Maya’s New Husband, the debut novel of Indian author Neil D’Silva, was launched in its print version at a happening event on 18 January 2015. The book, which has already met a good response in its eBook format, is one of the newest additions to India’s sparse reserves of horror fiction. However, what set the online writer fraternity buzzing is the way the launch event was designed.
The launch event was shaped up as a Facebook event and invitations were sent out to several self-published writers a week in advance. Apart from being just a launch event, it was a platform for indie authors to get in touch with their readers and fans, and promote their books as well. The link for the print version of Maya’s New Husband was released at 7:30 p.m. IST and it was followed by an interview with Neil D’Silva and the other authors in attendance.
The attending authors included Rasana Atreya, Surya Vaidyanathan, Sujata Rajpal, Rachna Gupta, Devika Fernando, Deep Downer, Saurabh Garg, Amar Vyas, Roy D’Silva and others. Rasna Atreya, the author of the Tibor Jones contest-winner Tell a Thousand Lies, which was also featured in UK’s Glam magazine as one of five best Indian stories, spoke at length about how self-publishing is the future of books in India. Surya Vaidyanathan, known as S. Nathan in her works, spoke about her book The Falcon’s Eye and gave tips to writers of fantasy fiction. Sujata Rajpal spoke about her novel The Other End of the Corridor and how she could manage to create drama that held readers’ interest. Rachna Gupta, the author of the poem anthology Myriad Hues, gave cues on writing poetry that tugs at the heartstrings, while Devika Fernando of Kaleidoscope of Hopes spoke about how living in Germany and Sri Lanka influenced her writing. Deep Downer, author of The Love Is Dead, Long Live the Lust, spoke about the importance of having a catchy title to accompany a good story. Saurabh Garg spoke about creating a crime thriller as he has successfully done in his book The Nidhi Kapoor Story. Amar Vyas, the author of N.R.I., spoke about writing comedy that leaves a message behind, as he has done with his book. Roy D’Silva, author of Tiny Tales, revealed his inspiration to write detective fiction.
This was perhaps the first time that such an eclectic blend of writers from diverse genres, such as drama, comedy, romance, horror, thriller and detective fiction, came together on one podium and spoke to readers. As an offshoot of the event, a Facebook group named For Writers, By Authors was also launched, which saw a signing up of close to 70 members on the first day itself. This group has published authors interacting with writers who aspire to get published.
Several marketing aspects of Maya’s New Husband set it apart from other books that have been released of late. For instance, the book release was preceded by the release of a video promotional trailer, which is a rarity for Indian books. The video trailer can be found on YouTube. Contests were held a week in advance. The contests were theme-specific, such as narrating horror experiences or suggesting locations for future horror novels.
Neil D’Silva’s Maya’s New Husband has started off on the right foot. It received over 20 sales within an hour of its release, which is quite commendable for an online release of a debuting self-published author. More information on the novel, along with free chapters, can be obtained from the author’s website http://www.NeilDSilva.com/. The book is currently available in eBook formats on Amazon and Smashwords and can be ordered in its print version from Pothi.com. The success of this novel has made him more confident of his future releases, Sapna’s Bad Connection and Kalki’s Bundle of Joy, which will be released in March and May respectively.
Book Details:
| Author | Neil D’Silva | Year of Publication: | 2015 |
| Cover: | Paperback | No. of Pages: | 310 |
| MRP: | Rs. 299 | Buy From: | Pothi.com |
