, and on the side start my publishing venture. 

What else is happening in your life, other than work? 

Well, my personal life is captured quite well in my books (laughs). Of late I am very excited about Black Ink. Rest of the day I am working out in the gym and playing snooker in the evening and hanging out with long-time friends. 
One thing we are planning is another reunion of the four friends [Happy, Manpreet, Amardeep and himself]. People have read about them in my first novel, I Too Had A Love Story. That book started with the first reunion. The second reunion I talked about in Can Love Happen Twice?. After that we’ve never met, the four of us together. We are planning to meet this July for reunion 3 and you may see that in the next book. Quite possible (laughs). 

Are any of your first three Black Ink authors from Calcutta?

No, but I do receive a lot of submissions from Calcutta. If I had to pick one city from where I got the maximum submissions for the first anthology and ones who made it to the book, it would be Calcutta…. 
I am doing another anthology with Penguin, Tell me a Story. The first was limited to love stories, this one is not. It’s more about tell me a true story that influenced your life. 

What is your message for your Calcutta fans? We’ve seen how they bring sandesh for you at your book launches!

(Laughs heartily) That’s true. I think that city is a league apart. Every time I have come to Calcutta I have to do multiple launches, because the number of people that gather for my book launches is amazing! 
Calcutta is close to my heart because — a) I was born there, 
b) my first novel starts in Calcutta and c) the way people turn up at my book launches. 
I do look forward to meeting my Calcutta readers and I hope that they continue to read my work. I also hope they appreciate the new novelists that I am bringing out and offer them the same love that they offered me. 

What is your message for Ravinder Singh? Tell t2@abp.in