Review-Rubina Ramesh's Walking on the path of Indie Publishing

Walking on the Path of Indie Publishing
by 
Rubina Ramesh

This booklet is temporarily pulled down and will be available soon. In the meantime, if you want to get a copy of the booklet, you can write to the author and ask for a copy at rubinaramesh1973@gmail.com

Now that you have decided to become an Indie author, here are a few tools you will need. 


The Topics covered are: 

1. What it takes to be an indie author 
2. Why have you chosen this path? 
3. Components of Indie Publishing 
4. Tools needed for writing. 
5. The Big Eight Brothers of Social Media 
6. Facebook Marketing: Promotional not Ad. 
7. Checklist for Facebook Marketing before your book is published: 
8. The Other Platforms for Marketing 
9. How to start a newsletter? 
10. Different forms of editing. 
11. The art of Cover Making 
12. Formatting of Manuscript 
13. Sample copyright page. 
14. Contacting reviewers 
15. Mind-Blowing Cover Designers' links 
16. Hashtags for Instagram Marketing and Twitter Marketing 
17.100 Facebook Groups to start off with your Book Marketing 

Hope this book is beneficial to the new authors out there. I, for one, learned a lot while writing and researching about it. 

Email to the author to get a copy of this book rubinaramesh1973@gmail.com

My Honest Review:

Walking On The Path Of Indie Publishing is the second book of the toolkit series and is written by well-known Indie author and founder of the book club, Rubina Ramesh.

In this book, Rubina has explained the nitty-gritty of the marketing, before, during and after the release of your book.

The author has covered each and every aspect of marketing on social media sites and not to forget, the finer details and importance of editing, beta reading, and proofreading.

In other words, Rubina has covered each and every topic from the start (i.e. from writing) until the end (i.e. release of your book).

I really applaud Rubina, first for putting together the idea of toolkits and secondly for her writing and sharing her in-depth knowledge and her experiences, which will provide as a guiding light to all aspiring authors, who would otherwise be moving around like a headless chicken in this publishing world.


Walking On The Path Of Indie Publishing is a must buy and read by one and all current and budding writers who aspire to publish their works, as it has all the necessary details that one will need, right from editing to marketing to cover image designing.

About the Author 

Rubina Ramesh is an avid reader, writer, blogger, book reviewer and marketer. She is the founder of The Book Club, an online book publicity group. Her first literary work was published in her school magazine. It gave her immense pride to see her own name at the bottom of the article. She was about 8 years old at that time. She then went to complete her MBA and after her marriage to her childhood friend, her travel saga started. From The Netherlands to the British Isles, she lived her life like an adventure. After a short stint in Malaysia, she finally settled down in the desert state of USA, Arizona.  Living with her DH and two human kids and one doggie kid, Rubina has finally started living the life she had always dreamed about – that of a writer.

Connect with the author:

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads

Other books in this series

Why Go Indie? 6 Reasons for Self-Publishing  Vol 1

by Devika Fernando

Walking on the Indie Path Vol 2

Can be presently found in her blog www.rubinaramesh.com

by Rubina Ramesh

The Art of Ghostwriting Vol 3

by D. R. Downer

Publishing Your Book on Amazon KDP Vol 4

by Sundari Venkatraman

Fears and Doubts of a Writer Vol 5

By Reshma Ranjan

Boosting Book's Sales with a Riveting Blurb! Vol 6 

By Ruchi Singh

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We Promote So That You Can Write 

Book Review-Rubina Ramesh's Rising from the Ashes

RISING FROM THE ASHES: 

A Short Story: Prequel to Knitted Tales 2 

by 

Rubina Ramesh

BLURB

She was one of the most beautiful woman Asura Sambara had laid his eyes on. 

Possessing a beauty of this magnitude became his passion. Sambara kidnapped her and whisked her off to his palace. 

Mayavati knows she has no option but to bow down to his wishes. But what about the young man who always haunts her dreams? She had no clue why she was in this palace but after speaking to the mischief making Sage Narada, it all started making sense to her. 

Who was Mayavati and what was she doing in Asura’s palace? 

Was Sambara her destiny? 

Disclaimer: This short story is a mythological fiction and should be treated as such. The author does not claim it to be a retelling of the Puranas. This piece is a product of her unbridled imagination. 

My Honest Review:

Rubina's stories have always intrigued me and have left me in awe. So when she chose mythology for her new book I was curious. I recently developed a liking for mythology, so I loved what I read. Though I have read other versions of this story, I am curious to read it through Rubina's lens.

The only thing which I would like to point out is the book cover. Though we say never judge a book by its cover, I wish the book cover was different, depicting the mythology character on which the book is based. But the present one is not bad.

Hoping to read the full story soon. 

Grab your copy @

Amazon.com | Amazon.in | Amazon.co.uk

About the author

Rubina Ramesh is an avid reader, writer, blogger, book reviewer and marketer. She is the founder of The Book Club, an online book publicity group. Her first literary work was published in her school magazine. It gave her immense pride to see her own name at the bottom of the article. She was about 8 years old at that time. She then went to complete her MBA and after her marriage to her childhood friend, her travel saga started. From The Netherlands to the British Isles she lived her life like an adventure. After a short stint in Malaysia, she finally settled down in the desert state of USA, Arizona. Living with her DH and two human kids and one doggie kid, Rubina has finally started living the life she had always dreamed about – that of a writer.

Click here to check out all the titles by the author...

You can stalk her @

      

        

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N for NRI Housewife (Guest Post by Rubina Ramesh)

Today’s guest post is by another well-known Indie Author and admin of most sought-after book promotion club, The Book Club, Rubina Ramesh.

 Rubina Ramesh is an avid reader, writer, blogger, book reviewer, and marketer. She is the founder of The Book Club, an online book publicity group. Her first literary work was published in her school magazine. It gave her immense pride to see her own name at the bottom of the article. She was about 8 years old at that time. She then went to complete her MBA and after her marriage to her childhood friend, her travel saga started. From The Netherlands to the British Isles she lived her life like an adventure. After a short stint in Malaysia, she finally settled down in the desert state of USA, Arizona. Living with her DH and two human kids and one doggie kid, Rubina has finally started living the life she had always dreamed about – that of a writer.

One  can contact her at:

Her website: http://www.rubinaramesh.com/

Her Goodreads author profile :

 https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13831355.Rubina_Ramesh

Her facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/rubina.ramesh3

          My first read was The Knitted Tales, which is a collection of short stories ranging from romance to horror to mystery. I loved Rubina’s writing style as her stories always leave an effect on the readers, be it pain or romance or horror.

          I always hold Rubina in awe, as she is such an efficient multi-tasker, managing so many things. I always picture her as a mother hen (don’t let your imaginations run wild). Like a mother hen, she protects her chicks under her wings but when needed she gives the necessary pecks on their heads too. She is the most patient person I know, who is always there to help anyone out but can be a tough taskmaster too when the need arises.

So before Rubina makes me stand on a bench I better let her do her talking. 

NRI Housewife

A dream. Someone else’s dream. Someone else’s ambition is all that it takes for a woman to pack up her career and life and shift to the foreign shores, across those vast oceans from India. I can’t even tell you what it felt like when I had the first aerial view of New York. I had lived in The Netherlands for thirteen years, so being outside of India was nothing new to me. But hey, sophistication be damned, this was the land of dreams.

I am a movie buff. For me, movies are a projection of life. Shhhh…don’t judge me.  I am what I am and you all love me for that. So now, coming to the fact that when I saw movies where everyone came to the USA to fulfill their dreams, I too got down from the plane with a suitcase, two kids and a heart full of dreams.

And that was my only mistake in understanding life. After the first flush of excitement had died down and we transformed from being tourists to immigrants, the first reality that hit me was – I couldn’t work in this country.

A country where women are equal to men, a country where women are more independent, a country where a woman’s stride is no less than a man’s. Into this country walked in little me with a heart full of dreams, only to realize I don’t belong to any of the above categories.

I, Rubina Ramesh, was on dependent visa.

It didn’t affect me at all. When I first realized that my status was equivalent to that of a slave, who had the right to work in her house, clean her house, cook for her family, tend to every need of her family, but she didn’t have the right to open a bank account, have funds of her own and in general, had no right to have a single penny.

But it didn’t affect me at all. For I was numb. It was surreal. I am a very proud woman who was always independent in The Netherlands and India, but suddenly here, I was a nameless, account-less being.

But it didn’t affect me at all. I stopped caring with the passage of time. I stopped needing things with the passage of time. I stopped yearning for things other women took for granted over the passage of time. I had developed a blanket of indifference and pride which I didn’t allow anyone to penetrate. Not even my husband.

He thought I was happy, holidaying. He would go to work every morning while I took care of the kids, home, and family. Life, to the outsider, would look picture perfect in the house. But somewhere deep within me was an anger bubbling. You must be wondering what’s wrong with me. I had everything. I was in the USA, I have a loving husband who sees to it that I never lack ‘roti, kapda and makaan’ and kids I will die for. So what the heck is the problem?

Choice.

I don’t mind being a homemaker provided it’s my choice. My choice. Not a choice dictated by the government. Not a choice forced upon me due to law. Where is the progress in this kind of law? I wanted to rant, I wanted to go back home.

But I didn’t. For it didn’t affect me at all. I was, after all, a woman, whose wishes were the last in the list in a family. My kids love it here. My husband has a perfect job here. So I became the NRI housewife, where my every wish was granted, provided my husband granted them.

But it didn’t affect me at all. How could it? I didn’t have the permission for that.

So, dear youngsters out there – when you dream of USA, dream about your needs too. Not only of your spouses. I found a way to come out of it. But there are many out there who are still suffering. Their wants are squashed, their dreams are squandered and they are lost in life – just like their desires.

How I came out of it is a tale for another day. ☺☺

Book Review - Rubina Ramesh's Destined

DESTINED

by

Rubina Ramesh

Blurb

Esha Mehra could have taken care of her father, only if she had some support from her fiancé. But he had his priorities set and her sick father was nothing but a burden. Esha didn't have any other choice but to apply for a loan from her office. But she had not banked on the fact that the Head of Geno Technologies needed her for other reasons.

When Rohan Sharma saw Esha for the first time, he felt she was the one. He had no intention of falling in love with her for the pain of the past was still too much to bear. 

But he did need Esha as a decoy to his plan. But Esha was not a damsel in distress who would bend to his will easily. While he was sure that he would marry her only for six months, he still couldn’t understand why he felt a searing jealousy every time, her ex-fiancé Ayush’s name was mentioned.

While these two souls had other plans in their lives, Destiny conspires to bring them together. But will the stench of Death let them live their lives? 

Read an excerpt:

On seeing her, he grinned. "There goes my dream of my bride sitting on the bed with a long veil over her face that I could slowly lift up."
Esha laughed. "Do it in your real wedding."
Rohan felt a jolt at her words though his feelings had stopped making any sense at all. He found her pajama-clad wet avatar very sensual. Her hair was wet from the shower and a few droplets fell on her collarbone, like dew drops on a rose petal. Now that he was finally alone with Esha, he wanted to further muss up her hair and kiss those wet pearls away. But never had he imagined that he would be alone in a room with her amidst roses and that her intoxicating perfume would drive him crazy. Theirs wasn't a marriage in the true sense and yet her lips were calling out to him to feel them with his own.
But he was sure that she wouldn't appreciate it. He forced himself to lean back on the pillow and give her an easy smile to fight his raging hormones. "So, which side of the bed is yours?"
She looked at him sharply to check if he was laughing at her predicament. She then went to her purse and took out a tape—a big, brown one.
"Naughty, naughty," he said sitting up, suddenly feeling the air crackling between them with an invisible electric thread that was slowly pulling them towards each other. "What's your intention darling?"
Esha gave him an evil grin and sashayed towards him, all the while opening the tape. "You didn't think I would be prepared?" she asked, her voice husky. Any hot-blooded man would find this a big turn-on but Rohan sat up straight, wondering if she was drunk.
"Esha, I think we should go to sleep now." He gave her a sheepish smile. "It's getting very late."
She threw back her head and laughed, "The night is still young, darling." She opened the tape further and climbed on the bed, inching slowly towards him as she rolled it out. Rohan could feel his heart skipping a few beats. He wanted her no doubt, but he was not expecting this and her strange behavior made him uncomfortable.
 "Do you want something to eat?" He sounded lame even to himself. She threw her head back and looked at him, her sherry colored eyes darkening into molten chocolate, and the light breeze from the window caught her silk tresses and made them dance to a tune of their own. She bit her lower lip and leaned in front of him, staring deep into his eyes. "Are you nervous?"
"Why are you behaving like this?" he asked, trying to get out of the bed. He felt an invisible hand clutching his stomach but he kept his tone breezy. "Are we taking this night to mean what it is meant to be? I'm ready if you are."
If she took another step forward, her breasts would touch him. What the devil was she playing at? He couldn't even lean back further since the head rest was stopping any further movement. She leaned forward but instead of coming towards him, she went beyond him and stuck the edge of the tape to the middle of the bed post. She then pulled the tape down – further and further and a line was drawn along the middle of the bed.

My Honest Review: 

        Who lays down rules, especially for women? Who made the rule that after marriage a girl’s priorities lie only with her husband and his family? Who made the rule that after marriage a girl must sever all ties with her parents even though she is the only child of theirs? 

        

       Why is it always the woman who has to sacrifice or have to choose between her family and her husband’s family?

   

       When you visit or see an ailing person, our heart goes for that person. But does anyone spare a thought either for the family or the person who takes care of that ailing person 24*7? Does anyone think what that caregiver must be feeling? How, along with the ailing person even the caregiver, too is suffering? No, no one does.

       Destined is a story of Esha who lost her Mom to cancer when she was young. Later when she was going to get married to Ayush, her childhood friend and support, her father is diagnosed with the same life-threatening ailment. But Esha has to make a choice; she has to choose between her father and Ayush. Whom will she choose?   

     Rubina is a wonderful writer. Having read her previous two books, I was eager to read this one too. And I must say I absolutely loved it. She knows how to express human emotions which will touch the reader’s heart. 

      ‘Do you know how much of a toll it takes on a family if one member has a terminal illness? We all look at the patient and feel sorry. But behind every patient is a family who is never prepared for this kind of disease.’ 

       How true is that? Only a person who has faced it knows and can feel Esha’s pain in this dialogue. 

      I loved the characters Esha and Rohan and also Esha’s dad, who inspite of failing health always had a smile on his face; took an instant dislike for Ayush and his mom and also Zaira. All characters well defined and simple, use of simple language and lovely yet heart touching portrayal of Esha and her struggles.

       Destined is definitely a must read by all. Loved the way Esha has been portrayed as a strong woman who knows her priorities.

Grab your copy @

Amazon




About the author

Rubina Ramesh is an avid reader, writer, blogger, book reviewer and marketer. She is the founder of The Book Club, an online book publicity group. Her first literary work was published in her school magazine. It gave her immense pride to see her own name at the bottom of the article. She was about 8 years old at that time. She then went to complete her MBA and after her marriage to her childhood friend, her travel saga started. From The Netherlands to the British Isles she lived her life like an adventure. After a short stint in Malaysia, she finally settled down in the desert state of USA, Arizona. Living with her DH and two human kids and one doggie kid, Rubina has finally started living the life she had always dreamed about – that of a writer.

Click here to check out all the titles by the author...

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Book Review-Rubina Ramesh's Finding The Angel

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FINDING THE ANGEL

by

Rubina Ramesh

Blurb

All She wanted was love...

Shefali is a die-hard romantic. Having lost her parents at a very tender age, she is in search of a place which she can call home. Her passion for Art lands her a job as an art curator to the famous artifacts of the Ranaut Dynasty. When she meets the scion, Aryan Ranaut, she feels that her dream might come true until…

All He wanted was to trust…

Living the life of a modern day Prince is no easy task for the young and dashing Aryan Ranaut. Having lost his father to a rapacious woman, Aryan has severe trust issues. But upon meeting Shefali, he feels he could let down his guard. Until…

All They need is to find The Angel…

Just as Aryan realizes his love for Shefali, one of the most precious artifacts, The Angel, goes missing from the Ranaut collection. All fingers point towards Shefali—more so because she leaves the palace without telling anyone on the very night of the theft. 

Finding the Angel is a story where duty clashes with love and lack of trust overrides passion. Under these circumstances, can The Angel bring the star-crossed lovers together?

My Honest Review:

            Finding the Angel is second book of the author which I have read. The Knitted Tales was a collection of heart and soul touching stories. But Finding The Angel is typical run out of mill, Mills & Boons type story, with suspense as main hero and romance and relationships as supporting cast.

          Though I loved the plot, story and the well-developed characters, it's bit difficult to digest Aryan’s attitude towards Shefali. He was such a confused character that his behavior in some scenes seemed to be obnoxious. Also would have loved to know how does the thief manage to steal The Angel without anyone noticing it?

         

          Except for these two things, Finding The Angel is a fast paced romantic story, with suspense as the main lead. But once you start reading, you just can’t put the book down until you finish reading till the end. I would like to add one line about Rubina, she can write any genre with equal flair and excel in it. Keep the good work and keep us hooked to your work.

Grab your copy @

Amazon.in | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com.au | Amazon.ca

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About the author

Rubina Ramesh is an avid reader, writer, blogger, book reviewer, and marketer. She is the founder of The Book Club, an online book publicity group. Her first literary work was published in her school magazine. It gave her immense pride to see her own name at the bottom of the article. She was about 8 years old at that time. She then went to complete her MBA and after her marriage to her childhood friend, her travel saga started. From The Netherlands to the British Isles she lived her life like an adventure. After a short stint in Malaysia, she finally settled down in the desert state of USA, Arizona. Living with her DH and two human kids and one doggie kid, Rubina has finally started living the life she had always dreamed about – that of a writer.

You can stalk her @

               

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Review-Knitted Tales by Rubina Ramesh

KNITTED TALES:
A Collection of Emotions
by

Rubina Ramesh

Blurb

What forces an innocent girl to become a sex symbol? Her desires? Or cruel fate? 

Is a lifetime enough—for avenging a betrayal? How do you hide secrets that never stopped haunting you? 

Can vengeance and secrets of your past devastate your present? How can long-buried crimes of yours suddenly raise their head? Can sinning be saving?

Is your spouse your soulmate? What if they never understood your feelings? Can you still live with them?

Lastly, does life give only two options? Live or die? What if there is a third?

In her debut anthology, Rubina Ramesh tries to find answers to these questions that are often from the heart and yet makes the mind ponder over the solution. Or is it the other way round? Either way, Knitted Tales is a bouquet of emotions that is bound to touch both your head and your heart.

My Honest Review :

         I have always admired Rubina as a person. Though I had met her for first time few months back, our online conversations always left me awed of her. Inspite of the time difference (she stays in Arizona), she is always there promoting authors, their books, managing work of The Book Club (fondly known as TBC), sorting out issues of reviewers or helping out. I always wonder when does this lady sleeps???

       

   As much as I am in awe of her as a person I also loved her style of writing. Having read some of her articles n reviews, which I loved reading I always wondered why she never penned a book???

 So when her first book was released I was curious to read her creation and I am left speechless.

Knitted Tales, is a collection of 12 short stories which author has penned through her various stages of her life, gathering instances from her surroundings and experiences. Each story has a deep meaning and emotions which a reader can feel while reading it. Each story has a hidden message which makes us think and analyze, put ourselves in the protagonist place and think.

Some of the stories and what I felt after reading the stories are:

A Secret in their Closet: spooky yet heart touching story.

Betrayal: An classic story of domestic violence but with unusual ending.

Chiclets: story of any teenage girl in foreign land who faces criticism and racism due to her dark skin tone. The best part is how the girl overcomes this problem in her own sweet way is definitely a lesson adults must learn.

Forgive me, for I have sinned: story of teenage love followed by heartbreak which results in the struggle of a man to become successful.

Lolita: Lalita, an innocent girl in her teens, what forces her to become a sexy siren?

No regrets: an educated Indian woman, who struggles to find her own identity and feet in foreign land, without breaking her marriage and making her husband understand her dilemma.

SuvarnaRekha: heart wrenching love story.

The lil Godmother: this story is a common one which every child faces with the arrival of his/her younger sibling. This story definitely is a lesson all parents must learn to prevent that green eyed monster seeping in between the siblings.

The Missing Staircase, The Other Woman, Daddy hear me out are also heart touching stories which touches you to core especially Daddy hear me out.

Finally, Cliff Notes: left me speechless to core.

In other words, Knitted Tales is a nice mix of human emotions, and morals of life which one must never forget. Nice work Rubina, can’t wait to read more of your works. 

Grab your copy @

Amazon India | Amazon USA | 
Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | Amazon Australia

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 About the author

Rubina Ramesh is an avid reader, writer, blogger, book reviewer and marketer. She is the founder of The Book Club, an online book publicity group. Her first literary work was published in her school magazine. It gave her immense pride to see her own name at the bottom of the article. She was about 8 years old at that time.  She then went to complete her MBA and after her marriage to her childhood friend, her travel saga started. From The Netherlands to the British Isles she lived her life like an adventure. After a short stint in Malaysia, she finally settled down in the desert state of USA, Arizona.  Living with her DH and two human kids and one doggie kid, Rubina has finally started living the life she had always dreamed about – that of a writer. 

Her other published works include:

'Home is where Love is’ a short story in the anthology Writings from the Heart. Ed. by Beth Ann Masarik. 

‘You Stole My Heart’ and ‘Let me Go’. Short stories as a part of the anthology Long and Short of It by Indireads.

'Wake Me Up' as a part of the anthology Marijuana Diaries by Fablery Publishers.

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