Interviewtimes 
Aditya Mishra is an Amazon Bestselling Author, and currently the Senior Editor at Penzone Publishers. He has worked on the books of many renowned authors and played an essential role in publishing countless novels. His first book, “Shadows” was a crime thriller, which went on to become a Number 1 Amazon Bestseller in just 30 days. The novel was published by “Educreation Publishing”, a renowned traditional publisher. He is a student of Political Science and English at ARSD College, Delhi University, and plans to continue writing novels while completing his education. The Cartel Workers is his second novel, a book he wrote in just four months. Interview Times had a detailed conversation with Mr. Aditya, below are the excerpts,
Q1-What inspired you to start writing?
ANSWER – There’s no doubt about the fact that writing is an extremely revered profession. Authors are respected all around the world, irrespective of what they write, so this was definitely one reason. Personally, becoming an author was never my goal. Right now, I’m a National Bestselling Author, but believe it or not, this just happened because of the Covid Lockdown. I had this great plot in my mind, and normally, I would have never taken out the time to work on it, but as I was stuck at home like everybody else, I decided to expand the idea and see where it goes. A few months later, I had a whole manuscript in my hands. Once it was done, I sent it to a few traditional publishers just to see what happens, and 2 months later, I got an email from one, which said that they wanted to publish my book under their banner. My life changed that day, and I’m glad that wrote that book and sent it to publishers.
Q2- How do you source ideas for writing your books?
ANSWER – Ideas are all around us. If we want, we can take anything from our social surroundings and strategically build them into a plot. Beginners usually start by writing about the things they are interested in, and that’s what I did. I used to watch documentaries and shows about big criminal organizations, drug cartels, etc. as these were the things that fascinated me the most. And thus the Mexican Cartel ended up becoming the base of my first novel, Shadows.
Q3- What is the definition of success for you?
ANSWER – For me, success is always about getting the respect of people. Many people measure success by the amount of money earned, but I disagree with that. Money can be earned through unethical ways as well. Respect, on the other hand, cannot.
Writing a book is a monumental task. It needs a lot of patience and dedication, and the best thing about the writing industry is that people always acknowledge the hard work. They understand how tough it is, and hence, they respect those who manage to pull it off.
Q4- Would you please elaborate more about your latest book?
ANSWER – ‘The Cartel Workers’ is a crime thriller that revolves around the life of Aiden, a man who is forced to work for the Mexican Drug Syndicate as he has blood relations with the Cartel’s leader, Lucas Hernandez. We get to see how these crime organizations work, and how Aiden survives his new life as a fugitive. He loses many loved ones due to his unwanted association with this Cartel, and that’s when he decides to put an end to the notorious drug ring. Will he manage to pull it off while fighting his own inner demons, or will he succumb to death like every other enemy of the Cartel? Read the book to find out.
The story is set in Alaska, California, and Mexico, and the book is now a National Bestseller. It has received a very positive response and has left every reader enthralled by the book’s ending.
Q5- What are your other hobbies apart from writing?
ANSWER – Apart from writing, I watch movies and TV shows. I also find the time to play badminton for an hour every day. The rest of my day is spent editing manuscripts for authors.
Q6- How do you choose titles of your books?
ANSWER – Choosing the title is not a difficult thing for me to do. I try to keep it open-ended and interesting at the same time. An ideal title should make the reader think about what the book’s plot might be, while not giving too much of it away at the same time as well.
Q7- According to you, what are the basic formulas of good and error free writing?
ANSWER – Making multiple drafts as well as editing and proofreading them yourself is a must. Taking the opinion of a beta reader helps a lot as well. Once you believe your manuscript is ready, send it to a professional editor. Many people don’t hire editors in an attempt to save money, but trust me, it’s the most crucial thing. You always need a separate pair of eyes to spot the errors. What other people see in our manuscript is very different from what the writer sees.
Q8- What are your future plans?
ANSWER – It might be hard for you to believe this, but I’m just 19 years old at the moment. So honestly, I don’t know what the future holds for me. I’m currently studying English and Political Science at ARSD College, University of Delhi, and I aim to become an IAS officer. But a lot can change in 3 years, so I haven’t fixed anything for now. One thing is for sure, I’ll never stop writing. I wrote a book because I had nothing else to do during the lockdown, but these 2 books that I’ve written have changed my life completely. I’m a different individual now, and I’m so grateful to God for all that I’ve achieved. So no matter what career I choose in the future, I’ll keep on writing books side by side.
Image Courtesy : Aditya Mishra
