Episode 63: Yamini Interview
R
Hello cinnabar moths or any kind of moth you’d like to be. Welcome to the writers triangle, Cinnabar Moth’s podcast for all things publishing and books. Today we’re here with Yamini Panday, a book reviewer and YouTuber. How’re you doing today?
Y
I’m doing wonderful. Actually. I just wrapped up Diwali festival. So I’m in a joyous mood right now.
Y
Wonderful to hear. I want to get right into it. When did you first discover your love of books?
Y
Okay, so, as a child, I just used to be fascinated by the sight of books, all those beautiful covers was calling out to me. And one day in a school library, while I was just gazing at the books, my librarian saw me. So he just came down to me and gave me one of an enlightened book. I do remember it was a Mallory towers book. And that’s where it all began.
R
So is the librarian introducing you to books and give me the opportunity to read some?
Y
Yeah, before that, it was just comics and stuff. But my actual reading of books started from that stage.
Y
Like, that’s an awesome, an awesome introduction to books. And so you started very young with your love of books?
Y
Yes, kind of in school itself.
R
And from there, how did you go from loving reading books to deciding to become a book reviewer?
Y
So initially, it was just reading for fun and talking to my mates around it. But as I was actually growing up, and pursuing my professional career, the people with whom I used to discuss more about books, they just started falling short. And as much as I was going deep into the professional life, there were less people to talk about books. That’s just the sad part of it. So I just found this online community around Booktube and Bookstagram, where people used to post pictures of books, talk about books, characters, and everything. And I think, Okay, this might be something that I would belong, and I could be a part of it. So I still hesitated for around two years before actually making this a proper book reviewer thing. But now I just wish I did start a bit earlier.
R
Okay, so it was a desire to talk about books with people but lacking the opportunity to in your
Y
Yeah, and discussing them.
R
Okay, and so, with the process for becoming a book reviewer, did you find it challenging to become one? And what do the people in your life think about it?
Y
So initially, well, yes, there was a bit of a challenge, especially in finding the right kind of audience to talk to even on those platforms when you’re just getting started. And now that there are so many platforms, things are just blowing up on your face, right? So it’s very difficult to find the right kind of hype books and talk about them with the right people. So that was something challenging. However, for the people in my life, or thankfully, they have been very supportive. Actually. I just informed them one day, I wanted to do this. And everyone was Yeah, we were actually waiting for you to start something like that. And I was shocked, like, okay, they knew it that I would do it one day, I was not sure. So sure of myself. So that’s something and even my mom has a V page where she writes things. So she was very supportive. She guided me a lot during the whole process.
R
So you not only did they were they approval, approving of it, but you also received direct support with the process of becoming a book review.
Y
Yeah, absolutely.
R
That’s wonderful. But I also think that it’s great that we have so many different communities to reach out in an expat experience to book reviews and through books online.
Y
Yeah
R
What would you say has been the most surprising thing about the becoming of a reviewer and reviewing books as a
Y
As a book reviewer, I’m no doubt always surprised with the number of books that are actually just coming in every month. Initially, we did have some ideas they are that there are a lot of books that one cannot possibly read in a lifetime. But then again, being a book reviewer introduced me to far more books and honestly Ned Kelly, oh my god that something like a blessing in disguise I never knew before becoming a reviewer about NetGalley and this has been a true blessing for me.
R
Just the sheer number of books that you’d have access to and the ease of it. Thanks to resources like NetGalley has been the surprise.
Y
Yeah. Absolute.
R
And so with reviewing books, there’s everybody has their own process, right? When it comes to how they go about doing it. What would you say to your review process for books.
Y
So I’m honestly a mood reader. So I’ll just pick up books based on my mood, start reading them, in case I like them a lot, I’ll start annotating them to I do have multiple tabs kept on just for the purpose of annotation and highlighting the quotes in books because they are then again, a very important part of the books. But beyond that, I do have some major checkboxes for myself that I keep in track, while reviewing certain books. They start off with the main categories of writing style, the plot story, the twist in it, and even the character development styles and then come the secondary boxes, like is that a sensible explanation to what’s happening in the book, why it is happening? The the fantasy book, or even a nonfiction book, there has to be some explanation, not necessarily realistic, but something of that sort. And then again, the pacing of the book is also kind of important. And something that affects me the most while reading a book is the closure, the kind of closure book has. So I don’t really like when a book has any kind of loose ends to it. I want with those stories closing up, you might just give it an extra chapter, but close all the characters well into the right side where they should be fitting in.
R
So that’s that. So you have certain preferences that you have for books that you look for when reading and you check off in your mind.
Y
Yeah, absolutely.
Rasta
You mentioned that your mood reader, does that mean that sometimes you’ll start up a book and then start reading it for a time and pick up a different one? Or do you always finish a book once you start it?
Y
Mostly, I have a track record of completing the books, irrespective of whether I’m liking them or not. I know that’s not really a good thing. But if I start a book, I really want to finish it irrespective of whether I’m you know, enjoying it or not. I do want to give it my 100%.
R
Okay, yeah, that makes sense to me. And I noticed looking at your reviews and such that you read a lot of different genres that you are a lot of different book styles and, and topics with your reading. What are some of your favorite?
Y
Well, yes, I do actually read almost all genres, except pure romances. That is something that I find a little indigestible to me. But my favorite would be fantasy and magical realism.
R
What about fantasy magical realism draw you in the most?
Y
So see, we already have a visibility to what exists in front of us, right? So I actually love exploiting how our human brain can basically generate different ideas from the sheer imagination, because I feel imagination is a tool that many find hard to use. And I love exploring how authors tinker with it. Okay, so
R
it’s it’s an exposure to how different people think about creation of these fantastic things and seeing their different takes on it is very interesting for you. Yeah. Okay, that makes sense to me. I also enjoy reading a lot of fantasy. And I feel the same way. It’s always wonderful seeing people come up with these totally different takes on things that we might have experienced before or completely new things that I have never even thought of before.
Y
Yeah. Do you have a favorite?
R
Favorite book or a favorite genre?
Y
Favorite book in fantasy?
R
Ah, that’s a hard one to answer. I think if I went with just a kind of recent series that I read, it would probably be Laundry Files by Charles Stross. The Laundry Files by Charles Stross is a more of a science fiction, but there are decent fantasy elements and horror and kind of horror and thriller elements in it. And I just enjoy the overall take and the experience of it. Do you have a favorite that you’d read? Perhaps recommend to listeners
Y
I do have so many, but my recent favorite has been before the coffee gets cold. I know there are three parts out now in this book series. But the first one is my really favorite one. It’s a fantasy book with hints of magical realism into it. So I think people should give it a try as well.
R
So every listening, be sure to check that out. I’m sure they’ll be awesome read. Now, I want to move on a little bit to talk about your social media presence. You have a great social media presence and a YouTube channel. And you’re on multiple different forms of social media. How do you balance all the different parts of being a reviewer from reading books to making posts to interacting with your audience?
Y
Oh, well, the reading part is definitely a free flow thing for me, I read for pleasure. And so I want to enjoy that part while I’m doing it. So reading something is not necessarily you know, just a task for the day. So just whenever feel like reading or listening to books for that part, I just go ahead with it. However, with the other parts of it, such as writing reviews, or doing weekly formats and everything, I have a proper days design dedicated for each of them. So I do my designing of posts and graphics and writing reviews bi weekly. That is the recording videos for YouTube, editing them those once a week kind of things that happen. And then I gradually do the posting on the dedicated slots of it.
R
So sounds like you have a very strict system for content creation Porter part of it. And then the reading is just something that you’ve been enjoying doing. So you just keep doing it.
Y
Yeah.
R
I think that sounds like the nice way to do it, you know, making sure that you don’t make reading something that you love into a form of in your mind. What would you say are your prior reading goals?
Y
Then my official reading goal on Goodreads words, around 75 books for this year, which I actually completed last one. So now I’m just going with the flow and seeing how many number of books I’m actually able to cover at this point. I’m actually standing at 90 books right now that I’ve read so far.
R
That’s almost a book a month. And so with the Achieving or reading goal, and were you surprised by how quickly that you’re able to reach that goal.
Y
Yeah, so every year, I think even because of NetGalley. And becoming a book reviewer just exposed me to so many more number of books and kinds of books that I felt more to read the urge was more rather than when I was not a book reviewer and I used to read maybe max to Max 50 books a year, not beyond that. Being a reviewer has just increased the number of books that I read as well.
R
So the exposure to numerous different books has helped increase your appetite for
Y
Yeah, absolutely.
R
I’ve never thought of the idea of just more access, increasing one’s motivation, because that’s an interesting thing to think of.
Y
Otherwise, what happens is you go to the bookstore, you see a couple of books, once upon a month or twice in a month, maybe do grab a couple of copies and come back. Whereas on these platforms, you are seeing new books almost every day. And you just feel that hunger, oh, I want to read this one as well, that one as well. And it’s just the urge to finish each book faster and faster.
R
It doesn’t make sense, because you are just seeing more books than you can in a bookstore. Yeah. And and so with these reading challenges, or with your reading goals, do you also have reading challenges that you do you have any favorites?
Y
Oh, well, yes. Last year. Actually, I did a lot of reading challenges around the TBR bingos that were going on. So they basically have different prompts, which are seasonal based, let’s say for Christmas coming up, they’ll have some winter TBR bingo, that read a book based on Christmas setting or snow setting, read a book that has a Christmas tree on the cover, and so on and so forth. So there are a lot of challenges going on. but I really enjoyed doing last year. And this year, I decided to make few of these challenges by myself that I’ve also uploaded on my channel. One of them was the autumn TBR silence that I created recently. And the current one is the spooky tbr challenge that I’m doing.
R
So sounds like you include reading challenges? And if you find them enjoyable to do, yeah. Are there any reading charges that you started that you end up not completing? Or that just didn’t really enjoy as much as the others?
Y
Oh, yes, of course, they were. One of them was a rom com challenge that I did in the summers this year itself. Now, some of the book beach reads, and everything is something I can do. But I’m just not DNA dating to read romance stuff. And I have a very difficult time in finishing of those books. So yeah, that was something I felt that okay, Rom Com is just not for me. I can do watch movies around them, but definitely not books.
R
So exposed you a bit to a genre of books that you can read every now and then. But isn’t something you can read a lot of at a time.
Right.
R
Yeah, I guess that would make sense. I thinking about it, I do find that. suspense and thriller, for example, I enjoy reading it every now and then. But if I’m reading a lot of it, it starts to kind of not be as enjoyable.
Y
True, thriller does that too. Sometimes, I think.
R
And so you’ve, you started reviewing with the goal of connecting with more people and talking with more people about books in general. But what do you hope the audience takes away when you start talking about your views of books?
Y
I think the most important thing for the audience is to understand the point of view of the reviewer, where they’re coming from, and then they connect that with the outlook of the book that they’re sharing with you and not restricted or generalize it. Okay, this book is bad or the speaker’s good. They basically just want to have enough information. And I want to give them the choice to decide whether it’s the right fit for them or not. So I just want to give them enough info on the book. That’s what I want them to take away.
R
So you ask your your audience to think about your taste as well.
Y
Yeah, absolutely. Because each person is different. And they might like fantasy, but they might not like magical realism put into fantasy, they might like romanticize it much more. Right? So depends on each person’s preference of what permutations and combinations to the reliever.
R
Okay, yeah, I think that’s uh, I also would recommend that people keep their own interests in mind also, always take what somebody says with a little bit of a grain of salt, because they have their own itch. And now, you’ve been a reviewer for some time, a bit of time now. And do you think the reviewers are treated well by the literary world?
Y
Um, I would say that as long as your reviews are three stars and above or in other language, they are positive, they will be treated well.
R
Okay, so you think it’s only if you do positive reviews that reviewers are treated? Well?
Y
Yeah, even if you’re rating a book less, but keep your language positive. I think then the world actually still takes it in a okayish manner. But sometimes when you just get, you know, so frustrated with the book or the story or anything regards to that, and you rate it too low and just keep your heart out. You might receive a lot of backlash. I’ve experienced that as well.
R
The viewer only really wants positivity from reviews.
Y
Yes, it so happened actually that I was reviewing an ARC and it was due to release in the next week. And I hated it so much. And I just went to Bookstagram and this wrote everything that I felt about it. The result was obviously I gave it a one star. So they actually chalked me up to the extent that my next five to six reviews after that also went a bit hampered. But there was a lesson to be learned that during the first two weeks of the release date never mess with the books.
R
Yeah, I think that is a good lesson to learn. But it is still important if you have thoughts that the book isn’t quite what you enjoyed to put that out there, right. Yeah. So with your when you have actually wanted to follow up on this a little bit when you have these negative reviews, do you just wait a little bit? Or you post those reviews? If it’s releasing soon? Or what is your philosophy about that?
Y
In case of ARC, yes, I think I now wait at least two weeks. And then I just post my honest review around it, because I cannot sugarcoat something, I just want to call a steak a steak. For what it is. So I’ll just wait around a bit higher seas. And for books that are already launched, I don’t think they would be much of a problem. Everybody has the opinions and I see a lot of mixed reviews around many over a dotes on Bookstagram and other channels as well.
R
Okay, so it’s only with the AR C’s that you try to be more careful. Yeah. That makes sense to me. So with reviewing and receiving Arca and receiving books, have you had any interactions with authors that you’d like to share?
Y
Oh, no, honestly, I didn’t have many other chats to count upon. I did have a couple of them while I was in India, but nothing much after moving out.
R
Are you looking to have more attractions with authors? If you can,
Y
I would love to do it on my YouTube channel. I am planning something but I haven’t shortlisted someone or actually tried to contact one right now.
R
So you’re open to it. And if authors reach out to you, maybe they can get a part about?
Y
Yeah, sure, please do.
R
So any authors out there who would like to get in contact? Be sure to try, you know. So with as a reviewer, would you be interested in working for a newspaper or literary magazine doing reviews,
Y
Given the chance to pursue this professionally, I would love to, in fact, I started off as an electronics engineer worked as a as a cloud consultant. But my love for books just kept pulling me back in the opposite direction. So a big yes to that.
R
So sure, that would be kind of a dream come true than to do it professionally. True. Hopefully, you’re able to achieve that you I personally have enjoyed your reviewing and review style and your content.
Y
That happens. Fingers crossed for that.
R
So with your YouTube channel, you started recently. Yeah. Would you like to become a full time booktuber? If for example, that was the path that ended up going down instead of doing it for a literary magazine?
Y
Well, as much as I love talking about books, I’m not sure if a full time booktubing would be enough for me. See, I do get bored easily. So that’s one reason why I read so many genres. But you know what they say? Never say never. So maybe one day it’s time and destiny permits.
R
Okay, so yes, if it happens, you’ll look at it. But that’s not your main goal. No, not right now. So with tubing and going into YouTube and everything, do you think you’ll become part of the booktube community and start interacting with other booktubers and getting to know them?
Y
Yes, that’s definitely a part that I’m counting upon. I do have a few favorite Bookstagram book tubers as well for my basically binge watch as soon as the video comes. But I do want to connect with other budding booktubers as well and actually be a part of the community just not by uploading videos but having some actual interactions with others as well.
R
And so your reviews on Book Two, and your your style on YouTube. We really enjoy your review style. And where you talk about a lot of different books and these different genres that you mentioned before you you cover quite a few. How do you decide which books that you read to include in your videos?
Y
Well my one major goal in mind that I always keep this not to bore my audience with a similar kind of content, or a monotony for that sake. So I usually go with team based reviews, if it’s a simple weekly bi weekly kind of review update that I’m posting, I’ll just add how many books and what kind of books I’ve covered in that course of time. But other times when it’s more of a theme based book, more like a seasonal witchy books review that I just did a few weeks back. For Halloween, I usually do a whole lot of the research backtracking all the books that I’ve read so far, in all the years going on good reads, checking out how I actually felt about them when shortlisting them and then selecting a couple of them that stand out the best.
R
So it’s a pretty, I guess, strict process in a way to take all these many, many books that you’ve read and decide on just a few of them to include in a video.
Yeah, especially for the recommendation and themed ones. I do like to do a lot of research around it.
R
What kind of research do you do?
So first part is to check up all the witchy books, for example, if I read what all the witchy books have I actually read that have been released. And then from there, compare it to other any books that I’ve missed out and might have good reviews, try to understand what that those books are about, and try to read them and create a sorting list and then generate with top five top 10 kind of a category.
R
Sounds pretty, like a pretty lengthy process them. time that you do.
Yes, it is. But I think it’s worth it, considering it’s for the audience.
R
Yeah, I think that’s a it’s a wonderful process to make sure that you’re you’re happy with the what you’re putting forward and recommending to people, right.
Y
Yeah.
R
So we mentioned a little bit about becoming a full time booktuber. But would you be interested in becoming a famous booktuber?
Y
Well, well, considering spending so much time around it, I would say why not? I would like to be famous, but mostly for my honest reviews, good or bad.
R
So even if you became famous, you’d still want to have that same authenticity to the content and the reviews that you put out.
Y
Yeah.
R
I think that keeping that core of truth and, and authenticity and genuine thought about it is very important. Even when you become bigger to really keep connecting with your audience, right?
Y
Yeah, otherwise, they’ll just get scattered around.
R
And so if we’re imagining you become a famous book tuber or you start interacting more with the booktube community, do you think you’ll want to attend booktube events and such in the future?
Y
Well, yes, anything and everything bookish is basically yes. I’m very open to honestly any kind of events or projects or you must be observing that I’m answering yes to a lot of questions, but I am pretty open to anything books.
R
I think it’s awesome to hear your passion for reading books and the community. So I ask you as we’re wrapping up here, what are you most excited about as we are approaching the end of 2022.
Firstly, I have never hit a century. So I’m way more excited to complete my 100 books read in a year tech park this year. Hopefully I’ll be able to do that. And in the next place. I do have my eyes set on some amazing book releases that are coming up soon. So I’m also looking forward to them as well.
R
Does sound very exciting and hopefully you’ll be able to reach your goal. Read books this year. I’d like to thank you, Tammy for talking with us today and being on the writers triangle. And thank you to all of our beautiful cinnabar moss for listening. Can you tell us where we can find you on social media?
Yes, you can find me on YouTube at pro caffeinate with books with the spaces and on Instagram. You can find it procrastinate underscore with books.
R
Wonderful and role for listeners Be sure to visit cinnabar moth.com checkout to check out the transcripts will also have the links to Yamini’s social media thank you again for coming on today it was wonderful having you in talking with you
Y
Thank you so much for having me