EP #74: Sibi Selvanathan – Writing & Publishing An Amazon Top 5 Epic Fantasy Book In 18 Months During The Pandemic

Sibi Selvanathan (@superstarsibi) is a Product Manager by profession who was able to knock off a bucket list item for himself by writing & publishing an Amazon Top 5 Epic Fantasy Book in 18 months during the pandemic (@author_skselva).

He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss why he chose to write a fantasy genre novel,  how he leveraged free time to sharpen his writing skills, being inspired by his sister who helped write ‘Amutha Learns’ (@amuthalearns, Episode 1 guest of “The Tamil Creator”), being a morning person and trying to make the most of every minute, investing in Gamestop and Bitcoin, wanting to be a professional hockey or soccer player while growing up, Harry Potter books having a massive influence on him, and so much more.

Follow Sibi:
– Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/author_skselva/)
– LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sibiselvanathan/)

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Timestamps

00:19 – Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sibi Selvanathan
01:13 – Sibi speaks on his childhood passion for storytelling (last minute “and now I have a book on Amazon)
04:50 – His sister being a guest on EP1 of #TheTamilCreator and a part of the group that wrote ‘Amutha Learns’
06:26 – Why Sibi chose to write a fantasy genre novel
08:32 – The marketing strategy he used to promote his book entitled ‘The Demon Returns – Legend of Ilemuria’
10:31 – How his book has sold internationally and interactions he’s had with fans of the novel
11:53 – Sibi took 1.5 years to ideate and write a best selling fantasy book
12:52 – Having a full-time tech job while pursuing his passion for storytelling; how he balances both
14:50 – The power of compounding time and consistent effort; how social media interactions kept him accountable
17:01 – Wattpad; Sibi’s reluctance to use ‘the YouTube of publishing’ and the founder’s story
19:46 – Advice he has for aspiring authors of all ages; specifically for those wanting to write a novel
21:46 – Leaving a stable job to work at a start-up; what Sibi learned from making this decision
24:29 – His relationship with money; the importance of saving and controlling your emotions when investing
30:47 – Having a big circle and keeping positive influences in his life who supported him in his pursuit of authorship
32:41 – Friendships surviving the test of time; his relationships staying solid despite not seeing friends as often as before
34:00 – Advice he would give his 16-year-old self if he could jump in a time machine; take your time
36:43 – The personal legacy Sibi wants to be remembered for by friends and family
37:14 – Creator Confessions
39:28 – The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
– The Tamil Creator
– Yanchan

Written By:
– Aravinthan Ehamparam
– Yanchan Rajmohan