From techie to award-winning writer: How Amazon KDP Pen to Publish Contest played a big role in Sudha Nair’s journey

For Sudha Nair, jointly winning the inaugural edition of Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing’s Pen to Publish 2017 literary contest along with J Alchem meant much more than just the attractive cash prize; a publishing deal with Westland and global acclaim.

“Winning taught me that it wasn’t about the applause or the adulation, but about the satisfaction of having created, without which I wouldn’t have derived any pleasure after it was all done and dusted,” says the author of The Wedding Tamasha, who has now penned three more titles.

Software engineer to full-time author

A former software engineer, Sudha says while winning the acclaimed writing contest has definitely transformed her life, in terms of more commercial success, global attention, and acclaim coming her way, her inherent ethos as a writer remained unchanged, which was to connect to people, entertain and inspire them, and open their minds to a whole new world of possibilities, through her stories.

In particular, Sudha says she wants her stories to inspire women to carve their own path and follow their heart. In fact, this was the motivation which drove her to write The Wedding Tamasha, her first book and her prize-winning entry for the Pen to Publish 2017 contest.

Since she is all about following one’s dreams and passions, she has the following advice for budding authors who have the desire to share their story but are afraid to do so: “If you have a manuscript wasting away in a cupboard, please bring it out, polish it, put it on KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), and make sure it sees the light of day.”

According to her, one of the biggest advantages of KDP is that is allows a writer to see what the sales are like. “That’s a big boost to your confidence. Everything is very transparent, so I know exactly how much I’m selling and how much I’m going to earn.”

Additionally, she lists what else she loves about KDP. “I love its intuitive front end, metrics which are easily measurable, the dashboard that shows me all details, including how many readers are buying my book and where these readers are located, either in India or abroad."

Her advice to future contestants

And, while she believes the KDP Pen to Publish 2018 contest is a great platform for budding writers, she does have some very valuable advice for the contestants. “Don’t make it only about the prize, or the fortune and the fame. Let it be about you, the creativity within you, and the story that only you have the power to bring into this world. Having done that by publishing your work is in itself a huge achievement, equivalent to winning. So be passionate about your creation, stop doubting yourself and just go for it.”

So what are you waiting for? Don’t miss this opportunity to transform your life like Sudha did.

Participate in the KDP Pen to Publish - 2018 contest today.