Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Heya, I’m Amit, originally from a small town in the middle of England (UK). I’m a very against the grain type of person and growing up had two dreams, both were as far fetched and improbable as the other but one came true. The first like most boys in England was to become a footballer (soccer player) and the other was to travel the world.
In 2010 the other dream came true and my life changed forever when I picked up my bags and left for a backpacking trip to Australia. It changed my life because I never returned home on a permanent basis. To this day I’m roaming around the world. I don’t have a trust fund, but my desire and lust for traveling has helped me turn a dream into my everyday life.
I’m a slow and long term traveler and try as spend as much time as possible in each country to get a true experience of it and have traveled from Australia to Bolivia across 5 continents.
After a decade of traveling, I finally got the urge to sit down and write a book. My debut book, You, Yourself & the World is a help book for anybody looking to live out their dreams of wandering the world solo. It is the first of many to come
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my book is You, Yourself & the World.
Funny enough it wasn’t the book I originally started to write.
While traveling through Borneo in 2019, the energy and atmosphere just captured me so much it inspired me to start writing my travel memoir. However as I planned the book out, so many old memories came flooding back. Along with the memories came old questions, fears and concerns. I realised they were the same things people had been asking me over the years from family members, to those who couldn’t fathom my life to first time solo travelers.
I switched gears, put down the memoir and started to write You, Yourself & the World to help people gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of what long term solo travel life is really like behind the fluffy facade.
The book was born in Borneo, nourished in Portugal and came to fruition in England.
The inspiration for the book came from the people around me.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Apart from needing an IV drip of coffee I don’t think there is any unusual writing habits – Not that I’m aware of anyway.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The biggest influence has to be my hero, the late great Anthony Bourdain. A traveler and author himself. His shows were what inspired me to travel in the first place and his writing style is something that just resonated with me.
What are you working on now?
At the moment I’m concentrating on re-writing some old blog posts having just published You, Yourself & the World. That and of course marketing the book.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have to be honest, I am still in the learning stages of marketing my book. I’m playing around with different strategies, social media, my own website, doing Author interviews like this one. It can get frustrating at times but It’s also quite fun trying to get the formula right. So far for me, what has worked it networking, with people in the travel world but others authors too.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is that a lot of people are going to deter you from writing. You should write for the right reasons, and see it through, don’t let the noise distract you, believe in yourself and in what you have to offer as an Author. My other advice is to start your marketing as early as possible. This was a mistake I made, and I do wish I started marketing it from before I even started to write my first word.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Is to believe in my work, to make it as authentic as I can and with passion. Writing and making a book work is hard work – there is no point in going into it without full commitment and without passion.
What are you reading now?
At the moment I am reading a book called ‘when in roam’ from a fellow first time author. It is her comedy travel memoir from when she travelled the world in the late 90’s
What’s next for you as a writer?
My next move is to start marketing my next book, a collection of personal travel fails from all over the world; traveling doesn’t always go smoothly.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Fear and loathing in Las Vegas (one of my faves)
The lost city of Z
Any Dan brown book
Author Websites and Profiles
Amit Vaidya Website
Amit Vaidya Amazon Profile
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