“Fallen Heroes“ is now on the shelves of several branches of Waterstones, including their flagship branch (where it was labeled a ‘cult hit’), which is regarded as the largest bookshop in Europe. I have, since then, done several book signings both in-store and at various conventions.

Thanks to the success of “Fallen Heroes” I now have an agent and an award winning TV and film production company has optioned the book itself. I am also working with a BBC journalist who will be adapting the story for a graphic novel to be published by Insomnia Publications.

None of this would have been possible without the easy to use and excellent print on demand infrastructure set up by Lulu. One example is the ease by which I was able to release a new edition of the book with a back cover Waterstones review and a front cover quote/recommendation from fantasy author, James Barclay.

Through self-publishing I have pushed myself to do things, in terms of self-promotion and marketing, I would never have done otherwise (signings are not my strong point!). I have learnt a lot about what it takes to not only get your work out there but what to do once it is. It’s been a journey of hard work, disappointment, lesson learning and huge moments of sheer joy.

Poet Nikhil Parekh

Hi, Nikhil. Thank you for agreeing to do this interview with me for the Lulu blog. Can you introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Nikhil Parekh. I am a Love Poet & Five-Time World Record Holder with the Limca Book of Records India (Only 2nd in official world rankings to the Guinness Book of World Records) for my Poetry. I am located on planet earth as is everyone around me by God’s grace. But pragmatically speaking I live in Ahmedabad, a royally sweltering city of India. To know more about me, my poetry, poetry books, awards and works please visit me online at www.nikhilparekh.org or www.nikhilparekh.com

So, to begin with, I would love to know how it all started.

Wrote my first poem at age 12 yrs or so. That was about a ‘dog’ whom I perceived as a peaceful friend. Penned a few sprinkling of poems during this time. After that didn’t write till age 21 yrs. But after completing college and my Civil Engineering studies I have been writing in my mortal capacity since last 9.5 yrs or so. The ramification of which has rendered over 7000 pages of my Poetry on God, Love, World Peace, Womb,  Anti Terror, Environment, Life, Death, Lovers, Love, Unity, Brotherhood, Humanity.

What drew you to poetry?

God is the greatest Poet and his enchanting Universe the greatest poetry. If we look around us there’s poetry of the most unassailably majestic forum unveiling by the grace of God. That is my ultimate inspiration. Human beings are fickle in attitude; they might inspire one instant; the other moment they’d baselessly ostracize. Therefore the entire credit of my writing and poetry goes to the Creator and his undefeated Universe. I write poetry which is uninhibited and replete with analogies to deliver a strong message for the betterment of all living kind.

What are your poems about? Do you have any running themes?

I write poetry spontaneously. Whenever a thought strikes me; it might be at any hour; but if I feel the magnetic impulse to write, I’ll do it. Therefore there’s no running theme. Its unabashedly natural. I’ve written thousands of poems on Anti Terror, Environment, Global Warming, Adopting Girl Child, Children, Friendship, Love, Peace- at times evoked by what was happening around me; at times when things seemed all peaceful and mellifluous; but because my fantasy/perception took me there. So its all absolutely natural. That’s the way I am. I don’t set myself tasks; because then that’s not poetry. That’s monotony and robotic work. But whatever comes my way in its most uninhibitedly vivacious form; I set upon to do with the romantic winds of existence tingling my stride. Another thing; before I set to type a poem on my laptop; its already there; every bit of it in my mind evolved as it should be written. My hands then become my quintessential tools to pen the rhapsody of unblemished thought down.

Has poetry changed your life in any way?

Only God can change things and govern the planet as he likes. All of us humans and living beings; irrespective of caste; creed; religion and color are nothing infront of the Lord Almighty.  So Poetry hasn’t changed my life; but because I was destined to write Poetry by his grace; it has given me my direction to live. It has revitalized my beleaguered persona to triumph with the spirit of love. It has perpetuated my existence with the freshness of truth- as blazing as the rays of the invincible Sun.

There is a poem of mine “Writing Poetry” and what it means to me. I’d like to share this with all my readers. The same can be read online. (This describes in all its unflinching profoundness and answers your question)

Have you visited Lulu’s new Poetry site, Lulu Poetry www.poetry.com? From a poet’s perspective, what do you think of the site?

Poetry.com is a revolution for poets across the world. I was stupendously enthralled witnessing it now under Lulu helm. The most popular domain for Poetry and Poetry’s largest website on the internet is truly amazing to view. This website has so many resources, contests, patronizations, feedback for poets that its almost a one-stop destination for poets globally. Being online it unites poets from across the globe into a religion of friendship and provides them an efficacious platform for their works. Though I couldn’t find a section for poets from India (India isn’t listed in countries when you submit for the contest) at the website. Am sure it’d be introduced soon. As time unveils, I feel Poetry.com would be the internet’s most royal answer for poetry. I for one look forward to this internet Poetry giant to unveil itself in its entirety.

Nikhil Parekh, 31 yrs, from Ahmedabad, India– is a Love Poet and Five-time World Record holder with the Limca Book of Records India (Only 2nd in Official World Rankings to Guinness Book of World Records) for his poetry.

These 5 world records held by Parekh with the Limca Book of Records are for:-

• “Being the 1st Indian Poet to be published/featured in McGill English Dictionary of Rhyme which is the World’s Number 1 English Rhyming Dictionary—for his poem: Come Lets Embrace our New Religion”
• “Being the 1st Indian Poet to have won Poet of the Year Award at the Canadian Federation of Poets which is Canada’s National Poetry Body endorsed by Governor General of Canada”
• “Being the 1st Indian Poet to be published in a Commonwealth Newsletter for his poem on AIDS which is ‘Aids doesn’t kill. Your Attitude kills.”
• “Being the 1st Indian Poet to win an EPPIE award for best poetry e-book”
• “Writing the most number of letters to and receiving the most number of replies from World Leaders and World Organizations”.

A complete compilation of his poems, poetry books, world records in poetry, projects, awards and works can be browsed online at www.nikhilparekh.org or www.nikhilparekh.com.

Visit Nikhil Parekh’s Lulu storefront.

One issue with gaining converts to the power of social networking is showing the value. Many people who are unfamiliar with the medium only see the noise and not the benefits. I have found a number of my LuluBlog author interviews via social networking. In fact, Lulu author Bob McDonald conducted an interview with me via Twitter. Samata Angel found me via my LinkedIn profile and asked me some questions about Lulu.com and how she could effectively market her books. That simple message turned into this interview. The real trick to marketing your business, and yourself, via social networking is creating a conversation. None of the people who I have profiled or helped promote their content have sent impersonal messages. They all started a conversation with me. For now, here is my post on using Twitter to gain an audience and we’ll have more social networking how-to posts coming up on the blog and on Lulu.com.

Samata Angel has used Lulu to promote her fashion career. So far, she has created two books using Lulu.com and was kind enough to do an interview with me via email.

Tell us a bit about your background?

I grew up in Cambridge and moved to London to study my undergraduate degree in Economics, Finance and Management. Whist in London I just used the opportunity to get more involved in the fashion scene as I always loved being creative and wanted to see where it may take me, so I got involved in fashion shows backstage, assisted other designers and went to lots of networking parties. After university I worked in a range of fashion industry roles including Head of PR for a Chelsea 3 floor boutique and as Head of Marketing for a Japanese clothing label and it was after all of these experiences that I decided to register my company, Samata’s Muse. Since that I have just worked hard and been given the some great opportunities, with Samata’s Muse counting the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Dawn Richards as clients and having been featured in LOOK, PRIDE and Fashion Capital to name a few!

What inspired you to write your books?

It was really whilst working in the fashion industry as a designer and doing various spots as a guest speaker at different business and enterprise events that I realized there was a need for a certain type of assistance and that I could provide it! By launching “Fashioning your Life, A Clothing Designer’s Guide – Volumes 1 & 2″ I wanted to provide essential books to assist fashion designers understand business elements of running a clothing label. I studied business and I am very much a self-taught designer so I wanted to share knowledge in areas such as Marketing, PR, Trade Show participation and writing a business plan. I also got some industry friends on board who are experts in their fields such as international photographer Nigel Barker (America’s Next Top Model), celebrity stylist Nick Ede (Project Catwalk ), Jenny Holloway (Fashion Capital founder) and PR Guru Courtney Blackman (Fashion Business Club) to share brilliant advice in their relevant sectors

How have your books helped your career?

I would say they have helped others more than my career (I hope!) but the acknowledgement I have picked up due to writing them has been phenomenal. They have definitely brought a great deal of press my way and I have been asked to speak at some really fantastic events alongside other entrepreneurs and business leaders such as Levi Roots, Baroness Scotland and Margaret Mountford in part due to this achievement. They have also helped me focus on what I would love to do and I can see that in the future some form of social enterprise work is very much on the cards for me. I am an ambassador for the national campaign Make your Mark which aims to encourage young people into enterprise so I have a taster of what to expect and how rewarding that type of work can be.

Tell us about the awards you have won?

Since launching I have picked up a few industry nominations and wins such as Best Couture Line 2006 at UK Urban Fashion Awards, British Female Inventor and Innovator Network’s ‘Exceptionally Creative Award 2006′ (Finalist), Aristoc’s ‘Ultra Woman of 2007′ (Finalist)
and Precious’ ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2008’. They have been huge acknowledgements which have meant a great deal to me because they give me a pat on the back and show much-needed industry support.

What is the most important advice you think a budding designer needs to have?

I would say try to stay inspired by surrounding yourself with positive people, new environments and the materials of your craft, work hard and stay true to who you are. It is easy for people to get caught up in the glamorous image of the fashion industry and yes, of course it is sparkly, exciting and fast paced, but it is a business industry like any other and what really matters is putting in the hard work so that you can rightfully reap the rewards.

Any plans for a 3rd Volume?

I am definitely planning volumes 3 &4 of the guide for later this year early 2010. Right now I am focusing on promoting the first two and trying to ensure the content will be relevant and also that I can get the same caliber of contributors for that as I did for 1 & 2. I want each step I take to be a progression from the next and not a step backwards.

To learn more about Samata:

Samata Angel’s Books
Official website
Samata on Twitter

There is no real way to classify what is the typical Lulu author. We have such a wide range of people publishing books through Lulu that trying to classify who is a Lulu author is nearly impossible. It is this diversity that makes Lulu so special. We have college professors publishing their research, grandmothers publishing cookbooks, middle aged authors finally getting their “great American novel” into print and thousands more. It is truly amazing just to see what is published on a daily basis.

One author using Lulu is 14 year old Dawson Vosburg. He recently published the sci-fi adventure Double Life and was kind enough to answer some questions for me. I was really impressed that a 14 year old could write such a great story. I think my most impressive feat when I was 14 was finally rescuing Smurfette from Gargamel’s Castle in the Smurf videogame on my Coleco Adam computer.

What gave you the idea to write a book?

It’s a bit of a long story—and it all started as a movie idea, actually. As a 6th grader, I was very interested in making movies. I’ve been making them at home since I was five. What happened was I was trying to make a movie about dragons after reading Eragon by Christopher Paolini. I had done a lot of research on dragons and had decided to make a dragon movie. I actually had the CGI software to design the dragons, so I was all set. As I was writing the screenplay, my friends backed out on me, so I decided that I would write a book on the same subject. So, I went on a writing stint and wrote my first (and still unpublished) novel Day of the Dragon.

But after that I still had a desire to write, so I pulled out an old idea I’d been kicking around for about 8 years (that’s since I was five years old) about a secret agency called the BLUE. And thus Double Life stumbled onto the stage.

Who are your favorite authors?

Oh, gee…I have a hard time deciding. Christopher Paolini is way up there, with Jeremy Robinson (an author I discovered through Lulu), Lemony Snicket, Jeff Kinney. JK Rowling’s a new one; I just started reading the Sorcerer’s Stone and I think it’s excellent, Beverly Cleary, Madeline L’Engle, and Eoin Colfer. He’s a great author. I really can’t choose a number one or put them in any order. Most of the genres don’t conflict with each other.

What books/movies/shows gave you inspiration for Double Life?

When I was a kid, I used to watch The Famous Jett Jackson on the Disney channel. They made a movie of it, and after watching it I was inspired about secret agent stuff. I really liked the idea of a real person going to an imaginary world, so that formed into a beginning idea of Double Life. Also, some of the inventions in Artemis Fowl got me to think about some of the inventions for my book.

As far as movies go, Agent Cody Banks gave me some inspiration. It was really all of it combined that made me really want to go for a secret agent book. After all those years of formulating, the idea was definitely ready to come out.

Who designed the cover?

I have a friend who is a graphic designer named Phil Dragash. He’s really good at design, so I asked him late one Friday to do me a cover. He said sure, as long as I gave him $5.00 and a free signed copy of the book. Knowing a bargain when I saw one, I took the deal and the cover looked better than I could have ever imagined. Phil really designed it well. You can see Phil’s stuff HERE.

What challenges do you think you have being 14 and trying to market your book?

You know, I have never really thought of my age as being a drawback. I really find it more to be a sales handle that usually helps instead of hurts. There are, however, some problems. I’ve been trying for a while to set up an account for LSI as my POD printer when I finally have everything sorted out to form my publishing company, D Productions, but all the forms! My Dad’s hand was so tired after signing all of them that he started asking for payment!

But really, as far as marketing goes, people have been more receptive of my book because or in spite of my age. Nothing negative has really come out of that.

I read a Tweet about you turning Double Life into a screenplay. Who do you want to play the main characters if it was made into a movie?

Ooh! This is going to be fun. I really can’t choose a character to play Josiah, though. If I were infinitely in seventh grade, I would definitely volunteer myself, but then I would have to work out for hours a day trying to be as fit as Agent 12.

I always thought that David could be either Will Smith or Cuba Gooding Jr. Great actor choice there.

Tom would be my friend who recently moved to Ohio, Phil Pease. He looks exactly like what I wanted Tom to be, and I think that’s just great.

Bob might be…wow, that one’s hard. Someone funny with a chiseled face, big lips and deeply inset eyes. Oh! And floppy black hair. If you know of any actor like that, please tell me!

What will you be writing next?

Right now I’ve been working on the sequel to Double Life. I’m not going to say what happens or what the title is, but I can say that I’ve been taking a break from the computer and writing on my local library’s electric typewriter for the past few days. You can look forward to that. Also, once I finish this series (there will be three) I plan to write an epic fantasy. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do.

Buy Double Life HERE and Dawson’s blog HERE.

Robert J. Marckin is the top-selling author of You Can Beat Prostate Cancer, a survival guide that he wishes had been available when he was diagnosed. Bob has generously shared his insight into what has helped his book become a best seller.

What was your inspiration for sharing your story?

When I was diagnosed with prostate cancer 8 years ago I was extremely frightened. The more research I did, the more books I read, and the more doctors I spoke with… the more frightened I became. Books on the market at that time were all written by physicians with their own biases. I vowed to write a book from the patient’s point of view, a book that puts prostate cancer in proper perspective.

What made you decide on using Lulu to self-publish your book?

A friend who had heard of Lulu and who knew that I planned to self-publish told me that Lulu was the best in the business.

You’ve been selling your book through Lulu for almost a year. What were your first sales like and how do they compare to your sales today?

Sales are increasing. Just last week we crossed the 23,000 mark. That’s about five times as many books as I thought I’d sell in that period of time.

Do you feel like there was one breakthrough moment when your success jumped? If so, what do you think caused that jump to happen? If not, what do you think has been the key to a sustained success?

I founded and now run a 4,000 member international prostate cancer support group. I promote my book through my website (protonbob.com) and my monthly newsletters. I have also been asked to do several interviews on radio, TV and the Internet. Some of these are archived and linked on my website home page.

Some other events caused my sales to spike. Both Loma Linda University Medical Center and University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute now send my book to patients who make inquiries into proton therapy for prostate cancer. Also, Senior NBC TV News Correspondent George Lewis ran a story on the Today Show and NBC Nightly News about his prostate cancer journey. I had helped him on that journey, and my book was part of his journey. George interviewed me and showed my book on both TV pieces. Sales spiked after that.

Do you advertise your book?

Just on my website and in my newsletters.

How did you arrive at your book’s visual design and layout?

My daughter and son-in-law are graphic designers. The entire cover design and layout was their idea. I had a professional photographer take the picture, but everything was “choreographed” by my daughter and son-in-law.