The year is 2014. And I have a wishlist. But it is a different kind of wishlist
that has been inspired by Mark Rubinstein's thought-provoking article as given here .
So, here you go. This is my 'book wishlist' for 2014.
So, here you go. This is my 'book wishlist' for 2014.
Good fiction across all formats and genres
Well-written fiction - be it in short story form, novel or literary form - should be welcomed, promoted and discussed.
We are seeing a renaissance of
non-fiction books being published, discussed and promoted across the country.
This is terrific and I hope this trend lasts. Unlike in fiction, it is the
subject of the book that becomes the bait for a reader to pick it up.
Interestingly, it is the very same subject that drives a publishing company's
marketing plan. This means that a publishing company may have several
non-fiction books in the pipeline but their marketing of it would vary based on
the topic itself.
In fact, TOI had ,in a recent report, cited 'According to Bahri, the ration of sales for fiction to non-fiction is 60:40.' Interesting fact, don't you think?
In fact, TOI had ,in a recent report, cited 'According to Bahri, the ration of sales for fiction to non-fiction is 60:40.' Interesting fact, don't you think?
Some of the notable non-fiction
titles this year include historian and author Ramachandra Guha's
"Gandhi Before India" and Anita Raghavan's thriller "The Billionaire's Apprentice" which traces the rise and fall
of business tycoon Raj Rajaratnam and financial consultant Rajat Gupta.
Another key trend to watch out
for is in the area of legal books. Some of the finest names in India
Another book to check is Sandeep
Parekh’s ebook titled ‘Fraud, Manipulation and Insider Trading in the Indian
Securities Markets’ and is already gathering momentum. You can read moreinformation about it here
Growing tribe of
quality-conscious readers
We need to cultivate and
nurture a growing tribe of quality-conscious readers who demand more from the
books they read. This should fuel a hunger among writers to excel at their
craft and take it more seriously. True, in India
Let Readers buy & Writers
write
Authors should tone down their
fetish of promoting and highlight "star" ratings of their books on
websites like Flipkart.
The more authors try to aggressively rate only themselves or their books as better than the rest, the more it turns off avid readers like me. There has to be a sense of balance in a writer's mind while promoting one's books on social media. This is not to say that all Indian writers are guilty of 24X7 coverage of their book promotions but increasingly I see it go over the top, nauseatingly so. But increasingly, a number of Indian writers are so bullish about their books that they try to become book sellers than writers. To me, that seems a clear indication: they are losing the plot about their craft.
The more authors try to aggressively rate only themselves or their books as better than the rest, the more it turns off avid readers like me. There has to be a sense of balance in a writer's mind while promoting one's books on social media. This is not to say that all Indian writers are guilty of 24X7 coverage of their book promotions but increasingly I see it go over the top, nauseatingly so. But increasingly, a number of Indian writers are so bullish about their books that they try to become book sellers than writers. To me, that seems a clear indication: they are losing the plot about their craft.
In one of her rare public
interactions with readers, Anita Desai mentioned this trend. She spoke about
how lonely and painful the writing process had been for her but she would still
write, write and write without caring whether anyone read it. That's the kind
of passion that every writer needs to incorporate into their writing practice.
I am serious! In fact, Anita Desai also said she never tracked whether herbooks sold well and was pleasantly surprised to know that her books were so
well-received abroad and were a topic of study and discussion among students,
particularly in the UK
She also cautioned
contemporary writers about getting too caught up in the cycle of marketing and
promotion and gently hinted that to write is the best way of showing love to
your craft. I SO love her simplicity and openness about this. Writers,
please get your act together, focus on the craft and not go overboard with
publicity stunts.
One of the reasons I have
decreased my intake of books by Indian writers is because their over-the-top
aggressive promotions that spoils my interest in buying their books.
Also,
established authors in popular genres who have met with success are pumping out
inferior and formulaic novels that appeal to below-average readers. To do this
continuously tells a choosy reader like me that the author is either stuck in a
rut or is thinking only about the number of copies being sold. That is a clear
dampener and I would steer clear from buying books of so-called 'popular'
authors.
Comments