Welcome to A Month of Rain and Reads, a celebration of self-published and indie SFF throughout the entire month of November. To find out how you can take part and view the whole list of content, visit our introduction post.
Today we’re interviewing Geetha Krishnan, author of the Jaya! series and more, as they launch their crowdfund campaign on Backerkit as part of The Book Bazaar 2025.
Geetha is raising funds for a collector’s edition of Jaya! the complete series. The omnibus edition of all four books of Jaya!, a series of books reimagining the Indian Epic of Mahabharata with a brand new Collector’s Edition cover. Book One, Pradyutita was an SPFBO semi finalist in 2020 and an Indie Ink Awards Finalist in 2024.
Follow the campaign and pledge your support!
Please tell us a little about yourself and your Backerkit project.
I go by Rari and I write fantasy and sci fi under the pen name of Niranjan and Hindu mythology based fantasy under my legal name of Geetha Krishnan. I like writing, cooking, and reading. I’m from India, and our mythology is among the earliest stories I’ve ever read.
The project is an Omnibus edition of my Hindu mythology based low fantasy series Jaya! which is a retelling of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. You can read more on it on my project page. Just know that this epic and characters are very close to my heart.
Some of my earliest writing was gay fanfiction of the Mahabharata.
Why did you join The Book Bazaar 2025?
This is my first crowdfunding project and I liked the idea of joining with a group so I can get support and also help out other creators where I can.
Have you crowdfunded before? What do you hope to achieve with your project?
Nope, this is the first time. I am hoping that I will be able to bring out this project with all the bells and whistles, but also hoping to get some exposure.
Tease us with your Backerkit campaign! What rewards can we expect?
I’m planning ebooks, paperbacks, and hard covers with some limited full coilour editions of the physical editions. There are also low tier rewards like bookmarks, and I’m also having other books in my catalogue as part of reward tiers and add ons.
Why did you decide to self-publish/publish with a small press and what has been your biggest success so far?
I guess the short answer would be impatience, lol. When I started publishing, way back in 2013, I hadn’t done any research and just went and published through Createspace. I started taking this seriously in 2020, and from all my research, I decided, this was the avenue that suits me best. I like the control it gives me.
My biggest success, to me, has been the launch of Blade Broken, which I published this March and I’m at 99 sales on retailers for it, which is pretty much unprecedented for me.
Pradyutita, Book 1 of Jaya! and Ayana were both SPFBO semi finalists in 2020 and 2019 respectively. That’s also very memorable for me, especially since I think this series wouldn’t have been finished so quickly if not for the encouragement from the judges back then.
Pradyutita was also an Indie Ink Awards finalist in 2024.
What is your favourite thing about being an indie author?
As I said before, I love that I’m in control every step of the way. Every deadline I have is pretty much arbitrary and nothing happens if I don’t meet them. I love the indie community because it’s so supportive and encouraging.
What tips can you share on self-publishing or crowdfunding with your fellow indies?
I don’t know that I can share anything on crowdfunding since I’m a newb, but for self publishing, what I can say is, everyone has their own path and the most important thing is to enjoy yourself and your career.
- Covers sell books. Don’t skimp on covers because of costs. A good cover can sell your book and pay for itself.
- Editing is important. Formatting is important. Readers have so many options, and if you’re to stand out, the least you can do is make sure your book is professionally edited and formatted.
- Do your research. Amazon keywords can sell books. Pick them carefully. If you’re good at it, you may not need to do much else.
- Choose your career path carefully. Some authors and genres do well on Kindle Select, some don’t. Don’t make knee jerk decisions. Do your research. Talk to other authors in your genre. Treat this like a business. Because it is.
- Community is important. Other authors are not your enemies. They’re your community. Know that everything you do has an impact, and give as much as you get, if not more.
- Stay away from Geneartive AI. Most readers avoid authors who use them, and most of the community will shun you too. Once again, do your research. Know why Gen AI is harmful.
- Perfectionism is impossible, strive for excellence, but there’s a point where you need to know you need to stop revising and put it out there.
- Reviews are for readers, and not every book is for everyone. Negative reviews are inevitable. Don’t engage with reviewers. Once your book is out in the wild, it’s out of your hands.
- Don’t be afraid to unpublish a book if it’s needed. Sometimes we may publish a book before we’re ready.
- Self publishing is a business, but writing should be something you enjoy. Don’t be afraid to take breaks if needed. Refilling the well is important.
Can you recommend a few of your favourite SFF books from indie/self-published authors?
The Cruel Gods series by Trudie Skies, The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang, The Stargun Messenger series by Darby Harn, The Devil and the Dark series, The Dark between the Stars, and the Ungovernable series all by R.M. Olson, The Tainted Dominion series by Krystle Matar, Greywolf’s Heart by C.M. Banschbach, The Crane Moon Cycle by J.C. Snow, Land of Exile series by J.L. Odom, The Re-Emergence by Alan K. Dell, The Keeper Origins by J.A. Andrews, Ancient as the Stars by Maya Darjani, Memories of Sorcery and Sand by Joanna Maciejewska, The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle by Steve Westenra, Soultaming the Serpent by Tar Atore. There are lots more, but I think that would be too much.
What are you working on after your campaign?
I’m very burnt out, so at the moment, I’m just reading things and focussing on rest and relaxation.
Do you have any last words?
Thank you for this opportunity.
About the Author
Geetha Krishnan writes books derived from the rich and vast spectrum of Indian mythology. A practising Hindu, their books show their deep knowledge of the religion and customs of ancient India. Their books have won many accolades and have been universally praised for the twists they bring to their retellings.
Their books Ayana and Pradyutita have made it to the semi-finals of SPFBO 2019 and 2020 respectively, and their short story, The Forgotten Son has won an Honourable Mention in The Writers of the Future Contest.
Their book, Durga was a runner up in the Rev Pit 2020 contest.
- Website: AuthorNiranjan.in
- Bluesky: @ormakal.bsky.social
