#thebookbakers – soniasmusings

‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ turns one – a special celebration

It’s a year to the release of my first non-fiction true crime story and my third book overall. And guess what arrived to make this moment even more special? This certificate from Pen N Paper Awards which honours the shortlisting of the book in Best Non-fiction reads of 2025.

What a year it has been for this book that started during some intense brainstorming sessions with Suhail followed by a go-ahead from Arup in getting this out for the world to read. I felt like I was back in the academic world as in-depth research led me to the National Library, gullies of College Street and discussions with senior historians.

From my first time as an author in the Kolkata Book Fair signing copies of the book to book reading and author session hosted by Kolkata Bookworms at Storyteller Bookstore to book signings at Bahrisons Kolkata and WH Smith, Kolkata International Airport, this book has given me the coveted recognition and love as an author.

To everyone who has been a part of this journey and to every reader who chose to pick up this book, thank you.

Amazon link for purchase –

https://srishti.pub/sanyasi

‘Diary,Deceit and Death’ at the Pune Book Festival 2025

My detective thriller ‘Diary, Deceit and Death’ is now available in the Vishwakarma Publications stall (G-53) at the ongoing Pune Book Festival from 13th -21st December. If you are in Pune, please visit the venue to grab a copy.

The book is represented by The Book Bakers and published by Vishwakarma Publications.

https://youtube.com/shorts/aivQK00zsiU

Book signing of ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ at Kolkata International Airport on 5th Nov’25

5/1/25 – My non-fiction true crime story ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’, represented by Suhail Mathur of The Book Bakers, edited by Stuti Sharma Gupta was published by Arup Bose of Srishti Publishers & Distributors.

Cut to 5/11/25 – 11 months later, I ticked an item off my wishlist as I signed copies of this best selling book at the WH Smith store in Kolkata International Airport. Words aren’t enough to thank Arup and Shouvik Bose for making the necessary arrangements to execute the same. Thanks to the cooperative staff of WH Smith for a smooth session.

Dreams do come true if we keep working with dedication and focus. Forever grateful to my family, friends and readers for the love and support.

Book signing begins

Check the book signing event here –

https://youtube.com/shorts/Kw15P6TUrnk

Meeting my literary agent, Suhail Mathur, of The Book Bakers in Kolkata

7 years ago, I met Suhail for the first time in Kolkata. I had just been signed up by The Book Bakers. I felt nervous excitement as I spoke about my aspirations in the new journey of writing. He was patient and understanding. It took me three more years to give him the manuscript of ‘Diary, Deceit and Death’ since I decided to go ahead with an MFA in 2019. And then he got me the deal for ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ in 2023.

Two days ago, he came to Kolkata with Sumedha and Samaira for Prasun’s wife Brinda’s book launch. It was a delight to meet him in person and his rocking sense of humour put everyone at ease.

Over the past few years, every time I spoke to him, I never failed to mention how grateful I’m to have him in my life as my mentor, friend, and guide. He has never been just my literary agent but more like a younger brother to me. So when we met yesterday for a brainstorming session on our upcoming collaborations, I tied a rakhi on his wrist. This moment will forever be one of the most special memories for me.

He always jokes about how I don’t know what it means to send a short written or audio message and he has to read/hear my messages in installments. So how could I let go of this opportunity to write paragraphs for one of the most special persons in my life and writing journey? I’m sure he’s going to come back with another ‘puntastistic’ response to this

Here’s to many more amazing books, future collaborations and special moments. Come back sooner to Kolkata, Suhail!

My books featured in the Heyzine magazine

Heartfelt gratitude to Kainaz, Aabs Publishing House & Reader’s Choice for featuring both my books in the Heyzine magazine.

The magazine carries details of –

My true crime non fiction book ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ published by Srishti Publishers & Distributors (link to purchase – https://srishti.pub/sanyasi )

And

My detective thriller in the Detective Raya Ray series titled ‘Diary, Deceit and Death’ published by Vishwakarma Publications (link to buy – https://www.amazon.in/dp/9395481862 )

I hope you enjoy reading it.

Second interview about ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’

Here’s a glimpse of my second interview from the book discussion, where I talked about my book ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ with Shree. The book is represented by The Book Bakers and published by Sristhi Publishers.

Link to the full interview on Instagram given in my YouTube shorts.

The first interview from the Book discussion of ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’

Here’s the first interview from the Book discussion of ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ with Kolkata Bookworms at the Storyteller Bookstore. The book is published by Sristhi Publishers and represented by The Book Bakers.

Watch the full interview on instagram –

View this post on Instagram

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Snippets of the book discussion of ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ on June 8th

Snippets of the book discussion of ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ hosted by Kolkata Bookworms at the Storyteller Bookstore on June 8th. The book is published by Srishti Publishers & Distributors and represented by The Book Bakers.

It was a special moment to have a member of the Bhawal family attend my event.

Watch the full video on my YouTube channel –

Book Discussion on ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ today at 4 p.m.

Join us for the book discussion of my non fiction book ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ on 8th June (today) at 4 p.m.

The event will be conducted by Kolkata Bookworms at the Storyteller Bookstore, Picnic Garden.

Published by Srishti Publishers & Distributors and represented by The Book Bakers, this is the true crime story of the Bhawal Raja set in pre-Independent India.

Book Discussion on ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ on June 8th at Storyteller Bookstore

It’s a special day since my non-fiction book ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ clocked 111 reviews on Amazon with a 4.8 rating. To celebrate this occasion, Kolkata Bookworms has planned a book discussion, where I speak about the writing process of this true crime story, the importance of research and my journey as an author of both fiction and non-fiction books.

Join us for a fun-filled and interactive session on the 8th of June, Sunday at 4 p.m. at my favourite bookstore, Storyteller Bookstore, Picnic Garden.