Read an interview with Sakshi C

Today we have prepared for you a small interview with Sakshi C , an author of 'His sweet Bella', one of the 'Bound the Moon' prize winners that share with us their experience on Booknet.

Let's get started!

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Hello. How did your writing career start?

Hi!  First of all, thank you for this opportunity. I truly appreciate it. 

My writing career started right here. I joined Booknet as a reader and stumbled upon some amazing books which stirred my own imagination. I came up with some story ideas but wasn't sure if I can write a whole book. Before Booknet, I used to write but only for myself. It was more like a hobby and nothing serious so I was a little hesitant about publishing a book. But as they say, if you won’t try, you will never know. I wanted to see if I could do it. So pushing back my hesitance for once, I decided to take the plunge. Luckily my first book was received well by the readers. The warm response inspired confidence in me and here I am 8 books old, still writing. 

Why did you decide to publish your ebooks exactly on Booknet?

There are mainly three reasons that made me choose Booknet.

The contracts are writer friendly. Booknet offer highest percentage of royalty out of all the platforms I know. 70% for ongoing exclusive and 80% for completed without taking the author’s rights whereas other platforms offer not even 10%. 

Administration. The admins are cordial. They respond quickly and are always there to help writers with their concerns.

Reader-Author Interaction. This is something I found only here. Booknet facilitates reader-author interaction. I can say this feature very much influenced my decision of choosing booknet. The authors can communicate with their readers through blogs and comments. As an author I enjoy interacting with my readers and learning their views, it makes writing more fun.  I’ve even found some really good friends in my readers and fellow authors. The authors have come up with many social pages to promote their work. We also have a whatsapp chat group. All in all, it’s like a close-knit community. The authors are supportive and readers welcoming.

Your ebooks collect many readers’ comments (short feedback). For example, your ebook ‘His sweet Bella’ has gathered 7477 comments. That is a perfect result since many authors would be glad to get at least 10 comments for their ebooks. What stimulates the Booknet readers to comment on your ebooks, in your opinion?

'His sweet Bella' has been really sweet to me. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every reader of mine for giving it so much love. Now to the comments. Honestly, I still struggle but there are a few things I learned.

It’s important to leave readers with something at the end of the chapter, be it a thought, a realization, or maybe a question. They should have something to say to comment.

If one goes through Sweet Bella’s comment section, they will notice that half of the comments are nothing but theories. There were complications and twists that kept readers guessing. They came up with their own theories and shared them in the comment section. Again, a lot of complications and twists can put off the readers but a few interesting ones can do the trick. I guess that's also one of the reasons the book gathered so many comments.

Furthermore, readers are likely to comment more when the characters resonate with them or they feel attached to the characters.      

Also at the end of almost every chapter, I leave an author note where I ask them questions and encourage them to share their opinion. As much as I can, I reply to let my readers know their opinions are valued and appreciated.

Good cliffhangers are also very effective. They instill a sense of thrill among the readers which prompt them to comment. But again excessiveness of anything can kill the interest. 

Your new ebook ‘His Broken Angel’ is being sold via ‘Bookscription’. Can you share your impressions about this book-selling model? How does it work? What pros and cons does Bookscription have, in your opinion?

I think Bookscription is favorable for both authors and readers. It is favorable for readers because they don’t have to pay for every chapter. One time payment is enough. As for authors, they have to update a certain number of characters in a week. There is no pressure of updating every day or writing lengthy books. It allow writers time to reflect on their ideas. It works for me as I need time to plan, sometimes a short break to sort out my thoughts. Story weaving isn't easy and shouldn't be rushed so I take my time whenever I feel confused or get writer’s block. Also the fact that readers have already paid for the whole book pushes me to do my best so that they don’t feel let down. 

I haven’t faced any problem yet but if I have to say one con then it would be the 90 days limitation. 

Ebooks sell more during the bookscription period than after completion. What do you think? And returning to the question about comments, what ebooks collect more comments: those that have been already completed and published or those that are still being published and sold via ‘Bookscription’? 

This is true. Almost all my books sold better during bookscription. One of the reasons I believe is because the books are more visible during the bookscription period. For example, along with other sections, It also appears in the recently updated section when it is updated and increases the chance of attracting readers. 

In my view, the books on bookscription have better chances of gaining more comments. The readers engage with each chapter but that is hardly the matter with complete books. They usually receive only one feedback comment. The books' ranking also plays a significant role. The ongoing books have higher chances of climbing up ranks. Higher the rank, the more chances of attracting readers and hence, comments. And as I already stated visbility is more for bookscription books. Also, during bookscription author gets an understanding of what their readers’ expectations are and can work it in their favor.

You were one of the prize winners of the Booknet literary contest “Bound by the Moon”. How was your experience? What do you think helped you to win the contest? Was it your first time participating in the Booknet contests? What do you recommend authors to 

I must say I had fun writing the book. I started off quite late as I was not sure I would be able to pull it off. I find the fantasy genre a little complicated. But some of my readers and fellow authors encouraged me to give it a try so I decided why not. I am glad I tried. Even though fantasy is not my speed, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy writing. I already had written a book for the Beauty and the Beast contest which was sort of a dark romance and so this time I wanted to try something different and went for the rejection trope. One thing about fantasy genre is that it allows more room for creativity. I enjoyed writing it as it allowed me to be more creative with the story.

The concept was fresh and gave me opportunities to experiment. My readers supported me throughout and kept sharing their feedbacks through comments and DMs. Readers' responses matter a lot to me. I wouldn’t have made the cut if not for my readers who showered their love on the book. Some readers told me that they liked the book’s unique concept and the strong personality of the female lead. I tried to keep the characters as realistic as I could and story just as natural. I guess, that's what attracted readers and kept them engaged. 

As I mentioned earlier, my first contest on booknet was beauty and beast but I didn't win anything. It's funny I say fantasy isn't my game but I have participated only in fantasy contests till now. 

Since we approach financial matters, let us ask what income did you receive on Booknet in November?

I can say November was the best month for me till now on booknet in terms of financial gain. I made over 1500 dollars. 

Share your future plans with us, please.

For now, I only plan to write. I do have some storylines on my mind and can’t wait to put them on paper. But first, I am going to finish 'His Broken Angel'. 

Can you provide newbie authors with the TOP 3 tips from Sakshi C?

The three tips would be: 

• Write what you want to read. You can satisfy readers only if you are satisfied with your work.
• Don’t let pressure ruin your work. This is your story, do it your way. 
• Be patient. Good things take time.