Publishing a book is a very big deal, especially in this overpopulated, internet-savvy world that we live in today. As writers, we want our books to be read by many people, whether they are hardcover or paperback editions. We want our stories to exist out there in the world.
One thing about publishing with a traditional publisher is that writers often have to wait for their manuscripts to be approved by literary agents or publishing houses. Only after acceptance can the process of editing, design, printing, and distribution begin.
But self-publishing is different.
When you self-publish your own book, you have far more creative control. Not only do you get to see your work transformed into a physical book, but you also gain access to platforms such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon UK and USA, Flipkart, Notion Press Store, Apple Books, Kobo Books, and Google Play Books.
Isn’t that incredible? A book you sat at home and wrote can suddenly become available to readers across the world.
fifth
I began my publishing journey when my first non-fiction book, Touching Void… Surviving a Car Accident, was published in 2021. This was followed by my second, third fourth and now fifth book;, New York Wakes to Culture in 2022, Inside Mumbai: Stories from the Heart of a Vibrant City in 2025, Purrfectly Ridiculous Tales in 2026, and The Weight of Unspoken Words in 2026.
What I didn’t fully understand while writing and publishing these books was that publication itself did not automatically mean visibility. A book does not market itself simply because it exists.
It required active marketing, book reviews, social media presence, author branding, and even topic branding.
Publishing the book eventually became the easier part in my eyes. The real challenge was the constant effort required to sell it.
After all, why would someone suddenly choose to read a book about a head injury, journalism in two different cities, short stories about cats, or stories exploring love, connection, and loss? There is already so much content available in the world today. I realised I needed to strategically place myself and my work before readers.
Who is Karina Pandya?
What different perspective or emotional experience do I bring to Indian and international readers?
I needed to discover my own voice and understand my writing style. Although all my books were very different from one another, they shared one common thread — they were written for readers who enjoy emotion, reflection, meaningful storytelling, and real human experiences.
I wanted readers to feel something.
For my city books — New York Wakes to Culture (my home city) and Inside Mumbai: Stories from the Heart of a Vibrant City — I knew I was writing for readers who loved travel narratives, culture, identity, city life, and observations about society.
My other books naturally attracted a different kind of audience: readers who appreciate introspection, healing journeys, emotional depth, the psychology of relationships, and thoughtful storytelling. These are often readers drawn to memoirs, literary fiction, or reflective essays.
The funny thing is that, at first, I only understood what my stories were about. I didn’t fully understand what kind of readers they would attract — or how important that understanding would become.
Perhaps my books would resonate with young adults, professionals, creative individuals, writers, and emotionally reflective readers.
Purrfectly Ridiculous Tales, however, would definitely attract cat lovers and casual readers looking for warmth and humour.
In some ways, my writing style may be compared to writers such as Joan Didion, Paulo Coelho, Mitch Albom, Elizabeth Gilbert, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Danielle Steel.
At the beginning of this journey, I didn’t know much about the publishing industry. I simply believed books were about stories, ideas, characters, and carefully chosen words.
But through writing, I realised books are also built through silence, memory, fear, vulnerability, healing — and perhaps even writer’s block.
Each one of these books taught me something different.
While writing my first book, I learned that trauma does not always arrive loudly. Sometimes it lingers quietly within ordinary moments. Writing that book meant sitting with pain, understanding it, swallowing it, and eventually showing through my words that healing had occurred.
Writing about New York and Mumbai taught me that cities are not simply made up of buildings, streets, or food. Cities carry contradictions, loneliness, movement, ambition, noise, hustle, memories, and emotion.
Both New York and Mumbai felt alive to me in ways I had never fully noticed until I began writing about them. It felt as though the words themselves were dancing across the screen.
I also never expected silence to matter so much in writing.
And then there was humour.
Purrfectly Ridiculous Tales awakened the playful side of me. Every time I revisited those stories, I found myself laughing again. I hope future readers experience that same joy. Many of the stories were inspired by moments from my own life — the yoga retreat, the writing retreat, the book launch — which made the writing feel deeply personal and nostalgic.
My final book left me feeling especially vulnerable. It carried emotions I could genuinely feel while writing, and I hope readers will connect with that honesty.
Writing the manuscript may be the first step, but once a book leaves your hands, it becomes subject to judgement, interpretation, emotion, and scrutiny. Readers will discover their own meanings within your work. Some may interpret pain, love, silence, or loss very differently from the way the writer originally intended.
And that is part of the beauty of literature.
Writing these books changed me.
I grew in confidence. I learned patience, empathy, emotional honesty, and the importance of observation. I began paying closer attention to people and realised that even the simplest moments can carry extraordinary emotional weight.
Looking back on this journey of writing over many years, I now understand that these books were never only about cities, culture, cats, or head injuries.
At their core, they were always about what it means to be human.
Comments
Post a Comment