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It doesnt really matter what you have watched and what you havent, all that matters is your passion for movies/tv shows. So Let me list out to you the best action movies and tv shows you can start watching.25. “Bad Boys II” (2003)Love him or hate him (and it’s increasingly difficult to love him), few would deny that Michael Bay is a master of action. Perhaps Bay-Max’s finest hour, at least in this century and before he entered the ‘indistinguishable pieces of colliding metal’ phase of his career, is “Bad Boys II.” A thoroughly reprehensible, morally appalling, deeply queasy piece of entertainment, the film values excess to the exclusion of all else, like most of Bay’s work. But this cop flick, which pits Will Smith and Martin Lawrence against Cuban Ecstasy dealers (not that it matters), is also stuffed with thunderingly good action sequences, from shootouts to not one but about five freeway chase sequences, including one where the villains literally throw cars at our heroes, and a metaphorically insane recreation of the opening of Jackie Chan’s “Police Story” as a humvee demolishes a shanty town. In other words, shit just got real.24. “Unstoppable” (2010)He was unquestionably one of the modern-day action masters, but only the most insistently vulgar auteurists would suggest that much of the late, greatTony Scott’s 21st century output was up to his best. Fortunately, the filmmaker went out on a high with “Unstoppable,” a throwback disaster movie that mixed old-school genre tropes with his own hyperactive style to surprisingly effective effect. The premise couldn’t be simpler: a high-speed train (“a missile the size of the Chrysler building”) is out of control, and only engineers Denzel Washington and Chris Pine can stop it. But Scott gets a surprising amount of variety and tension out of a film that’s literally on the rails —it looks spectacular, and it’s full of fun little performances from Rosario Dawson and Kevin Corrigan. It might be a cliched journey, but it’s one that leaves your knuckles white in the best sense, and a reminder of how much we’ll miss Scott.23. “Lucy” (2014)In the early ’90s, after “Nikita” and “The Professional,” Luc Besson looked like he might be the next big action director, but he produced a string of misfires, and though he was more successful than ever as the producer of the “Taken” series, he had seemingly stepped away from directing. And then came “Lucy,” a $500 million sleeper hit that must number among the strangest blockbusters ever. Scarlett Johansson plays the title character, a naive ex-pat who’s forced into being a drug mule, only for the drug to, essentially, turn her into a god. Careening into increasingly trippy territory until a third act that’s probably best experienced on some kind of hallucinogen, Besson makes the whole thing look great on a relatively slim budget, and more impressively, pulls off the trick of making the action thrilling even when there are little stakes involved.22. “Blackhat” (2015)The biggest flop of 2015 so far is also one of the best action movies in quite some time. Michael Mann’s divisive techno-thriller just edged out “Miami Vice” for a slot on this list (“Collateral” and “Public Enemies” also have some stunning sequences, but we wouldn’t classify them as ‘action’ in the same manner), but really the two films are something of a piece: both are propulsive actioners shot virtually entirely in gorgeous nighttime, where the romance is just as important as the bullets flying. For our money, “Blackhat,” in whichChris Hemsworth famously plays a blackhat hacker named Hathaway who teams with the Chinese to take down a mysterious figure who’s caused a nuclear meltdown and may have worse planned, takes the honors. Mann pushes further into a kind of action-movie expressionism than ever before, driven by mood, atmosphere and sound, and the results are glorious.21. "The Good, The Bad, The Weird" (2008)Hollywood may have given up on the Action-Western (and if they hadn’t before “The Lone Ranger,” they certainly have now), but Korea hasn’t, as Kim Jee-Woon’s agreeably nutty “The Good, The Bad, The Weird” makes abundantly clear. Like Sergio Leone directing a mash-up of “Treasure Of The Sierra Madre” and “Raiders Of The Lost Ark,” the film’s convoluted plot sees the title characters (Jung Woo-sung, Lee Byung-hun and Song Kang-ho) tussling over a treasure map in 1930s Manchuria. Beginning with three cracking sequences in a row —a train robbery, a siege and a heist— the film barely lets off the gas from there, until the epic closing horse and motorcycle sequence. With the tone-juggling magic that often characterizes Korean cinema and Kim’s killer skills behind a camera, it’s essential for anyone that loves Westerns, Asian action flicks or cinema in general.20. “All Is Lost” (2013)No, it’s not really an "action film" in the Steven Seagal sense. It doesn’t have the set pieces, fistfights or chases that characterize the genre. But JC Chandor‘s gripping one-man-show, in which Robert Redford battles the elements and his sinking boat in the middle of the ocean with no means of communication, is, on another level, the purest action film on this whole list: all it is, from punchy beginning to harrowing, waterlogged end, is action. This can almost be to the detriment of the film as a classic entertainment piece: we get next to no characterization of the Redford character aside from him being essentially the personification of the will to survive, and there is no arc of change or growth to speak of. But Chandor more than makes up for it with his clinical, procedural attention to the minutiae of wave, rope and cleat, and some astonishing editing and scoring that amount to the viewer feeling as alone, stranded, weather beaten and breathless as our near-wordless hero.19. “Elite Squad” (2007)The first fiction film for Brazilian documentarian Jose Padilha (whose “Robocop” remake was more interesting than it had a right to be, and whose “Narcos" comes to Netflix next month), “Elite Squad” is a tough-as-fuck cop movie that takes a look at the "favelas" from the other side of the law in Brazil, and more specifically the BOPE, the special-forces unit who essentially undertake urban warfare against the country’s citizens. Shot in an arresting but mostly clear hand-held manner, it’s as focused on the internal politics of the unit (led by the excellent Wagner Moura) as on shootouts, but each work neatly alongside each other, leading up to a gripping couple of hours that unsurprisingly made Padilha a hot property. Controversial at the time (it was condemned as fascistic by some, only for Costa-Gavras’ jury to give it the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival), it also led to a marginally inferior sequel a few years later.18. “Sleepless Night” (2011)A Jamie Foxx-starring remake is on the way in 2016, which makes this the perfect time to catch up on this terminally underseen French actioner from a few years back. Written and directed by Frederic Jardin (who surprisingly hasn’t been snapped up for blockbuster duty yet), "Sleepless Night" starsTomer Sisley as a corrupt cop who rips off a drug deal, only for the dealer who owns the merchandise to kidnap his son to get it back, and for the coke to then disappear as well. Set almost entirely in a single location, a nightclub owned by the dealer, and deviously plotted, it’s got a killer momentum from the first scene and mixes a certain Michael Mann-ish vibe with brutal realism (the fights are positively vicious) that packs a punch. Add in a surprisingly well-realized father-son storyline, and you have one of the great overlooked genre pictures of the last few years.17. ”Ong Bak" (2003)Complete with a daft plot involving a sacred icon stolen from a small village and the purehearted local sent into Bangkok’s seamy underbelly to retrieve it, "Ong Bak" won’t win any prizes for thematic complexity. But it serves a much higher purpose: it was the international audience’s solar-plexus introduction to the martial art of Muay Thai, and its foremost filmic practitioner Tony Jaa. The action sequences in this film, whether street brawls or successive one-on-one underground fights, are little short of revelatory, and Jaa is simply Bruce-Lee-beautiful to watch. Regular director Prachya Pinkaew serves his grace and atheticism perfectly —arguably, he’d do so even more in the "Ong-Bak" prequels and the "The Protector" series ("Where’s my elephant?"), but without "Ong-Bak," none of that would have been possible. But don’t trust us on this —trust legendary MMA champion Anderson Silva, who first came to UFC attention by felling an opponent with an elbow strike he learned from Jaa in this very film.16. “Fast Five” (2011)With "Furious 7"’s insane box office performance ($1.5bn+, 5th highest grossing film of all time worldwide), it’s possible to see franchise high watermark "Fast Five" as somewhat quaint: aww, it only took $650m! But theJustin Lin film reinvented the "Fast and Furious" series by bringing it out of the street-racing ghetto and into the vehicular heist movie territory it now occupies. And female ciphers aside, it’s still the best installment, combining a buddy dynamic between series stalwart Vin Diesel and crucial new additionDwayne Johnson ("I’m in, Toretto") with a ludicrous plot whereby they literally drag an entire vault out of a building and go careening down city streets with it bumping along behind, magically only taking out the bad guys. If the sky is now the limit for this franchise (and maybe not even that after the plane-drop scene in "Furious 7"), it’s really due to the good-humored, testosterone-soaked nonsense repped first and best by "Fast Five."15. “Why Don’t You Play In Hell?” (2013)Sion Sono’s batshit-crazy mash-up “Why Don’t You Play In Hell?” signalled a shift from the heavier fare he’d been making to more genre-inflected territory, and served as a love letter both to both the action movie and to filmmaking in general. The movie sees the collision of a group of action-loving amateur filmmakers called the Fuck Bombers, mobster Boss Muto and his actress daughter Mitsuko, with the former enlisted to make an action movie that immortalizes both Mitsuko and the big gang battle. Both slapsticky and strangely sad, it’s an extraordinary mix of tones that shouldn’t work at all, but does tremendously well —Sono clearly relishes the action sequence, particularly in a demented, blood-soaked final battle. Follow-up “Tokyo Tribe,” a hip-hop musical, arguably has even better action, but it’s also exhausting and queasily misogynistic, so this is definitely our pick.14. “Hero” (2002) / “House Of Flying Daggers” (2004)We’re breaking our own rules here for a split entry, but who could possibly pick between Zhang Yimou’s gorgeous, extravagant wuxia epics? The two were released just months apart in the U.S. (due, it may not surprise you, toHarvey Weinstein) and make perfect companion pieces. “Hero” is the artsier of the pair to some degree, a narratively tricksy story of a Nameless warrior (Jet Li) relating to his king how he killed three assassins, while “House Of Flying Daggers,” set a few hundred years later, is the more straightforward action movie, with police captains Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro utilizing a blind dancer to lead them to a rebel group. The films have different DOPs (Christopher Doyle shot “Hero”), but both are spectacularly colorful and every-frame-a-picture beautiful, feature some of the most thrilling martial arts sequences put on film and showcase some of Asia’s biggest stars at their best.13. “Casino Royale” (2006)His track record in other movies might be troublesome (see, or rather, don’t, “Vertical Limit” and “Green Lantern”), but if you’re looking to bring back Bond,Martin Campbell is your man. Eleven years after revamping 007 with Pierce Brosnan and one of the best films in the series for “Goldeneye,” Campbell repeated the trick with the series’ first Daniel Craig film. “Skyfall” might have been more successful, but “Royale’ is simply the better movie: it has a great villain in Mads Mikkelsen, a great love interest in Eva Green, and is the rare Bond film where the quieter moments are just as memorable as the set pieces. Not that the action’s lacking, though: the opening parkour sequences might still be the high watermark of the Craig era as far as sequences go. It runs out of steam by the time that it gets to Venice for the conclusion, but this is top-tier 007 otherwise.12. “Apocalypto” (2006)What do we talk about when we talk about "action"? Generally speaking, in how the word is used in a Hollywood context, it means fights and/or chases. "Apocalypto" is essentially one long chase, interspersed with several fights, all the more remarkable for taking place during the end of the Mayan era, in 16th century Guatemala. As his idyllic life as husband, father, and son of the tribe’s chief is threatened by invading forces, Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) must battle his way back to his hidden family through unforgiving jungle and enemies seen and unseen. But the real greatness of Mel Gibson‘s film (and no matter how persona non grata he may be, this film proves his directorial chops even more than his more celebrated movies) is in the kinetic pacing of its foot chases, which become every bit as thrilling as the explosions, gunplay, and car crashes that the genre usually deals in.11. “Gladiator” (2000)It’s easy to forget many Oscars and hundreds of millions of dollars later, but “Gladiator” was hella risky on paper: a director who hadn’t had a hit in a decade, a genre, the swords-and-sandals picture, that hadn’t been in fashion since the 1960s, and an untested star best known for playing a chubby grey-haired man twenty years older than him in “The Insider.” But even fifteen years on, Ridley Scott’s film still thrills. Using CGI to bring a vision of Ancient Rome like little that had been seen before, telling a characterful, textured story, and stacking the cast with great actors, from fresh faces like Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix to sozzled veterans like Oliver Reed and Richard Harris, it works on almost every level, not least in the blood-splattered, hugely influential action sequences. It inspired a dozen imitators, but from “Alexander” to “300,” none hold a candle to Maximus.10. “13 Assassins” (2010)You know that odd/even rule about “Star Trek” movies? Imagine that, but if there was no rhyme or reason to whether the movies were good or not, and if a “Star Trek” movie came out every four months, and you begin to understand what it’s like to follow Japanese actor/director/general superstar Takashi Miike. But every so often, something like “13 Assassins” comes along, and you remember why you loved Mr. Miike so much in the first place. A “Seven Samurai”-style epic about a baker’s-dozen of badasses planning to kill a mad aristocrat, it’s a slow-burner, but one that explodes gloriously when the climax comes with a giant battle sequence (featuring Hollywood-level production values) that Kurosawa would be proud of. Perhaps if Miike slowed his output a little, we’d have more like this, and less like, well, “Zebraman 2,” the director’s other 2010 picture.9. “Crank” (2006)If part of the value of any action film is in how well it sets up its thrills, there is a zen-like purity to the premise of "Crank" (and, to a lesser extent, its even-more-gonzo sequel "High Voltage") that must place it high on any list of action greats. Here, the enormously underrated Jason Statham, revelling in the awesome moniker Chev Chelios, through a completely preposterous series of events, must keep his adrenaline levels elevated…or die! Cue a frenetic series of skits, courtesy of no-holds-barred absurdity merchants Neveldine/Taylor, in which Chelios tried to find the bad guys, while picking fights, snorting coke, stealing police motorbikes, having sex in public, and generally engaging in the most reckless behavior he can — anything to keep the blood pumping. Massive props would be due for devising this event-horizon action plot hook even if the film were less fun — but it’s also an inventive, hilarious blast.8. “John Wick” (2014)A pair of stunt co-ordinators-turned-directors’ debut film, an unashamedly B-movie premise, starring an actor whose most indelible recent contribution to the pop culture scene came in the form of a meme in which he morosely eats a sandwich? Can you blame any of us for being blindsided by just how much funChad Stahelski and David Leitch‘s "John Wick," starring Keanu Reeves, turned out to be? Taking a leaf from the less-is-more plotting of classic films like "Point Blank" and "Le Samourai, ‘ and bundling it up into a revenge Western archetype, the film delivers lean, taciturn, gun-fu thrills in abundance, and shows off exceptional fight choreography and editing (Stahelski and Leitch are both experienced second-unit helmers too). Many have predicted a "Taken"-style renaissance for Reeves as a result, but frankly ‘Wick’ is miles better than the Liam Neeson vehicle, not least because chief among its virtues is a sly awareness of its own silliness, however straight it’s played.7. “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” (2011)While previous entries all had their moments — even the terrible second film had that great rock climbing sequence at the start — ‘Ghost Protocol’ simply strung more of them together in a more coherent form than any of the other films. So we get sandstorm chases, Kremlin bombings, alleyway assassinations, and, of course, Tom Cruise breaking into a high-up room in the Burj Khalifa, from the outside. But maybe most impressively, Bird managed to invest the often rather weightless franchise antics with some actual heft — there is a visceral sense of the real possibility of physical harm that is thrilling, and moments where even Teflon super spy Ethan Hunt seems amazed he’s still on his feet.6. “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2007)We, or rather our spy franchises, live in such a post-Bourne world these days that it can be easy to overlook just what a tectonic shift the series represented in terms of how big-budget action films could be approached. While Doug Liman‘s first entry, "The Bourne Identity," did the work in terms of establishing a new, real-world tone, it is really Paul Greengrass‘ nervy handheld docudrama style that redefined the action landscape, and of his two go-rounds, ‘Ultimatum’ is the more satisfying film. It also contains the single best action set piece of the series to date, a neat encapsulation of everything ‘Bourne’ did differently from the glossy, gadget-driven spy-jinks of yore: the foot chase through a crowded Waterloo station. Simply a masterclass in gritty action, it uses nothing more than tense cutting, comprehensible sight lines, and hundreds of extras in an enclosed space to create one of the most thrilling and genuinely perilous-feeling action sequences in recent memory.5. “Exiled” (2006)He’s never had the Western breakthrough that someone like John Woo got, but anyone who knows anything about the genre knows that Johnnie To is one of the best and most reliable names in the action genre, and he could have easily taken up four or five slots on this list, at least. In the end, just edging out “Election” and the more recent “Drug War,” we went for the terrific “Exiled.” Set in the fascinating location of Macau, it sees four hitmen come to the city to kill a retired gangster, kicking off a gloriously complex plot of twists and turns that owes as much to the spaghetti Western as to classic Hong Kong action cinema. From the stunning opening sequence to the later shootouts, among the finest examples seen since Woo was last on form, this is To in tip-top form, and with a soulfulness that isn’t always in his work too.4. “The Raid” (2011)Similar to some other entries here, the chief competition for Gareth Evans‘ "The Raid"’s slot was its own sequel. But as in those other cases, we’ve leaned towards the original, not just out of anti-sequel bias, but out of recognition that the first film is the one that allows the next to exist. So, without the breakout success of "The Raid"’s pared-back minimal plot, wall-to-wall action, in which an Indonesian SWAT team led by Iko Uwais must work its way through a Jakarta slum-block’s worth of enemies (including the awesome Mad Dog, played by Yayan Ruhian), we’d never have got the wilder, more sprawling, no less impressive "The Raid 2." Introducing the world to Pencak Silat, a martial art that involves every part of the body and uses weaponry too, it’s also a gauntlet thrown down in favor of practical action as opposed to whatever the latest Hollywood CG-fest. Not bad for a $1m-budget Indonesian-language movie.3. “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” (2000)It’s always been tricky to predict Ang Lee’s next move, but few thought that he would follow up acclaimed ’70s indie drama “The Ice Storm” and unloved Civil War epic “Ride With The Devil” with… a martial arts movie. But “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” wasn’t ready to be confined to simple genre boundaries: it picked up seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and to this day stands (by some distance) as the biggest foreign-language film ever in the U.S. Teaming megastars Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh (neither of whom spoke Mandarin), the film’s pairing of swooning period romance and stunning wuxia action (from the great choreographer Yuen Woo-ping) wasn’t new, but has rarely been better melded or refined than it is here, and the fight scenes and bamboo-forest-chases still rank among all-time action movie highlights.2. “Kill Bill” (2003/2004)After a six-year absence, Quentin Tarantino returned to refute accusations that he was all mouth and no trousers with his epic, formally inventive two-part roaring rampage of revenge that marked a new phase in the helmer’s career. Tarantino’s muse, Uma Thurman, plays The Bride, an ex-hitwoman who goes on an international quest to wipe out her former colleagues (Lucy Liu,Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah) and her boss/ex-lover, the titular Bill (David Carradine). Perhaps for the first time, in part because he had a bigger budget, Tarantino was able to indulge all his peccadilloes, from theShaw Brothers and anime to lingering close-ups of feet, and the result is like the delirious fantasy by the smartest, funniest, most knowledgeable fourteen-year-old boy you’ve ever met. In a good way. And though he’d had little experience with action before, the set pieces sing, particularly the instantly legendary House Of Blue Leaves battle.1. “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015)We would ordinarily be opposed to a film this recent topping a list like this; ordinarily, we like to give a movie a few years to age before anointing it a classic to this degree. But there can’t be that many people with a brain, a heart, and an adrenal gland who came out of “Mad Max: Fury Road” back in May who don’t consider it among the finest action movies ever made. George Miller(aged 71, for the record) took the template of his “The Road Warrior” and went completely mental with it, with a densely-realized world, a gloriously progressive agenda, and an understanding of framing, cutting, and blocking that puts directors half his age to shame. Extraordinarily designed, excellently performed, terribly subversive, and sometimes just staggeringly weird (remember when it turns into a Bergman movie in the middle for the blue-tinged section with the tree?), the only problem is that we’ve got 85 years of the 21st century left and we’re not sure anyone can top it.Honorable Mentions: So what did we leave out? Well, a ton. We tried to avoid anything already appearing on one of these Best Of The Century lists, which meant things like “Edge Of Tomorrow,” “District 9,” “Star Trek,” “Inception,” “Minority Report,” “Attack The Block,” “Hot Fuzz,” “Gravity,” “Battle Royale," and “Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes.” We also tried to avoid superhero movies, because we may do a separate piece for those at some point, and also because it’s not like they need the help. We also excluded war movies (“Black Hawk Down,” “The Hurt Locker”) and thrillers (“Collateral”), which would only muddy the waters further, and stuck to theatrical releases, so missing excellent DTV movies like “Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning."Even then there’s plenty we couldn’t fit in. Briefly (and excluding sequels to other films mentioned above), there was also “Ip Man,” “Avatar,” “The Rundown,” “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World,” “The World’s End,” “Hanna,” “The Last Stand,” “Brotherhood Of The Wolf,” “Kung Fu Hustle,” “Zatoichi,” “Torque,” “Red Cliff,” “300,” “Grindhouse,” “Chocolate,” “Pineapple Express,” “District 13,” “Let The Bullets Fly,” “Welcome To The Punch,” “Fulltime Killer,” “A Bittersweet Life,” “The Man From Nowhere,” “The Nest,” “Dredd,” “Point Blank,” “Fearless,” “Unleashed,” “Taken,” “Sherlock Holmes," and “The Matrix Reloaded.”1. The Flash (2014 TV Series)8.2/10Barry Allen wakes up 9 months after he was struck by lightning and discovers that the bolt gave him the power of super speed. With his new team and powers, Barry becomes "The Flash" and fights crime in Central City.Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi43 mins.2. Arrow (2012 TV Series)8/10Spoiled billionaire playboy Oliver Queen is missing and presumed dead when his yacht is lost at sea. He returns five years later a changed man, determined to clean up the city as a hooded vigilante armed with a bow.Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi42 mins.3. Banshee (2013 TV Series)8.4/10Lucas Hood (Antony Starr), an ex-con and master thief assumes the identity of a murdered sheriff where he continues his criminal activities...Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller60 mins.4. Vikings (2013 TV Series)8.6/10The world of the Vikings is brought to life through the journey of Ragnar Lothbrok, the first Viking to emerge from Norse legend and onto the pages of history - a man on the edge of myth.Action | Drama | History | War44 mins.5. Person of Interest (2011 TV Series)8.4/10An ex-assassin and a wealthy programmer save lives via a surveillance AI that sends them the identities of civilians involved in impending crimes. However, the details of the crimes--including the civilians' roles--are left a mystery.Action | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller43 mins.6. Legends of Tomorrow (2016 TV Series)7.2/10Focuses on time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter, who has to recruit a rag-tag team of heroes and villains to help prevent an apocalypse that could impact not only Earth, but all of time.Action | Sci-Fi42 mins.7. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013 TV Series)7.5/10The missions of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller45 mins.8. NCIS (2003 TV Series)7.9/10The cases of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service's Washington DC Major Case Response Team, led by Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller60 mins.9. Daredevil (2015 TV Series)8.8/10Matt Murdock, with his other senses superhumanly enhanced, fights crime as a blind Lawyer by day, and vigilante by night.Action | Crime | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller54 mins.10. Prison Break (2005 TV Series)8.5/10Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother, who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out, from the inside out.

Kindle Direct Publishing is a tool which allows anyone to publish e-books on the Amazon Kindle, an e-reader device. Kindle is the single largest market in the ebook industry. Millions of people go on Kindle to browse, buy and read books. Every time someone downloads your work, you get a cut from the sale (royalties) from Amazon.KDP is perhaps one of the easiest ways someone can make money online today. Unlike other business models like Amazon FBA where you have to spend money buying products (plus Amazon Pro Seller subscription fee), there is absolutely no upfront costs to get started in KDP. You can also make your first sale quickly in a relatively short time (depending how fast your have the book written). But best of all, it is a completely passive income.ProsNo writing skills requiredPassive incomeScale-ableFree and easy to get startedGrowing market (Amazon India expansion)ConsRequires some marketing skillsTakes patienceSTEP 1 – Set Yourself Up For KDPSign Up To Kindle Direct PublishingSigning up on KDP is free and simple. If you already have an Amazon Seller account, you should be able to login to your KDP dashboard with your Seller account.Pen Name is your Brand in your KDP business. Come up with a unique pen name that’s easy to remember. Once you have decided on a pen name, plan on sticking to it for the long haul. You can have multiple pen names for different genres or niches.Sign Up To Amazon Author CentralAmazon allows you to create an author profile in a separate dashboard called the Amazon Author Central. Consider this as your resume. Take the time to carefully craft your profile. Provide a brief intro about yourself and what makes your books so special, a professional looking profile picture.Everytime you publish a book on Kindle, you will have to come back to your AAC and link the book to your author page. This allows people to easily see your other works when they visit your profile.Create A Blog On WordPress & Sign Up To MailchimpEven though this is not a requirement, if you are serious about this business I would highly recommend creating your own blog so that you can provide more value around your niche. You will want to build a community, a follower base, to sell more books to. You can also provide more information about your book, behind the scenes, sneak peak to your upcoming releases, etc.It takes no more than an hour to get a simple website up and running for free on WordPress.com: Create a Free Website or Blog (you will have to pay hosting for Blog Tool, Publishing Platform, and CMS - WordPress and it’s more complicated).As a publisher, it’s important to collect emails of your readers so that you can sell more books to them later on. Mailchimp allows you to easily collect emails and also send out emails. Once you have signed up complete the following steps…Create a ListCreate a Opt-in FormShare the Op-in Form link on your blog and inside your booksSTEP 2 – Research Book IdeasKeyword ResearchThe key to success in KDP is to write in a proven niche, rather than inventing your own niche. To do so you will need to do a proper keyword research. Identify the things people are already searching for, study the competition of those keywords and then think how you can provide something better or different. Don’t be creative in what you choose to write about, be creative about how you write about it. This is especially true for non-fiction writing.Gather Keywords From AmazonGo to the Kindle store (under Amazon).Click on Kindle ebooks.Click on Best Sellers & More.Click on Kindle Best Sellers.Go through each category within the categories listed to get ideas.Make sure to look under “Top 100 Paid” not “Top 100 Free.” You want to write books people are paying for.Write down potential keywords. Each keyword can be composed of more than one word.Search the keywords one by one. The Amazon predictive will show your recommended long tail keywords. They are usually popular search key terms that customers have entered. Write them down.Gather Keywords From ElsewhereSome of the best ways to search for profitable niche ideas is by gaging the popularity of certain keywords on the internet.Google Trends – Free and easy to use; allows you to see the popularity of specific search terms over a certain period of time.Google Keyword Planner (advanced) – Lets you generate popular related keywords; you have register and link your payment information, but not necessarily have to spend money.Amazon Search Box Predictive – Suggested keywords in search boxes are often indication of popular keywords.Pinterest, Wanelo – One of the best sources to get ideas about popular and trendy lifestyles; higher the pins or likes, higher the popularity of that particular item.News (e.g. CNN, BBC, Buzzfeed, etc.) – Headlines and trendy topics on the news are often good pace to start if you are looking for contemporary ideas to write about.Validate Your KeywordsYou should use a rule of thumb to evaluate your searches (you can use as is or modify the numbers below to suit your needs).Find at least 5 books that meet all of the following criteria …BSR (Best Seller Rank) of 100,000 – Lower BSR means higher sales volume50 ~ 100 reviews or less – Too many reviews indicate strong competition and too low reviews indicate there is not enough interest in that keyword2 Months publication – Amazon gives temporary boost to newly published works so only weigh in works that are at least 2 months old$3.99 or below – Most of the expensive books are recognized name brands which are often very difficult to compete withYour search results should also meet the following criteria…No more than 3 free books – Too difficult to compete with free booksMore than 300 results and Less than 1,000 results – Like reviews too many results is a strong indication that the market is saturated while too few results mean there is not enough interest in that keywordRoom for improvement – Poor quality listings (low quality covers, descriptions, negative reviews) means that it will require less effort for you to set yourself apart from the competition. Make sure to go through the customer reviews to find out the flaws that you can correct and improve on.Room for differentiation – Look for keywords where you can bring something different and new to the readersSubmit Your Book Idea On Pre-OrderKindle allows authors to create listings on pre-order which means that you can test the market demand of a niche without writing the book first. All you will need to work out is the book title, cover and description. This is a great way to minimize risk of wasting time and resources on writing books that do not sell at all.Non-Fiction – Solve A ProblemFor most people starting out who have no writing experience, non-fiction or technical niches are going to be the easiest and the most profitable to publish in. Generally speaking books that solve a specific problem dominate the non-fiction category such as dating, money-making, parenting, fitness, diet, etc. People are going on KDP with specific problems they are trying to solve. technical books are also much easier to target and write. With that said, be careful not to get into competitive niches such as paleo diet, weight loss, self-help where hundreds of books are published in every day.Your StoryAsk yourself what are some of the problems you have faced and overcome in life. Talk about how you solved the problem. This is the most effective way to not only communicate but to connect with your readers because it makes your story unique and authentic. People like to hear about other people’s journey to model their strategy on.Other People’s StoryWrite about problems leveraging other people’s experiences such as friends or family. Try to arrange an interview with these people and gather some notes around it.Organize GoogleAnother way to talk about a problem is by simply summarizing and organizing the free bit and pieces of information that are floating around the internet. Go on forums and blogs talking about the problem and compile them into an easily digestible format.Organize Youtube/TVGo on Youtube to look for information around the problem. Many Youtubers tend to only focus on making videos, and their information may not reach a wider demographic.Regurgitate Your StuffIf you own a blog, a journal or even papers you have written in school, you can even consider recycling them by turning them into ebooks. We all have written something in our lives, dig through your hard drive and see what comes up.FictionSome of the bestselling books today have started out as self-published works such as The Martian and The Fifty Shades of Grey. But, coming up with ideas for fiction may seem challenging even for experienced writers. Many people are intimidated by it. The truth is lot of the brilliant ideas just come to you at random moments of our lives. There is really no magic pill for it. You cannot force creativity But you can develop some useful habits that will help you to maximize your creativity potential.Outdoor TravelOften times we gain inspirations from observing the sceneries around us. Nature for example was a great source of inspiration for romantic writers such as Wordsworth (Lake District), the Bronte sisters (Yorkshire Moors), etc.Study PeopleGreat stories are driven by compelling characters. Take the effort to meet and interact new people. Many of the writers base their characters on real life individuals or in some cases on themselves.Read The ClassicsReading not only allows you to improve your grammar skills or expand your vocabulary, but it can be a great source of inspiration. Read the classics and think to yourself why these books had such a powerful impact on popular imagination. Many of the popular fictions, you will notice, bear strong similarities with previous successful works. e.g. Harry Potter (Lord of the Rings). Even consider writing fan fiction around popular works (e.g. The Fifty Shades of Grey).Take NotesGet in the habit of taking down notes everywhere you go. You never know when the idea will hit of a sudden. Recalling that idea later on in the day may be futile if you have a busy schedule and your mind often occupied. Once you have gathered considerable amount of notes take the time to sit down and try to look for patterns. Great ideas often develop plot ideas often by connecting the dots in our notes.Writer’s BlockWriter’s Block is a situation where writers run out of ideas or are simply unable to write. It can have detrimental effect for entrepreneur-minded fiction writers.The most common scientific cause of the Writer’s Block is stress. Under stress, a human brain shifts control from the cerebral cortex to the limbic system. The limbic system is associated with the instinctual processes, such as “fight or flight” response, our basic rudimentary animalistic instincts. The limited input from the cerebral cortex hinders a person’s creative processes, which are replaced by the behaviors associated with the limbic system. Therefore eliminating stress might be the most effective way to get out of the rut.Other common non-stress related reasons may include lack of stimulations or simple procrastination. For these types of scenarios, a change of state can often bring results. Change of state bring change of mood and change of thoughts. You can try the following strategies…Distract yourself from writing for a while (go out for a walk, watch TV, etc.).Consume content (books, articles, movies, lectures etc.).Force yourself to write something even if it makes no sense (stream of consciousness).GenresWhen it comes to genre, mystery and romance have always been the top selling books, as their styles tend to serial reading. Much like the episodes of a television drama, readers tend to get hooked and they always want to know “what happens next” so it’s easy to keep them engaged and to also upsell sequels.STEP 3 – Start Publishing BooksHire A GhostwriterNow that you have gathered your notes, it’s time to publish the book. Notice I said publish and not write. Despite common misconceptions, the key to success in KDP business is to be a good publisher, not a good writer. What is the difference? A publisher is someone who owns the rights to a book whereas the writer simply writes the book but may not necessarily own the rights to the work.As a publisher your job is to do the keyword research, gather notes and hire professional “ghostwriters” to write the books for you or vice versa. You may be skilled at writing, but poor at research. There are number of ways to find ghost writers such as Fiverr and Upwork.It is always a good idea to provide as much information as possible to your ghost writer so they can write about the things you wish them to write about. This is why taking notes in the keyword research phase is such an important step. Depending on the skill of the ghostwriter, it may also be very helpful to provide a rough draft copy or a basic outline of your book.Make sure to check that the work has not been plagiarized from online by using the Copyscape tool.Write The Book YourselfWriting the books yourself may be the best option if your budget is limited or simply want to learn how to write. Here are some general guidelines you should follow, especially if you are writing in non-fiction.Write NaturallyMost people are intimidated with the prospect of writing a book because they feel it’s something that requires special knowledge and special commitment. We tend to associate books with the classic works that pronounce profound ideas with the eloquence of Cicero. But the truth is modern books of today affect none of that high elegance. People prefer to read books that are in the normal everyday language. Write as you would speak to connect easily and sound more authentic. Other non-intimidating ways to approach writing is by writing as if you are writing a blog or even transcribing actual speeches or monologues.Keep It SimpleTry to focus on giving something of value to the reader, something they will remember and apply. Don’t try to cram information or sound sophisticated by using big words. Use simple clear vocabulary to message across. Focus on a few key important points they can take away from your book. What can they take away from your book? (important for reviews)Keep Your Book Short (Bitesize).A long book necessarily does not mean that it’s better. If you have a big idea, section it off into small chunks and create a series. Often times this allows you to target long tail keywords which are easier to rank for. One of the most exciting aspects of Kindle publishing is that it opens the door for a new kind of bitesize content. Think reports, white papers, niche ‘How To’ guides, short stories, etc.These are formats that the publishing industry has typically shied away from. It doesn’t make sense to publish bitesize content on a grand scale in print form, but online distribution is a game changer. Now that we can monetize small pieces of content at a low price, there is a whole new frontier of premium content just waiting to be explored.Try To Publish Books In A Related Or Complementary Niches To Sell More To The Same Customers.If a customer likes your book, then they will likely buy others as well (having a recognizable pen name is essential). This is called “upsell” and it is one of the easiest and most effective strategies to increase your profits in any business. Remember that it’s not the end of the world if your books prove to be unsuccessful. As long as you create a cohesive series of books it takes is one book to become a hit for the rest of your books to sell.Come Up With A Schedule Or Regimen And Follow It So You Can Get More Things Done.For example, you can schedule to write one chapter a day. If you are writing a book with 20 chapters then that means you will be able to complete and publish at least one book per month if you stick to your schedule.Stay Organized Using The Free Google Tools.Use the Google Documents to write your books and save your works on Google Drive so that you can access it everywhere you go. You can also easily organize documents into folders on the Drive and share them effortlessly with your virtual assistants or freelancers. Google Docs and Drive are also available on mobile app stores so you can write or edit on the go.Write Technical Books On Any SubjectOne of the easiest ways to sell books on Kindle is by writing technical non-fiction works. Technical books allows you to target specific keywords which is important for ranking on the search pages. People enter specific keywords in the search box just as they would do on Google. This is the primary way your book will get discovered, so it’s important to find popular keywords to target.Due to market saturation it’s increasingly difficult to find keywords that are both profitable and low competition. In this case you will want to avoid general keywords altogether and hone in on a specific “focus” keyword that is less frequently targeted by authors but still popular. Use the keyword research strategy discussed above.You do not need to be good at writing per se or be an English major in order to write good technical non-fiction. Consider how even mathematicians write technical papers. The truth is in order to write a good quality technical book you have to approach it systematically and stay organized.Research Content IdeasYou do not need to be an expert in the niche in order to write a book about it. What you do need to be skilled in is research. All the information that you will ever need is freely available on the internet. All you need to do is find the golden nuggets and assemble them in a presentable way. Including your insights and opinions can also be useful for reassuring, confirming certain points.It is very important to take notes and stay organized in your research. Break down your keyword into categories and research them individually on the internet. These subtopics can eventually morph into chapters later. Use plenty of bullet points.Where to look for information…BlogsForumsFacebook Fan PagesWikipediaYoutubeStructure Your BookIntroduction / What to Expect – Introduce the topic at hand. Discuss the goals you are aiming to achieve through the book and what the reader can expect to learn from it.Tools / Call to Action – Talk about what the reader will need in order to achieve the objective. Change your tone to a more authoritative one.Body – There are two basic strategies of approach. You can do a linear step by step walk-through where you talk about the each step from start to finish. Or you can break down the topic into non-linear subtopics. Write out each step or subtopic as if you are writing a blog post.Conclusion / Call to Action – Always conclude your book with an inspiration. Encourage the reader to take profit from the information you have provided by taking massive action.Start With A Rough DraftGetting started from scratch is one of the greatest challenges not only for beginners but for experienced writers. But there is no need to pressure yourself to start writing the perfect piece from the start. That’s not how great books are written. One of the most effective ways to write is to approach it as you would approach any project. Build a MVP (minimum viable product) first as quickly as possible around the core idea of your book. Write a rough draft from start to finish covering the main points from your research (which is your chapter titles). You don’t have to write out every chapter in detail, you can merely write down the main points; just write the parts that come to your mind. Your goal is to get as many ideas and sentences as possible down on paper. Leave blank spaces as you go along and fill them out later.Write Your Paragraph StrategicallyWhen it comes to actually writing out the paragraphs, it will make your life much easier if you follow a strategic pattern. Here is a useful format you can follow…Start your paragraph with some general statements of facts or observations relevant to the topic. You can also start with an anecdote. This will make the transitions from main point to main point smooth and natural.Introduce your main point in a clear and straightforward way. To make your point across in a effective manner use words like “I believe” “interesting thing is” “truth is” “however”, etc.Talk about the main point in detail and at length. This is also a good place to validate your point by bring up examples.Final Draft And ProofreadAfter you have written your first draft, go through your draft again re-writing the missing chapters or parts and polishing your writing section by section. Once you have filled out everything, proofread your work by checking for syntax and spelling errors. Use the free online tools like Grammarly to correct the errors. You should let at least one person to review or edit your work. After constant revisions and re-reading your work you will lose the ability to judge them properly. A person reading something for the first time will be able to pick out odd and awkward parts you might have missed.Update Your Books RegularlyOnce you have published your work, it’s a good idea to regularly modify the work and re-publish updated information. This is especially important for certain niches such as IT, business, science, etc. where things frequently change. Make sure to include book cover cues to indicate that your book is up to date such as the year, edition number, etc.e.g. 2nd Edition. 2018 Update.Create A Polished ListingTitleCreate a descriptive title for your book so people know exactly what your book is about. Make sure to include your keywords in the title so Amazon properly indexes your listing. Book title is important for ranking on Kindle. If the title is too general it will be difficult for your book to be shown on search results.Every title should also have what I like to call “selling point keywords.” These are adjectives, phrases and power words that promise a very specific value proposition to the customer. e.g. “concise guide” “top 10 ways” “my personal story” “secrets.” Your book title should stand out and grab people’s attention. Kindle is a crowded market and the only way to distinguish yourself from the crowd is offering something unique and valuable. Look through the bestseller titles related to your niche and nitpick some catch words.e.g.Crush ItMan UpBlitzscalingProfit FirstGood to GreatTotal Money MakeoverGetting Things DoneDeep WorkThe Power of NowThe Age of AgileWillpower Doesn’t WorkTools of TitansWhat I wish I knew when I was 20Steal Like an ArtistThe Big Debt CrisisMany of the nonfiction books have a main title that uses the keyword and then a subtitle to describe what the book is about.e.g.The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your CareerNot Nice: Stop People Pleasing, Staying Silent, & Feeling Guilty And Start Speaking Up Gorilla Mindset: How to Control Your Thoughts and Emotions and Live Life on Your TermsDescriptionTake the time to write a compelling book description. Consider this as the back cover of your book. What specific benefits will your reader gain from your book? Perhaps provide a short excerpt or a bullet point run down of the sup-topics. Use bolds and spaces strategically.Consider creating a template with information about your book series and about the author. Add the template at the end of every description or even inside your book to cross-promote your other books.It’s always a good idea to structure your description systematically…Topic Intro – Briefly talk about the pig picture, trends, market, etc. e.g…. has grown… is multi-billion. Or bring people’s attention to a potential problem.For fiction works, do a brief background or main character sketch.Testimony – Convince people why they should listen to you. Credentials and testimonials.What to Expect – What should the reader expect to gain from the book. Who is your book suitable or ideal for? Beginners? Intermediate? Advanced? e.g. This book will teach you everything. Or promise a solution to the problem you discussed.For fiction works, highlight the emotion that the reader will experience such as suspense, awe, sense of fulfillment, etc.Content / What’s Inside – Briefly do a bullet point run down of the subtopics in your book.e.g. You will learn about …For fiction works, you can include enticing excerpts.Reviews – You can add social proof to your book by adding excerpts of the positive reviews you have had.CoverCreate an attractive book cover. Your book cover is one of the first things people will see about your book. Don’t skimp on this step. Hire a designer on Fiverr to design something great. If you are tight on a budget, you can use Canva to design it yourself.If you are hiring someone to do the work, it’s a good idea to send some book covers that you like to the freelancer so they have something to get inspired from. Be sure that you don’t copy, tell them how you want yours to be different. If you have no idea on what you want on your book cover, you can go on 99Designs. When you post your book idea on 99Designs freelancers will create covers from which you can choose from. Bear in mind that 99Designs is in the expensive side.Remember to use the same cover templates for your pen name or book series to not only save time/money, but to make it easier for your readers to recognize your brand.ProfileYou will notice that many of the best sellers on Kindle will have a professional-looking author profile such as a profile picture and a credible bio (this gets easier if you focus on one niche). Learn from those who have already made it.Overall StructureEvery manuscript should have the following elements…Title Page (title, subtitle, author name, copyright)Preface (why you wrote the book, dedication, credit)Table of ContentsIntroductionBodyConclusion (call to action, request for review)About the Author / Other Books by the AuthorFormatMake sure you follow the KDP formatting guideline before the final upload. This can become tedious, so consider outsourcing or use a tool like Scribus. But it can absolutely be done on your own. I usually type the manuscript on Google Doc and then download it in docx format. Use MS Word to add table of contents (use headers on chapter titles) and page breaks (after each chapter).Print VersionYou can also offer a print version of your ebook in enrolling the KDP Print or Create Space services. This is highly recommended so your book reaches out to more people. Some people still prefer hard copies when it comes to books. Also having a print person will make your book look more legitimate.There are a number of rule of thumbs you should take into account…Make sure your book is at least 10,000 words. The longer the better.Make sure to design the BACK and SPINE of the cover (download the template from Createspace and upload it to Canva)Pay close attention to font and size (they are not adjustable once they are printed)Try to choose creamy colored paper. White paper tends to be uncomfortable to the eye.STEP 4 – Promote Your Books – Make One Business Out Of ManyIf you have taken the time to do a proper keyword research before publishing your book, you won’t have to promote your book per se in order to get sales. Amazon does the promotion for you. Often times organic traffic is enough to generate sales if your listing ranks up in the search results. If your book does not show up in the first or second page of your keyword, you will have to actively promote your book. Most people hardly go beyond the first couple pages of the search results when they are shopping. This means if your product does not appear in the first or second page, the chances of people discovering your product is slim. There are several effective ways you can promote and rank on Amazon.Promote Within KDPReviewsReviews are one of the most important factors when making a purchase for many customers on Amazon. Low or no reviews means less chance of someone buying your book. People need social proof when making a purchase. Prioritize on getting as many reviews as possible and as soon as possible by running promotions and giveaways. You can do this by using the Kindle Select program.Sales Velocity (Kindle Select)Amazon’s goal is to make money. Their algorithms favor books that are selling well which means that your most important priority when you launch a book is by increasing the sales velocity of your book through number of promotions. When you publish your book, enroll your book in the KDP Select Program. KDP Select allows you to offer your book for free for cumulative total of 5 days (Free Promotion) and run discount promotions (Kindle Countdown Deals). There is a caveat however. If you enroll your book in the KDP Select, you won’t be able to publish your Kindle book anywhere else for a period of 90 days.Quality (Kindle Select)The quality of your book will directly reflect on the revenue performance of your book especially if you are enrolled in Kindle Select (which is recommended for the reasons shown above). Enrolling in the Kindle Select program makes your book automatically available on Kindle Unlimited which is a subscription program allowing readers to read as many books as they want. Royalties for books enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited are paid by the number of pages read, not downloads. This is why it’s more important than ever to publish high quality books so that people will actually read them and leave good reviews.PricingAmazon allows you to set the price / royalty rate of your book. When you are launching your product, one of your priorities is to gain “sales velocity” so that the Amazon algorithm will rank your book higher in the search results. One of the most effective ways to gain quick sales is by pricing your book at a lower price range ($0.99 / 35% royalty). Once you move up the ranking with decent amount of reviews you can raise the price to something like $2.99/ 70% royalty.Try to write at least three or four books in a serial for the given topic and then offer the first one free or $0.99. If the reader likes the first one, they will have no problem paying for the second and third, etc. You can even offer a discounted package deal just to increase their options.DescriptionIncrease the conversion rate of your listings by adding urgency to your discount offers in the description section. Provide a clear call to action such as “Get it Now.” “Click on the Link” etc.Try to position your offer as a package not a book. Selling online is all about increasing the perceived value. Differentiate from your competition by adding extra value/bonus like videos or audios, or offering admission to an exclusive group like mastermind.BookYou can also cross-promote your other books to make more money from the same customers. Provide excerpts, links and information about your series inside your book, ideally at the end. You can even structure your series so that they are interdependent. For example if you have a book on how to craft your own table, you can have a complimentary book on making chairs. This is a strong connection as you obviously cannot have tables without chairs. cf. selling the printer cheaper than the ink cartridges.BonusEverybody likes free stuff. You can enhance customer experience by offering free bonus material. This will surely make them feel that they are getting extra value. Plus, you can use the bonus as an opportunity to cross promote.e.g. Your Free GiftI have a gift for you. It won’t cost you a dime. It’s a 40-page PDF guide titled ~ It’s short enough to read quickly, but meaty enough to offer actionable advice to change your life.Claim your copy of ~ at the link below and join my mailing list:Before we dive into ~ thanks are in order. I’d like to thank YOU. Many books promise to help you master ~. You’ve chosen to read mine. For that, I’m grateful and honored.On that note, let’s roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty with the material that’s going to change the way you ~You’re going to love what’s coming your way in the following pages.Promote Outside Of KDP – One Business Out Of ManyBlog/ Personal BrandPromote your Kindle book by creating a simple blog related to the topic. The process of growing a blog is not easy and will take some time, but an effective strategy nonetheless, especially if you are focused on a specific niche. Use free content on your blog as bait to your Kindle book. Structure your blog so that they are complementary to your Kindle book. For example, you can draw your readers to a specific problem in your blog and then provide the solution in your book.Product PairingIf you run an ecommerce business like Amazon FBA, Shopify or even a brick and mortar store, consider pitching a Kindle book related to that product. You can provide useful information about your products such as tutorials, instructions to provide extra value. Synergy can work wonders.PartnershipsOne of the creative ways you can get ideas for your book is by approaching businesses related to your niche with a partnership deal. Offer to endorse their business in your book in exchange for a book promotion. You can also offer to write the book for them in their own brand name and share the royalties. Use your creativity; the possibilities are limitless.Recruiting AffiliatesYou can also promote your book by soliciting reviews from established bloggers related to the topic. Bloggers are constantly looking for content ideas and reviewing your book may just be what they are looking for, plus extra cash from referral fees.Social MediaMake posts on Facebook or Instagram with snippets of your book to give free value to the community and garner interest to your book at the same time. Find Facebook pages, or any website for that matter (forums, blogs, etc.) related to your book niche and engage with the community.AdsAlthough generally not recommended for Kindle publishing, running ads is also an option to promote your book. Ads are effective if you have a very enticing book targeting an earnest audience and only worth it for expensively priced books (think of the ROI).PPC – Amazon has a inbuilt advertising tool that allows you to place your book up in the search results.Facebook – Great for selling high ticket products. FB ads is a powerful tool allowing you to target specific interests.Beyond KindleOne of the ways to really hit it big with self-publishing is by getting your book noticed and published by an established traditional publisher. When your book gets attention and popularity on Kindle, that is a form of validation and when large publishers look at that they will feel more certain about signing a lucrative book deal with you.

Para (Special Forces),[2]commonly known as Para SF, is the special operations unit of the Indian Army. It is attached to the Parachute Regiment.The unit's heritage stems from World War II, with the creation of the 50th Parachute Brigade in October 1941. 9 Para SF, raised in 1966 as9th Parachute Commando Battalion, is the oldest among the eight Para SF units of the Indian Army.Contents1 History 1.1 1971 Indo-Pakistan War 1.2 Operation Bluestar 1984 1.3 Sri Lanka 1987 1.4 Operation Cactus 1988, Maldives 1.5 Kashmiri hostage-taking, 4 July 1995 1.6 1999 Kargil War 1.7 Operation Khukri 2000, Sierra Leone 1.8 Operation Summer Storm 2009 1.9 Ongoing Counter-insurgency Operations (COIN) in Jammu and Kashmir and the Eastern States 1.10 Counter terrorist operation in Samba 1.11 Counter insurgency operation in Myanmar 2015 1.12 Surgical strikes in Pakistani Occupied Kashmir2 Organization 2.1 Functions3 Personnel 3.1 Selection 3.1.1 Four phases 3.1.2 Training centers and courses 3.1.3 90-day probation 3.2 Training 3.3 Joint exercises with other nations 3.4 International competitions4 Equipment 4.1 Small Arms 4.2 Transport5 Insignia6 Gallantry awards 6.1 Ashok Chakra7 In popular culture8 See also9 References10 Bibliography11 External linksHistoryAn Indian Para (Special Forces) officer tries a U.S. Army weapon.The parachute units of the Indian Army are among the oldest airborne units in the world. The 50th Indian Parachute Brigade was formed on 27 October 1941, comprising the British 151st Parachute Battalion, the British Indian Army 152nd Indian Parachute Battalion, and the 153rd Gurkha Parachute Battalion.[3]The Parachute Regiment was formed from these and several other units in 1952.Indian Army Para CommandosIn 1944, the 50th was allocated to the newly founded 44th Airborne Division. In the post-independence restructuring, India retained only one parachute brigade—the 50th. This brigade consisted of three distinguished battalions personally nominated by the then Commander-in-Chief, namely 1 PARA (Punjab), 2 PARA (Maratha) and 3 PARA (Kumaon). During the Jammu and Kashmir operations of 1947-48 these battalions distinguished themselves with glory in the battles of Shelatang, Naushera, Jhangar and Poonch, and were awarded the respective Battle Honours.On 15 April 1952, the three battalions serving with the Parachute Brigade were removed from their respective Infantry Regiments to form the Parachute Regiment. Since then the Parachute Regiment has grown to comprise ten battalions including Parachute (Special Forces) battalions. In 1986, 8 PARA became 12 Battalion, Mechanised Infantry Regiment, while 21 Maratha LI converted to PARA (Special Forces). During their short but eventful existence so far, the regiment's battalions have had extensive operational experience, and singular achievements, to speak of their level of professionalism.During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, an ad hoc commando unit, named Meghdoot Force, consisting of volunteers from various infantry units was organized by then Major Megh Singh of the Brigade of the Guards. The unit performed well in combat, and the Government authorized the formal raising of a commando unit. Lt Col Megh Singh was selected to raise the unit which was originally intended to be a part of the Brigade of the Guards. However, recognizing parachute qualification as an integral element of special operations, the unit was transferred to the Parachute Regiment and raised as its 9th Battalion (Commando) on 1 July 1966. The erstwhile members of the Meghdoot Force formed the nucleus, and the new unit was based in Gwalior. In June 1967 the unit was split equally into two to form a second commando unit, designated as 10th Battalion, each with three Companies. 10th Battalion was mandated to operate in the Western Desert and 9th Battalion in the northern mountains. In 1969, these battalions were re-designated as 9 and 10 Para (Commando) battalions.[3]In 1978, the 1 Para, as an experiment, was converted to become the first special forces unit of the Indian army, and was kept as the tactical reserve. Already a recipient of the Chief of Army Staff Unit Citation twice, and the {GOC-in-C Eastern Command Unit Citation once, the unit was originally 1 Punjab, which was later re-designated as 1 PARA (PUNJAB) and in 1978 was converted to 1 PARA (SF). The unit is well over 200 years old.On 15 January 1992, the Parachute Regiment Training Centre along with the Records and PAO(OR), and the Para Regiment, moved to Bangalore and occupied the erstwhile location of Pioneer Corps and Training Centre. Bangalore is the new Key Location Project of the Centre.[4]1995 saw the formation of the fourth commando battalion when 21 Maratha Light Infantry was selected to convert to special forces and slated for the Eastern Command. After a stringent selection and training process that spanned more than a year, on 1 February 1996, the unit under Colonel VB Shinde, was formally inducted as the 21st Battalion (Special Forces), The Parachute Regiment. The unit has done well in its short lifespan, and is the proud recipient of the Chief of Army Staff Unit Citation twice (1992 and 2006) and the GOC-in-C Eastern Command Unit Citation once (2008), as well as a host of individual gallantry awards. With the changing scenario in military operations and the need for more special forces units, 2 Para began the conversion process from parachute to special forces role, followed closely by the 3 Para and the 4 Para in the year 2004 and 2005. The attempt did see a some success, but the reason it failed to achieve its goal was due to the stringent selection process.[citation needed]1971 Indo-Pakistan WarThe unit (Para Commandos, Indian Army) first saw action in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war, the first six-man assault team was inserted 240 kilometres (150 miles) deep into Indus and Charchao, where they carried out raids. The assault team killed 73 and wounded 140 on the Pakistani side. In addition, they also destroyed 35mm artillery guns of the Pakistan independent battery. They also destroyed an airfield. In Bangladesh 2 PARA (Airborne), which was a part of 50 (Independent) Parachute Brigade, carried out India's first airborne assault operation to capture Poongli Bridge in Mymensingh District near Dhaka. Subsequently, they were the first unit to enter Dhaka. For this action 2 PARA were given the Battle Honour of Poongli Bridge and the Theater Honour Dhaka.[5]Operation Bluestar 1984In 1984 the Para (SF) were involved in Operation Blue Star. They were charged to lead an attack on the Holy Site of the Sikh religion the Golden Temple to evict Sikh militants in Punjab. 80 members of 1 Para (SF) were given the task of assaulting two areas of the temple, one of which required divers. However, there were a number of setbacks as a result of inaccurate intelligence on the strength of the militants who were trained by Gen. Shabeg Singh (ex- 1 Para himself), operating in low light, the conventional manner of the raid, and the lack of incentive, all of which resulted in a mission failure. The diver mission was aborted after the first team got bogged down. The commandos achieved their aims after a gunfight with militants that lasted hours.[6]Sri Lanka 1987Main article: Indian Peace Keeping ForceThe late 1980s saw the Para (SF) in action in Sri Lanka, as part of Operation Pawan. However, the lack of proper planning by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), and insufficient intelligence on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's (LTTE) whereabouts, caused the initial heli-borne assault on Jaffna University on 11 October 1987 to be a tragic failure. However it was because of the efforts of the Para (SF) that later led to the capture of the Jaffna peninsula, forcing the LTTE militants to take refuge in the forests.Six soldiers lost their lives in that mission. Due to their superior training, the Para (SF) took refuge under a house, after they were misled by a youth who offered his services to help the commandos track Velupillai Prabhakaran but instead took them on a wild goose chase. They engaged the enemy for 24 hours and picked up all their dead with their weapons after reinforcements arrived the next morning.After the failed assault on Jaffna City, the 10 Para (SF) participated in a heli-borne assault on the town of Moolai 23 kilometres (14 miles) to the north west in November 1987. More than 200 LTTE guerrillas were killed and an arms depot seized. In order to give the commandos battle experience, 1 Para (SF) was rotated home in early 1988 and replaced by 9 Para (SF).This battalion was scheduled to return home in June 1988, but the tour of duty was extended due to a planned air assault into the coastal swamps around Mullaittivu. The mission was a success, in that it located several arms caches. The 9 Para (SF) also provided 12 men for the security of the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka.Operation Cactus 1988, MaldivesMain article: Operation CactusWith the capture of Maldives, an island nation off the south western coast of India, on 3 November 1988 by the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) mercenaries, the army turned to the 50 (Independent) Parachute Brigade to carry out an airborne/air transported operation to liberate the country and return power to the legal government. This operation had 6 PARA spearheading the mission. 6 Para flew in on 4 November 1988 in a fleet of IL-76, An-32 and An-12 transport aircraft. One team rescued the president, another took over the airfield, and a third rescued Maldivian security personnel besieged in the National Security Service HQ. Later 7 Para and part of 17 Para Field Regiment were also deployed to the Maldives. When mercenaries tried to escape by sea along with hostages, they were intercepted by the Indian navy. Thus, 6 Para, and the 17 Para Field Regiment conducted the first-ever international intervention by the Indian army without any loss of life.Kashmiri hostage-taking, 4 July 1995In 1995, Para (SF) took part in mission to rescue the six Western tourists kidnapped on 4 July by Al-Faran, a Kashmiri Islamist militant organisation.[citation needed]None of hostages were rescued, but the operation resulted in the death of Al-Faran leader Abdul Hamid Turki and four other Al-Faran members.[citation needed]1999 Kargil WarMain article: Kargil WarIn 1999 nine out of ten Parachute battalions were deployed for Operation Vijay in Kargil, which bears testimony to the operational profile of the Regiment. While the Parachute Brigade cleared the Mushkoh Valley intrusions, 5 PARA was actively involved in the forgotten sector of Batalik, and was awarded the Chief of Army Staff (COASS) Unit Citation.Operation Khukri 2000, Sierra LeoneOperation Khukri was a rescue mission conducted by the 2 PARA (SF) in Sierra Leone in June 2000. About 90 operators commanded by Major (now Lt. Col.) Harinder Sood were airlifted from New Delhi to spearhead the mission to rescue 223 men of the 5/8 Gurkha Rifles who were surrounded and held captive by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels for over 75 days, just 90 Para (SF) forced 2000-5000 members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) divided into 5 battalions to surrender. This ultimately led to the liberation of Freetown.Operation Summer Storm 2009On 11 April 2009, the 57 Mountain Division of the Indian Army based in Manipur, Para Commandos along with the para-military Assam Rifles and State Police, launched a counter insurgency operation, code-named "Operation Summer Storm" in the Loktak Lake region and adjoining Loktak Lake in Bishnupur District, located south of State capital of Imphal. The first major mobilization of troops in 2009 ended on 21 April. As the troops began pulling out, an Army spokesperson described the operation as a success, disclosing that 129 militants, all belonging to the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) were killed. The Forces also claimed to have located and destroyed five militant camps during the Operation and more than 117 weapons, including sixty nine AK-series rifles, forty eight rocket launchers, and an unspecified quantity of explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). No militant was arrested. No fatalities among the Special Force (SF) personnel or civilians was reported.[7][8][9]Ongoing Counter-insurgency Operations (COIN) in Jammu and Kashmir and the Eastern StatesParatroopers and Para (SF) have conducted thousands of counter-insurgency (COIN) operations in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and the eastern states in India. Sometimes these units work with the Rashtriya Rifles (COIN force) in complicated operations. Since the mid-1990s, the role of Paratroopers and Para (SF) as a counter terrorism force has increased substantially. They are now actively involved in counter terrorist (CT) and COIN operations in Kashmir as an essential part of the Home Ministry's decision to conduct pro-active raids against militants in the countryside and mountains. Personnel include Para (SF), Paratroopers (Airborne), National Security Guards (NSG) and special units of the Rashtriya Rifles - a paramilitary unit created for counter insurgency operations in Kashmir. They may also include MARCOS personnel, many of whom are seconded to the Army for CT operations.Counter terrorist operation in SambaOn 26 September 2013, terrorists dressed in Army fatigues stormed a police station and then an Army camp in the Jammu region killing 10 people, including an Army officer, in twin fidayeen attacks. The terrorists sneaked across the border early on Thursday, barely three days ahead of a meeting between the prime ministers of India and Pakistan. The attack was on a police station. The 16 Cavalry unit of the Army in Samba district falls under the jurisdiction of 9 corps, headquartered at Yol Cantonment in Himachal Pradesh. The three heavily armed terrorists, believed to be from the group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), were holed up in the cavalry armored unit's camp at Samba for several hours after they barged into the Officers mess, until they were killed during a fierce gunfight with 1 Para (SF) of the army. The bodies of the three terrorists aged between 16 and 19 were in the custody of the Army.[10]Authorities moved commandos of 1 Para (SF) in helicopters to the shootout site. The Para (SF) commandos first carried out an aerial reconnaissance of the camp before landing to neutralize the three terrorists. The 1 Para (SF) had identified the exact spot during the aerial reconnaissance from where the intruders were returning the army fire. After landing, the commandos started engaging the terrorists in a direct gunfight, but in order to give them an impression that their exact hiding location had still not been identified, an abandoned building inside the camp was blasted. This made the terrorists complacent thinking that their hiding spot had not been yet been pin-pointed. They kept on intermittently returning army fire until all three of them were eliminated. The entire operation, from the moment the terrorists entered the camp until they were gunned down, took nearly nine hours to complete. The main worry of the soldiers tasked to eliminate the terrorists was the Army Public School situated some distance from the place where the terrorists had been engaged in a sustained firefight. Army men were worried about the possibility of the terrorists moving into the school and taking children and staff as hostage. For this reason, the operation to eliminate the terrorists was carried out with extreme caution and patience[11]Counter insurgency operation in Myanmar 2015Main article: 2015 Indian counter-insurgency operation in MyanmarBased on precise intelligence inputs, the Indian Air Force and 21 para (SF) carried a cross-border operation along the Indo-Myanmar border and destroyed two militant camps one each of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (K) (NSCN) and the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL). The operations were carried out inside Myanmar territory along the Nagaland and Manipur border at two locations. One of the locations was near Ukhrul in Manipur. The army attacked two militants' transit camps.70 commandos were reportedly involved in the operation. The commandos, equipped with assault rifles, rocket launchers, grenades and night vision goggles, were divided into two groups after they fast roped from Dhruv helicopters just inside the Indian territory near the border with Myanmar. The teams trekked through the thick jungles for at least 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) before they reached training camps. Each of the teams was further divided into two sub-groups. While one was responsible for the direct assault, the second formed an outer ring to prevent any of insurgents from running and escaping. The actual operation (hitting the camp and destroying it) took about 40 minutes. Indian Air Force Mil Mi-17 helicopters were put on standby, ready to be pressed into service to evacuate the commandos in case anything went wrong. In its statement after the operation, the Indian Army said it was in communication with Myanmar and that, "There is a history of close cooperation between our two militaries. We look forward to working with them to combat such terrorism."[12]The Indian Army claimed to have inflicted heavy casualties (158 reported)[12]on the attackers behind the ambush of the Army on 4 June, which claimed the lives of 18 Army jawans (soldiers) of 6 Dogra Regiment from the Chandel district of Manipur.[13]This has been noted as the largest attack on the Indian Army after the Kargil war of 1999.Surgical strikes in Pakistani Occupied KashmirMain article: 2016 India–Pakistan military confrontationOn 29 September 2016, India attacked the strike targeted areas close to the Line of Control (LoC), where militants congregate for their final briefings before sneaking across it into India. An Indian security source said the operation began with Indian forces firing artillery across the frontier to provide cover for three to four teams of 70–80 para SF commandos from 4 and 9 Para (Special Forces) to cross the LoC at several points shortly after midnight IST on 29 September (18:30 hours UTC, 28 Sept.). Teams from 4 Para SF crossed the LoC in the Nowgam sector of Kupwara district, with teams from 9 Para SF simultaneously crossing the LoC in Poonch district.[2][16]By 2 a.m. IST, according to army sources, the special forces teams had travelled 1 km (0.62 mi) - 3 km (1.9 mi) on foot, and had begun destroying the terrorist bases with hand-held grenade and 84 mm rocket launchers. The teams then swiftly returned to the Indian side of the LoC, suffering only one casualty, a soldier wounded after tripping a land mine.[2]The Indian army said the strike was a pre-emptive attack on the militants' bases, claiming that it had received intelligence that the militants were planning "terrorist strikes" against India.[36][37]India said that, in destroying "terrorist infrastructure" it also attacked "those who are trying to support them," indicating it also attacked Pakistani soldiers.[48]India later briefed opposition parties and foreign envoys, but did not disclose operational details.[16]The footage from the strike captured by overhead drones and thermal imaging was released to the media afterwards.[1]However, the Pakistan army dismissed the claim stating that Indian troops had not crossed the LoC but had only skirmished with Pakistani troops at the border, resulting in the deaths of two Pakistani soldiers and the wounding of nine.[14]OrganizationThe Parachute Regiment presently has nine Special Forces, five Airborne, two Territorial Army and one Counter-Insurgency (Rashtriya Rifles) battalions in its fold. The regiment has tried raising new battalions to augment the strength of the special forces however the task has not been completed due to the tough selection phase. Furthermore, in the absence of a centralized command and lack of a centralized and standardized procedure for selection, even among the Para (SF) battalions, selection procedures vary. Meaning there is a different standard to get into different Para (SF) battalions.In the mid-1980s, there were plans to take the three para commando battalions from the Parachute Regiment and bring them together under an individual specialized organisation, the Special Forces Regiment. However, after several logistic and administrative obstacles, these plans were abandoned, and they continue to be trained and recruited by the Parachute Regiment.Para (SF) operate in assault teams, which work individually behind enemy lines, whereas the Paratroopers (Airborne) work in large teams and coordinate with other units as their role involves occupying large areas behind enemy lines. The total strength of the regiment stands at about 10,000, this includes five airborne infantry battalions, one Rashtriya Rifles and two Territorial Army battalion personnel, while the Para (SF) includes between 5,000 and 6,000 personnel. They have to hide their identity from general public.FunctionsIntelligence collection, special reconnaissanceSubversion and sabotage of vital enemy infrastructure and communications through deep penetration and surgical strikes behind enemy lines.Covert and overt/direct action special operations as part of the Indian Army's counter-terrorist and counter-insurgency operations.Hostage rescue operations within and beyond Indian territory.The unit is tasked with missions such as special operations, direct action, hostage rescue, counter-terrorism, unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, counter-proliferation, counter-insurgency, seek and destroy and personnel recovery.[2]PersonnelThe neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met.(May 2015)(Learn how and when to remove this template message)A soldier of 9 Para displaying the TavorA soldier of 31 RR (SF) on operationsPara SF displaying arms & ammunition seized from terrorists in Jammu and KashmirSpecial forces soldier displaying captured arms & ammunition (1st on right)Special forces troopsSelectionAll Indian paratroopers are volunteers. Some enter the Para regiments fresh from recruitment, while others transfer in from regular army units.[15]They are put through a probationary period / selection process of three months for Paratroopers (Airborne) Battalions (5,6,7,23,29) and six months for Para (Special Forces) battalions (1,2,3,4,9,10,11,12,21 PARA), in order to be a Para (Special Forces) all personnel are first required to qualify as Paratroopers; once selected the candidates may choose to advance to the SF selection, which takes place twice a year in the spring and the autumn term. It is one of the longest and toughest training regimens in the world,the applicant is exposed to sleep deprivation, humiliation, exhaustion, and mental and physical torture. Deaths have been reported during this selection process. The attrition rate is very high, and selection rarely exceeds 10 percent. Even though a candidate may have cleared selection, he is not formally inducted into the regiment until completion of the Balidan Padh where, after training, a candidate is involved in active operations in a hostile zone for a year. Provided the candidate survives the Balidan Padh, he is given the Balidan Badge and formally inducted into the regiment.There are nine Para (SF) battalions and soldiers are selected accordingly. An example of this would be the 10 Para (SF) who are also known as Desert Scorpions. The probation period for this is six month and the probationers are selected accordingly for desert warfare.[16]The 9 Para (SF) who specialise in Mountain warfare go through a nine-month course at the Special Forces training centre in Nahan, Himachal Pradesh which is followed by further specialised selection.[17][18]1 Para specialises in mountain warfare. This concept of geographical specialisation was over time reduced and each Para (SF) battalion is trained to operate in various different terrains and climates.[19][20]Soldiers of the Indian army volunteer for the course irrespective of rank.[21]Depending on the battalion, the probation period varies from three months, six months or nine months, with additional time for specialized skills selection. Over the probation period, all soldiers are stripped of their ranks, including officers, and are known as probationers or probies. During any day of the course, a probationers can opt to leave the course.[22][23][24][25]The completion rate is under 12-15 per cent and this slightly high completion rate is because many probationers are drawn from their regimental battalions.[26]Each Special Forces operative specialises in various skills such as weapons, demolition, navigation, communication, medical. PARA (SF) work in small teams, five to eight men, and are also focused on operations other than war (OOW), strategic reconnaissance, surveillance, target designation (RSTAD) and direct action (DA) tasks and are selected and trained accordingly.[27]Those who complete the probation period and are inducted into the para sf and undergo further selection and training, but to earn the para sf balidaan (sacrifice) badge, they have to further survive being deployed in active operations in hostile zones, known as the balidaan padh.[28]Four phasesThere are four phases to become a Para (SF):Basic military training - to start the process a candidate first must join the Indian army and complete the basic training requirements, which vary according to the training center and prospective role.Pre-Selection - this stage encompasses administrative procedures and the soldier applying for the Para (Air) or Para (SF) and the necessary medical requirements.Selection (encompassing a selection process and basic SF training) - the duration of this stage has changed over the years. For the Para (Air) it was initially 28 days which became 45 days after 1999 and is now 90 days. The Para (SF) was 90 days long and hasn't been changed since. The intensity also differs according to the prospective battalion. Para (SF) selection takes place twice a year. Probationers undergo extreme physical and mental tests. The drop out rate is high. Those who fail go back to their parent regiment. Those who complete the probation are inducted into the Parachute Regiment. 10 Para (SF) selection: the probation for the 10 Para (SF) starts in the desert, with rigorous physical training being undertaken in desert climate. There is no training manual, so there is no specific routine. Probationers go without food for 4 days, they have to minimize water consumption up to 1 litre water for 3 days and be able to go without sleep for 7 days. A 10 kg sandbag become a permanent buddy for the probationer. Routine speed marches and runs of 10 km, 20 km, 30 km and 40 km with full battle gears are conducted. Probationers must be exceptional navigators in areas where there is no network signal, no roads or landmarks and sand dunes that keep shifting every night.[16] Parachute Training: Candidates then complete a 3-week Basic Parachute Course at the Indian Army's Parachute Training School in Agra.Advanced SF Training[29] - all those who opt for Para (SF) must first qualify for Para (Air). Although this is also a training phase, this is still part of the selection process. Here the soldiers undertake various different kinds of training with various organisations overseen by the Parachute Regiment Training Centre and the Special Forces Training School. Training includes weapons handling training land navigation and field craft training, infiltration, assault and ambush tactics; close quarter battle (CQB) training; urban warfare; counter-terrorism; unarmed combat training and various other courses across training centers of the Indian defense forces.Training centers and coursesCommando Training Camp, Belgaum, Karnataka4-week High-Altitude Commando Course, Parvat Ghatak School in Tawang, Arunachal PradeshDesert Warfare School, RajasthanHigh Altitude Warfare School (HAWS), Sonamarg, KashmirBasic Combat Divers course, Indian Navy's Dive School, KochiCounter insurgency, at the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) in Vairengte, MizoramIndian Special Forces Training School, Nahan, Himachal Pradesh;Combat free-fall training (HAHO and HALO) at the Parachute Training School, Agra90-day probationSome of the training during the 90 day selection includes:[22][30]Day 1 to 35: The first 35 days comprises 'Physical and Skills Training'. This includes hours of rigorous exercises apart from other tests and skills training such as blindfolded team assembly, weapons training, demolition, navigation, communication, medical and cooking skills. Probationers are also taught animal handling skills,[31] insertion and extraction techniques and have to learn several languages. Many probationers are not able to complete this stage of the course itself and up to 50% drop out here.Day 45: The 36 hour Para SF stress test includes 36 hours of exercises, maneuvers, insertion, extraction where the probationers stress capabilities are put to the test. It starts with a 10 km speed march with 30 kg battle loads and an additional 40 kg each. This is followed by various exercises included lifting buddies over long periods. This is followed by weight shifting. Weight shifting has three rounds, where various kinds of weights have to be shifted such as 40 litres of jerry cans, tyre trucks and wooden logs up to 85 kg in weight.[32] During the 11th hour, trial by water is conducted[33] - simulated drowning, allowing only the bare minimum oxygen over a long period of time. This is to test probationers panic reactions under stress. The hands are also tied later on and using ropes the probationers are pulled under water. It is well known that hypoxia and blackout due to lack of oxygen is common during this test. The first 16 hours are completed without a drop of water or food. This is followed be immediate observational skills and operation tactics under pressure which included probationary having to recall objects placed in their exercises. This is followed by 10 km speed march and 6 hours of continuous exercises. Finally practical combat skills tested such as placing ambushes, response to an ambush, making camps, stretchers and simulated evacs. This is all done at the last stage of the stress test under lack to sleep and extreme fatigue mainly to test mental endurance of the probationers under such conditions and how they react. The 36 hours stress test also sees many probationers leave.Day 56: The Para SF 100 km endurance run is a must for all probationers. With 10 kg battle load and personal weapon of 7 kg they have to run 100 km. The time taken averages 13 to 15 hours. A known route the Para SF have used for this run is the hilly route between Rampur and Dakkal. The run is divided into four stages.[34]Day 60 to 90: The final and toughest test is reserved for those who make it to this stage, the Counter Terror Operations. Not much is publicly known about this stage or the other parts of this course. During the end of the 90 day probation, the successful candidates go through a glass eating tradition.[35]TrainingThe initial training to become a special forces operator is 3.5 years, the longest anywhere, but the training is also a continuous process. In the special forces, the members are imparted both basic and advance training. They are taught specialised modes of infiltration and exfiltration, either by air (combat freefall) or sea (combat diving). Some trainees return to PTS to undergo the free-fall course, which requires at least 50 jumps from altitudes up to 33,500 feet (10,200 metres) to pass. Both High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) and High Altitude High Opening (HAHO)techniques are learned. The ability to use the HAHO method and specially designed maneuverable parachutes called HAPPS (High Altitude Parachute Penetration System)/AMX-310 to conduct stealth insertions over distances up to 50 kilometres (31 mi) is also perfected.[15]For combat diving training, the commandos are sent to the Naval Diving School, Kochi. Like other special forces, these para commandos are trained for land, air and water.The daily routine begins with a 20 km (12 mi) morning run. Infiltration, exfiltration, assault, room and building intervention, intelligence gathering, patrolling, ambush tactics, counter-ambush tactics, counter insurgency, counter-terrorism, unconventional warfare, guerilla warfare, asymmetric warfare, raids and sabotage, martial arts training, tactical shooting, stress firing, reflex shooting, buddy system drills, close quarter battle, tactical driving, advance weapon courses and handling, sniping, demolition training, survival skills, linguistic training, logistic training, trade-craft training is imparted by the intelligence agencies. The training drills involve live ammunition at all times which is a reason for fatal accidents at times leading to death.Night and weapons training and field craft involving 20 km (12 mi) treks with 60 kg (130 lb) loads and live ammunition are conducted. Weekly forced marches with 65 kg (143 lb) combat loads with distances over 80 km (50 mi) to 130 km (81 mi) and quarterly night drops with full combat loads are also conducted.In addition to this in-house training, the commandos also attend a number of schools run by the Army that specialise in terrain and environmental warfare.[15]These include the Junior Leaders' Commando Training Camp in Belgaum, Karnataka, the Parvat Ghatak School (for high altitude mountain warfare) in Tawang Arunachal Pradesh, the desert warfare school in Rajasthan, the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) in Sonamarg, Kashmir, the Counterinsurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) in Vairengte, Mizoram, and the Indian special forces training school in Nahan, Himachal Pradesh. These schools are among the finest of their kind anywhere, and routinely host students from other countries.[15]Members of USSOCOM (United States Special Operations Command) and UKSF (United Kingdom Special Forces) have conducted joint training exercises with the Indian Paras. SOF members from the three nations routinely train at each other's facilities to improve military cooperation and tactical skills. This allows the SOF operators from each nation to see tactics and perspectives offered by other top-notch organizations. U.S. Army Special Forces also conducted joint HAHO training with the Para (SF) in 1992, underwater training in 1995, and anti-terrorism training in 1997. It is thought that the French Foreign Legion also has approached CIJWS regarding the courses taught by them. Para (SF) troops can also undergo a complete Combat Divers course, after which they earn a combat diver badge.[36]They are also experienced in conducting SHBO (special heli-borne operations) and typically employ Cheetahs, MI-8/MI-17 or HAL (Dhruv) helicopters for this purpose.Joint exercises with other nationsThe Para (SF) conduct a series of joint exercises, named VAJRA PRAHAR, with the United States Army every year, in which about 100 personal from the US and Indian special forces participate.[37]INDRA is a series of joint exerise with Russian special forces,[38]and operation Sampriti is the name for joint exercises with Bangladeshi special forces.[39]Para (SF) also conducts exercises and training with the special forces of Israel.[40]The Ajeya Warrior is a series of exercises with regular infantry units of the UK (as the UK's special forces are highly classified).[41]Indian special forces also conduct exercises with forces of the following 16 friendly countries: the United States, France, the UK, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Maldives, Seychelles, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.[42]International competitionsPersonnel from the Para (SF) have participated in international competitions like Airborne Africa, Cambrian Patrol. This exercise was designed to test the endurance, combat efficiency, and combat readiness of the special forces community. The regiment has a record of highest tally wins in both these exercises that is hosted annually ever since their participation was inducted in the competition hosted by Botswana in Africa’s Kalahari Desert from June 8-10, 2002, in which 10 Para (SF) participated. Special forces from other nations like the Special Air Service of the UK and the Green Berets of the US also participated.[43][44]In 2014 a team from the Indian army won the gold medal out of the 140 teams that participated[45]EquipmentPara (SF) have access to various types of infantry weapons required for particular missions.Small ArmsPistol Auto 9mm 1A Semi-automatic pistolGlock 17 9mm Semi-automatic pistolBeretta 92 9mm Semi-automatic pistolHeckler & Koch MP5 Sub-machine gunMicro Uzi 9mm Sub-machine gunIWI Galil Assault rifleIWI TAR-21 Tavor Assault rifleM4A1 CarbineMPi KMS-72 East German made side-folded Kalashnikov riflePM Md.90 Assault rifleVZ. 58 Pi Assault rifleSVD Dragunov Semi-automatic sniper rifleIWI Galil Sniper Semi-automatic sniper rifleMauser SP66 Bolt-action sniper riflePKM General purpose machine gunMG 2A1 General purpose machine gunUk vz. 59L Light machine gunAGS-17 Plamya Automatic grenade launcher.C-90-CR-RB (M3) Disposal rocket launcher.RL MkIII 84mm Recoilles rifleB-300 Shipon 82mm Rocket launcherTransportC-130J Super Hercules tactical transport aircraftHAL Dhruv utility helicopterAll Terrain VehiclesHAL Cheetak utility helicopterInsigniaPara (SF) personnel, like other parachute troops in the Indian military, wear a maroon beret. In addition, they wear a "Special Forces" tab on each shoulder. Personnel who serve in the Para (SF) are allowed to wear the "Balidaan" (Sacrifice) patch on their right pocket below the name plate, which is similar to the SAS beret insignia; only para commandos are allowed to wear the patch. Para (SF) personnel may grow beards, as this allows them to blend in with the civilian population, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. The insignia on their beret is drawn from the near identical insignia of the British Special Air Service.Gallantry awardsAshok Chakra2009, (Posthumous) Major Mohit Sharma of 1st Para (Special Forces) for Counter-insurgency Operations in Jammu and Kashmir in 2009.[46]In popular culturePara SF have been portrayed in Bollywood movies such as;Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019), a dramatised account of the tactical strike conducted by the Para SF on the camps of terrorists across the Line of Control in retaliation for the 2016 Uri attack.Zameen (2003), Ajay Devgan and Abhishek Bachchan play the roles of Para SF officers. The latter resigns to joins the police. The film is based on the hijacking of an Indian Airlines jet.