Shivdutt Sharma

An alumnus of St. Stephen's College, Delhi University, Shivdutt Sharma graduated with Honors in History, and did his Master's in English Literature.

With a post-graduate Diploma in Marketing & Advertising from Mumbai, he entered the world of Advertising and worked as a senior Copywriter and subsequently as a Creative Director with some of the leading advertising agencies.

His work won several awards for excellence in advertising communication from industry associations like Commercial Artists Guild (CAG), Advertising Club of Bombay, and Reader's Digest.

Shiv now works as Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director with a Publishing House in Mumbai, which primarily brings out Books on new-age spirituality, and self-help/personal growth.

His earlier published works include books for children that impart moral/spiritual values, a personal memoir titled The Hill Billy - of his school days in Mussoorie, and the mythological romance of Savitri and Satya an titled The Triumph of Love. He presently resides in Mumbai.

Author interview- Shivdutt Sharma

An alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, Shivdutt Sharma graduated with Honors in History, and did his Master’s in English Literature. He did a post-graduate Diploma in Marketing & Advertising from Mumbai, entered the world of Advertising and worked as a senior Copywriter and subsequently as a Creative Director with several leading advertising agencies. Shivdutt now works as Editor-in-Chief and Art Director with a Publishing House in Mumbai.

His published works include books for children that impart moral/spiritual values to them, a personal memoir titled The Hill Billy, and the mythological romance of Savitri and Satya an titled The Triumph of Love.

In this interview with Dr Reopen, Shivdutt talks about his work, craft, profession, passion and so much more! Read on to find out the clarity and depth this gentleman has!

RP: What inspired you to write your early memoir- The Hill Billy?

SS: Actually it was a chance remark by a close friend who said that since I had had such an interesting and eventful childhood, I should write about it.

He further added that since I had been a copywriter, and later a Creative Director, with several ad agencies, writing should come naturally to me.

The seed was sown but it took a year to fertilize and then sprout.  So really, you could say, I am an accidental author but one with a fertile imagination.

RP: You write across the genres. How easy or difficult is it to shift between them?

SS: It is very easy for me because of my advertising background where we have to one day work on children’s garments, another day on travel brochures, one day on pressure cookers and the next day on pharmaceuticals, and so on. 

30 years of working as a creative person with leading advertising agencies, on a variety of products, has I guess enabled me to write across genres.

RP: What type of writing brings out the best in you?

SS: Writing that comes straight from the heart. If you can’t feel it, you can’t write about it. That’s what I believe. I dislike writing long, descriptive passages which can get boring if one is not careful.

I like to write dialogue because that also involves a reader more, so I make sure there is lots of ‘talking’ going on between my characters.

Since I have a hyper-active mind that reflects in my writing which is usually fast paced.  There is a lot of autobiographical sourcing in my writing which means there is a lot of ‘me’ in the characters that I create in my novels.

RP: What draws you to spirituality and spiritual writing? How challenging is it to earn commercial success in this genre of writing?

SS: I belong to a family that is very spiritually inclined- in fact very deeply into spirituality. That explains my inclination towards spiritual writing.

This genre is seeing many spiritual teachers achieving worldwide success with their own viewpoints on what defines ‘spirituality and how one can work towards evolving as a spiritual person’.

To name a few: Eckhart Tolle, whose very first book ‘The Power of Now’ was an international bestseller and was translated into several languages. Dr. Devadas Menon, Professor at IIT Madras whose first book ‘Stop Sleepwalking Through Life!’ and his recently published new book ‘Spirituality at Work’ are moving very fast.

 Gautam Sachdeva, whose ‘The Buddha’s Sword’ has already been translated into several European Languages.  And, of course, we all know Louise Hayes and the success she has achieved internationally.

RP: You have written many books. Is your best work still inside you?

SS: No. I put my best into every book that I write.

RP: Every writer sometime or the other feels frustrated or disappointed with their writing. How do you pull through these down times and fleeting moments of self-doubt?

SS: I don’t feel either frustrated or disappointed. Again to give the advertising analogy, once a campaign is done and out in the open, one forgets about it and gets on to the next campaign on hand.

Likewise, once a book is out of my system, it is out of my mind. There is no looking back. It’s over and done with. I have a fairly detached attitude to whether it does well or not.

RP: Looking back, would you like to redo any of your previous books?

SS: No, I would not.  Never! I gave it my best. I couldn’t have done it any better.

RP: Is it possible for a writer to make a successful career out of writing?

SS: No. Not unless he is absolutely brilliant. It is like asking a struggling artist who is painting in a garret or an attic and, in all probability, eating one meal a day and not knowing or caring where the next one will come from, whether painting can become a successful career. 

Most artists paint because they love to paint and cannot think of doing anything else. So whether they are successful or not, achieve fame or die in poorhouses is not their priority. They have to satisfy their ‘inner urge’ and they do just that.

RP: Where do you think the Indian writing industry headed?

SS: Well, you have several Indian authors being listed as Booker potentials nowadays and making that list, apart from some other generally not so well-known international set-ups that award prizes to books.

So that should answer your question where Indian writing, in English, is headed. Speaking of it as an industry, the publishing industry has gone through major changes and is keeping pace with technology and progressive trends.

RP: On a personal level, how do you view success?

SS: I definitely do not view it in monetary terms, or in terms of acquiring fame, fancy cars or fine possessions.

Success to me means- being able to live a comfortable life that gives me peace of mind. I value peace of mind above the so-called ‘successful’ life with all the trappings it brings.  I can do without the trappings.

RP: What’s your take on the recent trend of writers spending more time and energy in promoting their books than writing them?

SS: There is nothing wrong in promoting one’s book or even in self-promotion.  In fact, if you do not promote yourself you may as well be like the artist in his attic or on the pavement.

However, the other side of the coin is that, yes, you can sell a bad or shoddy product if you have advertised and marketed it well and then put the might of money behind it.

 I have seen this happen a lot in my advertising days –good advertising used to market and sell a shoddy product.  But, in the final analysis, when you are alone with yourself – you are not going to be happy nor have your peace of mind.

RP: What’s your advice to the newbie writers who have stars in their eyes and are waiting to take a plunge in the writing world?

SS: As such, I have no advice to give because what works, or worked for me, may not work for someone else. My only words to newbie writers would be:

One, get a good command over the language you are writing before you begin writing, two, get your work edited by a professional editor and then again have it read by a professional proof reader. Lastly, give it your best!