Author Interview: Jagannatha Rao Palukuri

Jagan's career spans over 25 years and a large part of his career delivered learning programs across hierarchies on various management topics. he has trained, coached and guided teams towards a focused objective under pressure. Through his expertise, he developed several MNOCs on topics like problem-solving, decision making, and goal setting. Over the years more than 20,000 People across India and abroad have benefited from Jagan's insightful programs. He is passionate about ancient Vedic wisdom and applies it to understanding human behaviour.

Ravi: What’s your favorite short story?

Jagan: I generally don’t read short stories, but in childhood, I read R.K.Narayan’s Swamy and His Friends and O. Henry’s short stories.

Ravi: Where do you write?

Jagan: I always keep a diary handy and when I get an idea, I make a note it in it. I also use my laptop.

Ravi: Where do you get your ideas?

Jagan: Most of the ideas are based on my experience gained while conducting training programs. I also get inspiration from the various books I read.

Ravi: Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Jagan: I write in spurts and when ideas are flowing freely, I cover a lot of ground. When the ideas stop, I don’t strain myself, I sleep over it to gain more clarity and wait till I get flashes of ideas.

Ravi: How long on average does it take you to write a book?

Jagan: I first version of my book got completed in 45 days. The editing of the books and getting feedback from a few close people takes time. Overall 6-9 months, provided you have the basic idea of the book in place.

Ravi: What is your favorite childhood book?

Jagan: Swamy and His Friends

Ravi: What one thing would you give up to become a better writer?

Jagan: Procrastination at times

Ravi: Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

Jagan: No

Ravi: What did you edit out of this book?

Jagan: I removed couple of chapters from the book, as I felt that it did not fit into the overall theme of the book.

Ravi: How many hours a day do you write?

Jagan: There is no definite time, but when I write I can focus on it for 4-5 hours.

Ravi: How long were you a part-time writer before you became a full-time one?

Jagan: I started writing blogs and articles in 2011

Ravi: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

Jagan: I did a lot of research on each topic of my book, for some topics I read at least 4 books. On some topics, I did the research for a week or so this over and above the knowledge, I have about the topic

Ravi: What’s the best way to market your books?

Jagan: I feel social media is the right platform, however events also help in getting publicity.

Ravi: How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

Jagan: This was my first book, plan to write another one very soon

Ravi: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

Jagan: It was a dream come true for me, now I have a better idea of how to go about with my second book. For example, maintaining the interest of the level of the reader throughout and consistency in writing are two things I will do differently.

Ravi: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Jagan: Just do it, don’t wait.

Ravi: What other Authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

Jagan: Jagan Mantha was my colleague earlier and I met Deepa Chandrashekharan professionally and both have published their first book. Their success inspired me to complete the book

Ravi: Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Jagan: I try to bring in my insights and understanding while writing on a topic. At the end of it, I want the reader to feel that they have to learn something new by reading my book.

Ravi: What advice do you have for writers?

Jagan: After finishing the first version, it is better to get opinions from a few experts on the topic.

Ravi: Tell me about your recent book to our Ravireads Blog Readers?

Jagan: The book is about leadership development, it covers ten competencies and leader behaviors required for every leader. I conducted leadership development workshops for middle and senior-level managers over the past few years and in these workshops, I shared a lot of examples and stories. To make them more credible I use to share them from my life. The book is a culmination of those examples, stories, and my understanding of the topics. 

To Know more about Jagan's Hop, Skip & Jump to Leadership check out the link

Thanks to Jagan for agreeing to this interview! If you know of an author who’d like to be featured in an interview (or you are an author who would like to be featured), feel free to email me at the address on my contact page.