INTERVIEW: Author of The Book 'To B.E or Not To B.E ? Mr. Dipen Ambalia

in Interview with Suyash Karangutkar, Journalist and Columnist  
After the success of his previous Book "The LOSER", in which he hit the Software world and Software Engineer life in a very Satirical manner.
and now he is back with his latest Book To B.E or Not To B.E ?" As the title itself say the whole thing about the book, but we want to know more about his latest Book and his own life and influences.
  
 What inspired you to write your first book?                                                                                 

My father passed away in june 2006. So, I wanted to do something substantial, something that would have made my father really proud of me. In 2008 I realized that I was creative and could write. So, I thought why not write a book and dedicate it to him.

Do you have a specific writing style?

  My most favorite author is Scott Adams. He is the creator of the very famous comic strip called “The Dilbert Principle”. He has also written brilliant satires on the marketing and management world. So, I have tried to use his style of writing and applied to various other areas such as Software Industry and Life of engineering students in India. So, yes, I am one of the very few authors in India who use this style of narrative satire. 

 How did you come up with an interesting titles of your new book?                                                               

Title of any book plays a big role in its success. If the title is not interesting, the reader wouldn't bother buying it. So, I do give a lot of importance to coming up with a good title. There is no set formula to pick a title. You just have to brainstorm a lot to come up with funny or succinct title that justifies the whole book.
 

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Each of my books has some or the other message. Even though I write satires, the crux of writing it is that I want to prove some point or show some fallacy of the system , but in a funny way. The first book of mine “In their shoes” was a fiction about 17 very ordinary characters. Each of these characters teaches how life can be lived in a simple manner.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? 

Scott Adams is my guru, I would say. I have read his books 10 to 15 times to understand his style of writing. The way he uses exaggeration to create humour is amazing!                                                                                                                                                                        


                      

                                        

Do you see writing as a career ?  

Not yet. India is yet to become a market mature enough for writers to take up writing professionally. Its very difficult to sustain as a writer in this country. The royalty that a writer gets is very low. So, as of now , Indian writers can take up writing only as a hobby.

 Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? 

                                                

Humour is very difficult to write. My first book was serious. The 2nd and 3rd were humorous. I found humour difficult to write.                           

Who have been your favorite authors apart from Scott Adam and what is it that really strikes you about their work?   

 Scott adams as mentioned earlier. I also love Sudha Murthy’s books. Very simple English, real life based short stories, easy to connect and learn lessons of life!

Do you have any advice for new writers, who want to make their career in writings ? any tips       

                   Please note that the chances of rejection in this book industry are very... very… very high! You would need a lot of self belief to become a writer. There will be lot of critics which would run down your work. But, have faith in your writing ability and you would enjoy the fruits of perseverance. 

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?        

         

Try to follow your passion and do what makes you happy. 

What is that precious message of yours that you would like to give to the youngsters? 

                              

Develop some hobby since your school days so that you can make it a primary source of income 10-15 years down the line when you will get bored of your professional life.