Ritoban Chakrabarti is a full time Internet Marketer and a writer. He has loved the internet since he got his internet connection in 2005. Earlier, he used to just surf and chat and make friends in social networks. But, slowly he started developing websites for fun.

By some twisted change of fate, he somehow got a few people who wanted him to build/code their websites for them and were willing to pay him good money for doing so. So, he got involved in freelancing and used to charge a nominal amount for his work. He always overdelivered on his projects and got amazing reviews.

Naturally the netx step for him was to launch his own product on Joomla. He launched ReadyMadeJoomla. People started buying the product and affiliates started promoting it.

Ritoban Chakrabarti loves experimenting and discovering new techniques, but most of all he loves teaching others. He believes information should be free and that’s why he decided to created a blog to lay out everything he knows about Internet Marketing in it.

But that wasn’t enough for talented Mr Chakrabarti. He decided to pursue a writing carier and his first book When She Smiled will be launched on February.

That’s a lot of information but yet I’d like to know more about who exactly is Ritoban Chakrabarti…

 “It’s a really difficult question. I’ve never stopped to think who I am.

 All I have ever known is to keep working towards the goals on my dream board and let my achievements define who I am. I started freelancing (making websites) in college which grew into a full time self-employment. Shortly thereafter, I opened my first company, which has had a brilliant run for the last five years.

 I love travelling, singing, writing, and watching movies. All of which have had a direct impact on my goals. I’m also an avid believer in living a life of freedom.”

– How did you decide to pursue a writing career?

 “About eight months ago, I picked up JD Salinger’s ‘Catcher in the Rye’ and read it in a few hours. It was a very simple story driven around one teenage guy and how a few days changed his perception about life.

 We have all had such moments. I’ve had mine for sure. There was a story that needed to be written. After reading that book, I had an epiphany.

 I reflected on the choices I made as a teenager and how they influenced my future. My novel is about a fifteen year old guy who had no clue how falling in love would forever change his life. ‘She’ is the girl he falls in love with. Her name is Akanksha. The entire story is set in Shimla, which is a beautiful hill station in India.”

 – Was getting published hard?

 “I have decided not to approach publishers because they take a lot of time to review and approve manuscripts. If you approach them first, then they lay down the rules of royalty and distribution. I want them to approach me. How?

 Today’s authors have an amazing bundle of services to get themselves self-published. There’s Createspace.com, that gets you published on Amazon.com (paperback) and Kindle. There’s Bookbaby.com, that gets you published on almost all major ebook marketplaces in the world. In India, which is my target market, there are several print-on-demand services which cost a bit extra, but are well worth it if you have a good distribution plan.”

 – Are your characters based on people you know?

 “Yes and no. While most of the characters have personalities similar to people I know, like family and friends, but in the end it is a fictional story. Our brains come to understand people and their behaviour through the ones around us and that’s how I found inspiration for a lot of characters in the book.”

– What genre is your book? 

 “When She Smiled is basically a young adult novel and its a story about a teenage guy who, over the course of one year, discovers his destiny by falling in love and then out of it. If you had to categorise it in a genre, it would be ‘coming of age’. “

– Which of your books is your most favourite?

 “JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye is my current favourite. Although this book is over 50 years old, I recently read it. This book gave me the courage and inspiration to go ahead and write my own novel. So it will always be close to my heart.”

– Do you have a specific writing routine?

 “When She Smiled was written in several places. Some of it, I wrote when I visited my parents in Chandigarh, India. Some of it was written while I was vacationing in an island resort in Maldives all by myself. Most of it was written in Bangalore, India.

 I rarely write at home. I have noticed that the best writing happens when I’m in a cafe or bar or coffee shop. There’s something about random strangers walking about that triggers the impulse to keep writing.

 I rarely write at night, and my best writing happens when I’m on a hot streak and spitting out words like a waterfall. Believe it or not, I had a six hour continuous writing spree one day when I wrote ten thousand words in one sitting. It was fabulous.”

– What are your current projects?

 “Apart from marketing the book, I’m also working on a few software projects for my company. I have to run a business after all. I’m making some killer softwares and online marketplaces, while also doing some internet marketing.”

– What’s next  for you?

 “The book gets launched in February, so the next three months will mostly be dedicated to marketing the hell out of the book. After that I will be working on my first music album. Taking my bathroom singing to a whole new level. Recording, music video shoots, production, and marketing of the album should keep me busy next year.

I will also be working on my next novel shortly. A writer should always keep writing.”

More about Ritoban Chakrabarti

You can find his entrepreneurial back story here:
http://www.quora.com/What-is-your-Start-up-story/answer/Ritoban-Chakrabarti

Book website: http://www.whenshesmiled.com
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2KgqHsfWqk

You can find his marketing backstory here:
http://ritoban.com/about

Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/ritoban
https://www.twitter.com/ritoban