Ravi Subramanian's Blog, page 3

THE BESTSELLER SHE WROTE : Read the 1st chapter of my new book here (Book releases on 19th October)

The chatter in  the packed auditorium at the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru, had reached its crescendo, when a member of the organising committee walked up on stage and addressed the audience.

‘He has arrived, everyone. He’s talking to the Diro right now . . . should be here in three to four minutes.’

Almost immediately the conversations died down. The noise level dropped and everyone, including the two hundred students and faculty in the room, trained their eyes at the door.

‘Why him?’ someone in the front row whispered to the person seated next to him. The front row was reserved for the faculty members. The neighbour shrugged his shoulders.

‘Possibly because he brings in both perspectives—corporate experience and creative excellence . . .’

‘Don’t think so,’ the first gentleman responded with disdain. ‘I am sure it has something to do with the placement season. Pampering these corporate types always helps.’ His neighbour nodded and almost immediately stood up as did most of the people in the auditorium.

He had just walked in.

A tuxedoed emcee strode onto the stage and announced, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to present to you Shri Aditya Kapoor, Director—Branch Banking at National Bank, and an alumnus of our own institute,’ he paused for effect and then proudly added, ‘the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru!’ The firm and effective baritone, blaring out from the public address system was completely drowned in the thunderous applause that followed.

A beaming Aditya walked up to the stage and stood there, taking in the ovation. Returning here felt extra special and it showed on his face. ‘Thank you, thank you,’ he mumbled with his hands folded even as he bowed down a couple of times, in humility. ‘Thank you everyone.’

This time the applause was louder than before.

‘But today,’ the emcee said, ‘he is not here because of his achievements as a banker. Friends, even though Aditya Kapoor needs no introduction, he deserves it. Let me at least make an attempt. Not only is Aditya a banking professional par excellence, he is also India’s numero uno writer. With four books to his credit, all of them topping the fiction charts, he is the most successful new generation Indian author. In a country where 95 per cent of books published sell less than 5000 units, his books have sold over four million copies. Two of his bestsellers have already been made into films. And that’s not all; unlike the rest of his breed, Aditya Kapoor has managed to achieve the unusual feat of keeping the masses and critics equally enthused.

Today he is going to talk to us about pursuing our dreams; about his journey from a boring banker to a bestselling author. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting to you, the Paperback King of India, Aditya Kapoor. India’s most successful author . . . ever!’

The whole auditorium resonated with applause. Aditya Kapoor, who had been standing in one corner of the stage, walked up to the podium. Holding the stem of the mic, he pulled it closer to his mouth. The emcee who had been using the microphone earlier was a good ten inches shorter than Aditya’s six-foot-something frame. He cleared his throat, an act which he had rehearsed a number of times in the past and spoke into the microphone: ‘Good Evening.’

His deep baritone could make many a woman go weak in the knees. ‘It feels good to be back after fifteen years,’ Aditya carried on. There was an awed silence in the auditorium. ‘Isn’t it surprising that IIM Bengaluru has never invited me to talk about my professional exploits, something for which this institute trained me, prepared me? Instead, you have given me the honour and privilege of speaking to all of you about what I have achieved by pursuing my passion, my dreams.’

He paused and looked around the room. ‘I am here to speak not about what I have achieved, but about what I have enjoyed. Someone once said, “Find what makes you happy and go for it with all your heart. It will be hard, but I promise it will be worth it.” The fact that I am standing here in front of all of you, talking about my exploits, only goes to show that it is, in fact,’ and he again paused and looked around the room, ‘. . . that it is, in fact, truly worth every single minute that I spent pursuing my dream.’

Aditya continued, ‘When I began writing in 2008, it was for my own self. I became a writer, not only to tell a story but to broaden my own perspective. I don’t know whether readers took away any message from my books or not, but for me, writing was a process which left me intellectually enhanced. It transformed my personality completely.’

There was another round of applause.

A confident orator, Aditya went on to talk about his books, the writing process and getting published. The audience listened to him in rapt attention as he talked about his experiences and how he was able to differentiate himself in a crowded marketplace.

‘Every author puts in a fair bit of effort when he or she writes a book. But not everyone markets it well. Remember the easiest part about writing a book is . . . writing the book. The hard work starts once the book is written. The task of marketing the book and bringing the product to the reader is . . .’

‘Product? Rubbish!’ someone in the gathering exclaimed.

The voice was loud enough for at least a few in the room to have heard it. Aditya heard it too. Stopping for just a brief moment, he glanced around before moving on. He had been in such situations before. The person who had made that remark was in the minority and could be ignored.

‘Marketing the book and bringing the product to the reader is a very critical task in the entire product life cycle. If you don’t get the product into the buyers’ consideration subset, how will he or she buy it? Isn’t that what they teach you in your two years at management school? In my case, the book is the product and the readers are our consumers.’

‘Balls!’ This time the voice was louder. It sounded out like a whipcrack. ‘It’s a book for god’s sake, not a product.’

Aditya stopped as heads turned. The sound had come from the right hand corner of the auditorium. If anyone had missed it the first time, they were sure to have heard it now.

From where the sound had emanated, were two young girls. One of them looked quite embarrassed, which was enough for Aditya to confirm that it was the other one who had spoken.

‘Sorry?’ he questioned, upset at being rudely interrupted.

‘What was that?’ The girl had been a bit too loud. Maybe she didn’t realise it, but now, for him, it was a matter of his fragile male pride.

Neither of the girls responded to Aditya’s question. After what seemed like thirty seconds of uncomfortable silence, the girl who had made the comment stood up. All eyes were on her, including those of the outraged academics sitting in the front row.

‘Pardon me, Mr Kapoor, but a book is not a product,’ she spoke up. Despite her ostensible apology for her impropriety, she didn’t need any coaxing to stand up and speak. ‘A book is an expression of an author’s creativity. Do not demean it by calling it a “product”. We respect you as a good writer, as a successful professional and as a senior from our campus, but that does not mean that anything goes.’

A few whispers went up in the auditorium, gradually escalating into chatter.

‘Young lady,’ Aditya began, the quiver in his voice quite apparent. Camouflaging his thoughts had never been his strength. His face had gone red with anger. He was not going to be shown up by a young kid.

‘You are correct, but only partly. A book is not a product when an author is writing it. At that moment it is a dream. It is the purpose of existence for the author. But the moment you put a price tag on it and place it on a shelf in a bookstore, it becomes a product.’

He looked at the others in the audience and after an intentional pause, added, ‘Otherwise why even bother to sell it? Give it away for free.’

He was angry, but he had learnt that in this day and age of social media, being rude and arrogant to the audience, especially in public, was a recipe for disaster. Someone might just record it and upload it on Facebook for everyone to see, putting him at risk of brand erosion.

‘Sure,’ the girl said, ‘but there has got to be a difference between peddling a bar of soap and selling a book. A book is a lot more personal, a lot more involving. A book is not a movie. It may be entertainment, yes, but not cheap entertainment. The romance of a book is lost by the in-yourface promotion that you guys do. In any case, most of the new Indian authors write rubbish. In the name of romance, trash sells. And on top of it, you guys call a book a product! It reveals a mindset of mediocrity. Push any book, however mediocre, through an aggressive sales campaign and you have a bestseller.’ She was worked up now and sounded irritated.

Aditya forced a smile. Blood was still flooding his cheeks, rendering them pink. ‘Mediocre? Young lady . . .’ he said, catching on to the last point and conveniently ignoring the rest. He looked around the room. Everyone was waiting for his response. ‘I am sure you haven’t read my books?’

Seeming a bit embarrassed, the girl nodded in agreement.

‘Read them,’ Aditya spoke with forced humility, ‘and then call them mediocre if you want to. Half the people, who have an opinion on current Indian authors, haven’t even read them.’

He raised his right hand and pointed directly at her. ‘And as far as marketing my books is concerned—it’s simple. If I spend a year writing a book, I will leave no stone unturned in making sure that everyone knows about it, and buys it. I don’t mind my books adorning bookshelves as long as the bookshelves we are referring to are not in bookshops, but in people’s homes.’

The girl just looked at him without saying a word. Her friend sitting next to her held her hand and pulled her down. ‘Sit down,’ she whispered.

‘If after reading my book, you hate it, please write to me. I can’t refund your time, but to make up for it, I will gift you ten books of your choice. Think of it as kind of a money back guarantee.’ He attempted a smile.

‘And just to complete the discussion on promotion of books by authors, all I have to say is that after giving it their everything, an author cannot just sit back and hope that the world will appreciate his or her effort and automatically flock to stores to buy the book. So it has to be brought to the customer, quite like a product, with full focus and energy. If you still don’t agree, I am happy to engage with you offline.’

He smiled triumphantly at the audience, looked at the girl again and asked, ‘Deal?’

The girl smiled, and gave him a thumbs up. He reciprocated the gesture. Truce was called. However, the interjection had a terminal impact on his speech.

He stopped his lecture soon thereafter and they broke into a Q&A.

 

TO Preorder : http://www.amazon.in/dp/9385152386

 

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A good writer is also a good storyteller

More about THE BESTSELLER SHE WROTE

From DNA AfterHrs Page 4,  … by Deepali

Aditya, the protagonist, is a banker and bestselling author, just like you. He, too, is an alumnus of IIM Bengaluru and like you, he does not want to leave his job because he thinks writing would then become just another job for him. Is The Bestseller She Wrote your most autobiographical work till date?

(Laughs) No not at all. This is a theme wherein it is genuinely advisable to not be autobiographical. On a serious note, most of the bestselling authors around are IIM graduates. So when I started writing a book about India’s No 1 author, he had to be from the IIMs. Bengaluru was just a matter of my personal comfort. Yes, the protagonist in my book also has a great parallel corporate career. Like me, he too believes that writing will lose its charm if it becomes a full time money spinning job. It would be right to say that a lot of my thoughts and beliefs about the way authors should (or should not) behave have made their way into the book. My thoughts about books, bookstores, marketing of books, publishers approach to books etc, do stare at you from the pages of The Bestseller She Wrote.

Why digress from a genre you had become known for? Are you more nervous about this book than the earlier ones, since romantic intrigue is a new genre for you?

A good writer is one who is a great storyteller. And storytelling should not be restricted to one genre. An author who boxes himself in a particular genre is not doing justice to his craft. And I have already written seven banking thrillers thus far. It is clearly time for me to experiment. More than reaching out to newer audience, this book is an attempt by me to tell myself that I can tell interesting stories set in a completely different field. This will be my first foray in a genre of Romantic Intrigue which does not exist in India. Romance writing in India has been synonymous with teeny college romance, and have little or no takeaways for the reader. The reader remembers the book only as long as he or she reads it. In The Bestseller She Wrote, the reader will be in for a Romantic Intrigue which is a cross between a thriller and a romance.

Your contemporaries, such as Amish Tripathi, Chetan Bhagat, Ashwin Sanghi and even you get mentioned in the pages. Did you speak to them before including their names?

Well, tell me, what value is a story based in the world of authors in India, which does not even mention these great guys, even if it is in passing. I know a couple of them are surely looking forward to reading the book. I have not asked them, for they make an appearance as themselves. I am eagerly looking forward to their thoughts on the book. This is the first book written in the glitzy world of bestsellers and about the personal life of authors. So they will also be eager to read it, I am sure.

It is not only them, there are a few others too. There is a Vaishali Mathur, in the book who is Aditya’s editor, a few journalists come in as themselves, there is an Anurag Kashyap, who makes a cameo appearance. There are a lot of real life or near real life characters. That adds to the appeal and relatability of the story.

The movie rights have already been sold. Can you give us more details on that? How involved are you in the process?

The way it happened is a story in itself. We will be making the announcement on this soon. I am involved in giving creative inputs for the project, on a need basis. Discussions are on for getting the casting right. I’m hopeful that the project will be greenlit soon.

The movie rights for God Is A Gamer have been brought. What is the progress on that front?

It is currently in the scripting stage. Given that God is a Gamer is a complex thriller, it is taking a lot of time.

 

You can Preorder The Bestseller She Wrote Right here :  http://www.amazon.in/dp/9385152386

Why Write India is such an Amazing Campaign?

When was the last time you walked into a bookstore, saw so many Indian Authors and wished that your name adorned a few of those books? When was the last time you wanted to write? Am sure for many of you, this would be a regular occurrence.

Let me tell you an interesting incident, which happened yesterday, when I was at the Pune International Lit Fest, at a session moderated by Vinita Nangia. Tuhin Sinha and Madhuri Banerjee were the other two participants. In an auditorium packed to the hilt, with people squatting on the floor, in the aisles and even in the space between the dais and the front row, there were quite a few who wondered how to start writing. Their premise was that they wanted to write, but were not sure what to write about.

In such a situation, it is always about the first step. The first push. It is the first few words that liberate you from your sense of inadequacy about your own writing. The problem with most of the want-to-be authors is that they are unable to focus. Either they have no idea of where to begin, or they have hundreds of ideas and don’t know which one to pick. Both scenarios leading to one result… they give up even before they start.

This is where Write India comes to the fore. Conceived and curated by Vinita Nangia, a respected journalist and a bestselling author, Write India, brings together Eleven well known authors who have, over the years, established themselves in the field of commercial and literary fiction – Anita Nair, Chetan Bhagat, Amish and eight other authors are a part of this initiative. Vinita Nangia recognised that when combined with the might of Times of India’s distribution, this ensemble of Authors could be a potent combination. A combination, which could inspire a generation to give writing a serious try. And this is what led to her giving shape to Write India.

How it works is that, every month, one of the eleven Authors is designated as the author of the month (The author of the month for September is Ashwin Sanghi). A passage written by the Author of the month is put out for the general public to read. These passages can be read at

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/writeindia.cms

To participate one has to write a short story based around the passage. The only requirement is that the story must contain the passage in its entirety (beginning, end or somewhere in between doesn’t matter). One short story will be selected from the submissions made by readers, every month. At the end of the campaign, Times of India will publish eleven best short stories thus selected in a book. Not only that, the eleven writers whose stories have been selected will also attend a unique writers camp in Diu wherein they will be mentored by some of the featured authors.

There just cannot be a better chance than this for people to get published and learn from Authors who are willing and happy to share their experiences and knowledge.

Looking back, what Write India essentially does to you is the following

For those who don’t know what to write about, this effectively channelizes their thoughts and creativity in one direction and helps one make a beginning.
It helps aspirational writers kick off their own insecurities and motivates them to pick up a pen and write.

Write India, the way I look at it,  provides you both the context and the motivation to start writing. After that it is only about your creativity and your will. It is about how intense is your desire to get published.

When Vinita Nangia approached me with her dream project and asked me to participate in the Write India initiative, I didn’t have to think twice before I said yes to it. The following were my reasons for getting excited:

Who would miss an opportunity to be cast in a project, which has the best of Indian writers in it? If writers like Amish, Chetan Bhagat etc. were a part of a project, would you miss an opportunity to be there?

Would you ever let an opportunity to be a part of a program that brings to life the creative instincts of hundreds of thousands of Indians, pass by? As authors we know that it is very difficult to unleash ones creativity. A creativity that is so personal and latent. If you were given a choice to be a part of a team that inspires writers to write, would you ever let it pass? Obviously the answer is NO.

There were many times in my initial days as a writer, when I had felt the need to talk to someone, to leverage on someone’s experience, to learn from someone who had written and published a book. But there weren’t too many forthcoming Indian authors around at that time. Vinita had come up with an excellent platform for youngsters to learn from established authors. Why would I ever pass an opportunity to do something, which as a struggling author I always wanted but could never get? The Diu writer’s camp at the end of the program will be worth its weight in gold.

Vinita Nangia’s dream for Write India was so strong that one HAD to be a part of it. An initiative, which didn’t have a commercial goal to it, but was purely driven by her passion to get people to write, Write India as a concept didn’t need to be sold. Neither to me, nor to the other authors participating in ti

Now that all of us are in, I would implore everyone out there to go ahead and participate. It can work wonders to you, for your confidence and for your desire to be an author.

Think about how awesome it would be to see your name on the book alongside the selected authors, whose books you have always read. And from what Vinita tells me (though she refuses to share exact figures with me) the number of entries they are getting is beating their own expectations…. that too by a mile. Isn’t it heartening to see that someone is getting whole of India to write?

So if you are reading this and want to write – All I can say is …Go ahead and Write India… Write.

*****

Read THE BESTSELLER SHE WROTE, Releasing on October 19th. You can preorder your copy here : http://www.amazon.in/dp/9385152386

There are many reasons why I write and ‘Money’ is not in the top 5.

This piece written by me was published first by Scroll.in on 29th August 2015. You could read the article on Scroll.in here : Click here 

Every time I log on to Facebook, I find a number of people either wanting to write a book, or desperately hunting for a publisher having written a book. There are also scores of published authors, all attempting to promote their books.  This is indeed symptomatic of the fact that everyone today wants to become an author. And why not? If you have a story you want to tell the world, all you have to do is to open your laptop and start typing.

But why does everyone want to become a writer? Is it the inherent desire to tell a story? Is it the desire to change the world? Is it the passion for writing? Or is it greed?  I have no idea. I dare not make a value judgement on the motivation of hundreds of other fellow authors. But I can talk about why I started writing  in 2006, and why I continue writing even today.

I had always wanted to write a book. Always. This was a consequence of the yearning to be remembered after I die.  I was convinced that if I ended up writing a book, then, long after I am gone from planet Earth, there will be some library in some corner of the world which will have a copy of my book. And that book will remind people that an author called Ravi Subramanian walked this planet.

That was the elementary, vanity-driven motivation to write my first book. That’s how If God was a Banker took shape and was published in 2007. When I wrote that book, all I wanted to do was write one book. Period.

But the success of If God was a Banker changed everything for me with regard to writing books. And I didn’t end it there as I had planned to. But the question that often comes to my mind now is: why do I continue writing after seven published books? What keeps me steadfast on this journey? And when I sit back and rationalise this passion – or alternate career as some would say –several reasons come to my mind.

I have a lot of stories to tell.

Anyone who has lived through 20-and-odd years of corporate life will surely be a treasure house of interesting stories, experiences and anecdotes  – some his own, some observed. To me, this is the raw material.

When you put Jeffrey Archer in prison for three years, you got three books, didn’t you? I have spent 22 years in an interesting industry, which has all the elements required to make a story fascinating: money, relationships, sleaze, fraud, crime and investigation. So why hold myself back?

I enjoy writing.

This is the most basic of all reasons. And probably the most important prerequisite for anyone to become an author. I was not turned on by the success of other authors. It was not the glitz and glamour which attracted me.

When I wrote my first book, I fell in love with the process. It is like a drug. An addiction which is difficult to kick. I succumbed. If anyone wants to become an author, the desire has to be immense. Strong enough to be able to spend hours away from family, from socialising, from television, from partying and to focus on writing instead.

Writing involves sacrifices. You have to like it enough to be able to make those sacrifices. I was willing to. More importantly, my family was willing to support me in this endeavour. And that made it easy for me.

I see a lot of youngsters these days getting swayed by the media making superstars out of some authors and getting into the “If they can do it, so can I” mode. To all of them I have to say this:  Writing is a result of a good education, and storytelling is a gift. Assuming you have these, converting them into a book needs truckloads of commitment and perseverance – and will produce results only if you like and enjoy writing.

Writing helps me stay grounded.

Those who are not in corporate life will not appreciate this, but the truth is that as one climbs the ladder in any organisation, position, power and money often goes to one’s head. It makes one vain, proud and less tolerant.

This happens a lot in banking and financial services.  Given that there are always enough subordinates willing to suck up to you and play to your vanity, you begin to lose touch with reality, growing averse to dissent and becoming intolerant  of anything which goes against you or the direction you have set. Criticism is unthinkable.

Life is very different as a writer. When you put your book out for people, you are essentially naked. Readers who pay to buy your book will not care about your reputation or seniority. If they don’t like it, they will rip it apart – in public. You are just another person who has written a book. It is purely the quality of the book and the reader’s experience that matter.

For people like me, writing has emerged as a great leveller. It has taught me to take the rough with the smooth. Writing has taught me not to get super-elated when readers say something nice, and also not get too depressed when they say something nasty.  It has helped me keep my feet firmly on the ground. It has also given me the ability to solicit, and listen to, negative feedback, for this genuinely helps you improve and grow.

I learn something new from each book I write.

Every bit of research I do, every story I tell, every book I read adds to my knowledge. I read over eight books on Bitcoins when I did my research for God is a Gamer. Had it not been for this book, I would not have known so much about the Darknet, TOR and Bitcoins.

How else would I have read up on diverse topics like diamond-mining in Angola (for The Bankster) or the intricate details of the gun control laws in America or even the way academia functions overseas (for Bankerupt) if not for my books? All this research helps me develop a perspective on multiple subjects and leaves me enriched.

Writing has helped me forge new relationships.

Hundreds and thousands of readers, publishers, retailers, business partners and the entire writing ecosystem is a gift that my books have given me. This world is very different from the one I am used to in my profession.

And what about other authors? No other profession would have given me the cherished company of fellow-writers. Authors are strong personalities. Each one is unique. They have, at times, rigid points of view. And yet they are fun to be with.

Contrary to popular belief, most writers are quite friendly and get along with one another. When the community gets together the interactions are quite amazing and adrenalin-packed. Unlike the corporate and banking system, where discussions centre around work, growth, and organisational politics, and where most relationships are driven by a motive, bonds between writers are refreshingly different. This alone is a good enough reason to continue writing through the rest of my life.

And lastly, yes, I do end up making reasonable amounts of money as a writer. However I have no doubt that had the earlier reasons not been in play, I would have stopped writing ages ago.

Why commercial fiction writers should be wary of online book-buying

Every Sunday, my wife and I have a ritual where we visit a local book store in Mumbai. We browse, have coffee and chat with the staff.  A few weeks ago we were at one of the Crossword stores when I became a spectator to a scene between a mother and her son.

He had carefully picked out four books and was in the process of handing them to his mother for her to take to the checkout counter. She noted their titles and then told him to put them back. “Online is cheaper,” she said. And she was probably not wrong in making that assumption. the retail store had lost a sale, online had gained the sale.

I came back a bit disappointed, for I knew that the mother-son was just not an isolated example. The price war that e-commerce has engaged in to acquire customers is systematically decimating traditional book retail. I am one of those who love the romance of an old bookstore. The sense of Vellichor as you walk through a bookstore cannot be matched by sitting in front of a laptop screen and ordering the book of your choice.

In 2007, when I launched my first book, If God was a Banker, it was priced at Rs 195. And back in those days, 195 meant 195. There were no discounts, no undercutting and everyone was happy. Today, after eight years, most of my books today are available for far less than 195. So much for years years of inflation.

At first glance this appears to be a win-win situation for the reader. He gets his books cheap. And for the author too. He is no longer at the mercy of book stores and by just taking care of one channel of distribution, he is in a position to reach out to a larger audience. And then there is also this notion that if a book is priced low, it sells more. Maybe that’s true.

But then, as long as you want to buy the new John Grisham, the latest Jeffrey Archer, or the much awaited Amish’s Ikshvaku, it is fine. You would have read about it in the papers, heard about it on radio and seen it splashed all over TV. So you log on to e-commerce sites, buy the book you want and then get out.

Do you surf around looking for newer books from unknown authors, or for that matter lesser known authors? You don’t. Right? Generally, people who buy books online, know what they want and often go online just to buy that book.

Buy online, find only established writers

How then do you discover new authors? Online or through bookstores? Clearly the latter. The emergence of online stores in a Bahubalisque fashion has taken its toll on discoverability of new writing. There is no bigger testimony to this than the fact that most big (Indian) commercial authors of today came on the scene much before online took over book sales.

If one were to count the number of debutante authors who have sold ten thousand copies in the last five years, their number would be in single digits. For a country where some 22,000 new english books are published every year, it is a sad state of affairs, to say the least.

A new author will have to rely on brick and mortar to give themselves a minuscule chance of success. Bookstore displays, pile-ups, banners and posters, and, more important, shelf space are what enable discoverability. And trust me, there are hordes of new authors out there who die a depressing death because their book, despite being brilliant, doesn’t get seen and hence doesn’t get read.

Isn’t that a bigger loss to the reading community and to the publishing world in general, than the forty to fifty rupees that one gains on account of enhanced discounting online?

But e-commerce does help

That said, I must confess that e-commerce does have a role to play in streamlining book distribution, there are many towns that have never had great book stores, and readers here can now buy their favorite author at the click of a button. New markets have opened up, Tier Two cities have emerged as important go-to markets for authors like Chetan Bhagat, Amish, Ravinder Singh, Durjoy Datta, etc. This couldn’t have been possible but for ecommerce.

I am not completely against online bookselling. I am an author too. And all said and done, today, 40-60 per cent of sales for a book come through ecommerce sites these days (it is higher for more expensive books).

No marketing plan for any book launch of mine is complete without taking into consideration sales through Amazon and Flipkart. That’s a reality. One can’t afford to ignore online anymore.

On the contrary, sadly one can afford to ignore brick and mortar, as recent launches of Half Girlfriend and Pranab Mukherjee’s book have shown. It is a dangerous game which holds in it the capability to wipe out physical bookstores. With high street rentals and high inventory carrying costs for bookstores, the dice is heavily loaded in the favour of ecommerce. Traditional bookstores can’t compete.

Can the playing field be levelled?

There must be a way for both to co-exist, for bookstores and e-commerce players to operate on a level playing field. And this can only happen if they compete on customer experience and not on price.

Perhaps we should look at France as a model to emulate. In France, it is illegal to discount books by more than 5 per cent. And this holds for bookstores and e-commerce players. Done to protect more than 5000 bookstores that dotted the French retail landscape, such a step immediately levels the playing field between online and offline.

After all, if discounts are capped, it is up to the reader to decide if they’d like the convenience of online or the adventure (and romance) of offline. It will certainly eliminate scenes like the mother-son interaction I described earlier. The industry has to work with the government to come up with a solution. There are too many conflicting goals between publishing and ecommerce for them to sort this out by themselves.

Bookstores have it in them to define the culture of a generation. A well-read generation is invariably a more balanced, peace-loving and highly intelligent generation. When you protect a bookstore, you end up laying a foundation for a better world. Any step towards getting bookstores and ecommerce players to complement each other rather than compete, would be a giant step in this direction.

This post was first carried by Scroll.in . The link to the article is : http://scroll.in/article/745399/why-c...

WHY MEN HIT AND WOMEN STAY (by Meghna Pant)

This is a post not written by me … but by Meghna Pant, a friend, a writer and a Journalist. I am sharing it here with her permission. There is not a word in this post which I don’t subscribe to

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I didn’t think I could do it. I didn’t think I could write this article. Every time I tried to I broke down. Now, after eight years, I have finally been able to.

And you should read this article. Not because I have written it but because it is important. You should read this because a woman should know that she does not deserve to be hit. She doesn’t ‘ask for it’. She needs to know that she has options. You should read this article because a man should know what it does to a woman when he hits her. How he strips her of all dignity, respect and self-worth. He should know how many years a woman suffers when a man she loves and trusts raises his hand at her. You should read this article because you could save someone’s life. You actually could.

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One evening when I was at hishouse he hit me. We hadn’t fought or argued; I was, in fact, quietly studyingfor an exam. He began by shouting and screaming at me. He pinned me into acorner against the wall and pointed his fingers at me accusatorily. He calledme names. His cheeks had turned red and his eyes, which I loved so much, weresquinted in indescribable rage. Then he spat at me. He was scaring me – who wasthis man? – so I pushed him away. He punched me. I remember that my skullshook. My glasses flew off the bridge of my nose. Tears welled up in my eyesand my cheeks burnt with a hot acid sensation. No one had ever raised theirhand at me before.

Then the man I loved grabbedmy neck and began to choke me.

Again, I pushed him away andtold him to stop: was he trying to kill me?

That seemed to further enragehim. He dragged me to his bedroom, threw me on the bed and proceeded to chokeme again. He punched my arms. He punched my stomach. My survival instinct toldme not to fight back. I went limp. Then he pulled his hands away, flipped mearound and twisted my arm behind my back, lifting me as if trying to break myback. I was then yanked around again and slapped a few times.

He continued to keep shouting.I don’t remember what he was saying. I don’t remember what exactly he wasdoing, but I do remember feeling like this was happening to someone else. Ibecame numb. I think I went into shock.

At some point he let me go. Iran into the bathroom, locked it and stayed in there for a good hour or two,weeping, holding myself in disbelief. After all, educated women from goodfamilies don’t get hit.

Two days later I failed myexam.

The second time he hit me itbegan with a silly argument. This time too it began with him punching me hardacross my face. Again, my skull shook, my cheeks burnt and my glasses flewacross the room. I realised at that moment that he had a habit of hitting. If Ibecame submissive, like the last time, he would never stop. And I had to stophim. So I tried to slap him. I could not reach him so my hand barely touchedhis face. But he grabbed my hand tightly and told me he would break all myfingers. ‘I’ll begin with the thumb,’ he said menacingly and caught hold of mythumb, twisting it backwards. ‘Stop it, you’re hurting me.’ I yelled and whenhe let go, I ran into the bedroom. The same room where he had first hit me. Iwas suddenly afraid: what if there was a repeat of what had happened the lasttime? I locked the room door. But he knew a way to open the door from theoutside, something he’d done many times before. I was sitting at the edge ofthe bed when he stormed in and again began to hit me. At some point I stood upto push him away. That’s when he lifted me and flung me across the bed. Ilanded on my neck on the hard floor. I fainted. I don’t know what happened nextbut when I came into consciousness he was no longer in the room. He must havechecked for my breathe, known I’m still alive and made no effort to revive me.

It has been many years sincethese two and other similar incidents. In this period I have written novels,short stories and many columns about many things, but my few attempts to writeabout my abuse end with me breaking down. Yet, every time I read reports ofviolence against women I feel like I must gather strength within me to speakout. I know women go through worse, yet I wish no woman to go through even alittle of what I went through, and if she does, as the increasing rate of physicalabuse shows us, she must know that there are many like her and, moreimportantly, that she has options.

Naïve and inexperienced as Iwas, I didn’t deal with my abuse with the clarity and strength that time hasnow afforded me. I hope that by reading about what I did wrong women in similarsituations can better deal with their abuse.

 

DEMANDAN APOLOGY OR WALK

I trusted him enough to thinkthat he would apologise. After the first time he hit me, I had come out of thebathroom to find him in bed, curled up in the fetal position, sobbing. He saidhe didn’t know what had come over him and that it would never happen again. Iwas young, innocent and madly in love with him. I wanted to believe him. Youcould’ve killed me, was all I muttered in chiding. The second time, and all thetimes after, there was no acknowledgement or apology.

Studiesindicate that even if theincidents of physical abuse only occur one or two times in therelationship, he will continue to physically assault you. Minetoo seemed to spend a lot of time thinking about what I had done wrong anddevising ways to make me pay for it. It was almost a fantasy for him.

I realise now that, in oneway, I was to blame for his lack of remorse. I hadn’t immediately ended therelationship. I hadn’t demanded an apology. I hadn’t possessed the courage todiscuss what had happened. I had blanked out portions of the incidents because,like an accident victim, my memory could not revisit these dark spaces. I hadwanted to forget. It was too painful. Therefore, unintentionally, I let a manthink that it was acceptable to hit me.

Never tolerate violence. If aman hits you once, he will do it again.

 

DON’TLIVE IN FEAR OF HIM

I was afraid of him. One dayI actually kept a kitchen knife in my purse to protect myself in case he attackedme. I lived in constant fear of displeasing him because I didn’t know whatwould trigger a violent reaction in him. For as all women of abusive partnersknow, such men are vindictive and petty. If I made a mistake he would go to anyextent to demean me. If we had an argument his reaction would be to comecharging towards me with his fists raised in the air.

An abusive man will maintainthe threat of violence. Keeping dangerous objects close at hand, for example,is a tactic of intimidation. Mine always kept a small ornate knife around.Twice he brought the blade of the knife to my neck and said that he might justslit my throat for fun. He laughed as if it was a joke.

Act. Once you become a victimyou will continue to stay one.

 

BEWARY OF EMOTIONAL ABUSE 

Physical abuse does not stopat hitting. It takes many more ugly forms, mostly in the form of emotional oreconomic abuse. After all, if a man hits you, he cannot possibly love orrespect you. Mine lost no opportunity to demean and criticise me. He insultedme with the worst adjectives used to describe people. Initially I wassurprised. I had always been a happy person, surrounded by a doting family,loving friends and able to get along with almost anyone. So why was he thefirst person in my life to say all these things about me? These people don’ttruly love you, he’d retort. I am only one who loves you and that’s why I tellyou the truth about yourself. He told me that I didn’t deserve to be loved orto be happy.

It reached such a ridiculousstate that if I ever told him that he was doing something wrong he would mimicthat back to me. In fact, once when he slapped me really hard and I warned himthat I’d tell people, he threatened me: if you tell anyone that I hit you, Iwill tell them that you are actually the one who hits me. I’ll tell them thatyou are a liar. He put the onus on me, acting like the hitting was my fault. Iwas provoking him into it.

My resistance wore off and Istarted believing the things he said about me. I was wrong. I was dumb. I wasstupid. I couldn’t do anything right. I started thinking of myself as aterrible person. I started thinking that I was the one who was crazy. Hestripped me away of all my confidence. It took me many years to regain my senseof confidence and to begin liking myself again.

The worst part, I realisenow, is that he made me start believing that physical abuse was normal in arelationship.

A man who hits you will – toestablish his control over you – assault you emotionally as well. Don’t believea word he says.

 

BECAREFUL FROM WHOM YOU TAKE ADVISE

People willwonder what you derived from staying in an abusive relationship.How can you tell them that you wanted the abuse to end, but not therelationship because in between the episodes ofabuse he was nice to you?Also, you are afraid of being judged. You are scared to be alone. And if you’re married it is more difficult to leave because you may have the children and your family tothink about. Remember, the excuses that you make for staying in an abusiverelationship will seem trite once you’ve left him. Trust me.

You may also receive somerather shocking reactions.

An old friend of minedeclared that unless a man sent you to the hospital it was not an act ofviolence. Even if your incidents of physical abuse seem minor ascompared to what is shown on television or printed in newspapers, it is stillabuse. There isn’t a ‘better’ or ‘worse’ form of physical abuse. Even a pushcan severely injure someone. Theextent does not matter, the intention does.

I didn’t tell most of ourcommon friends what he’d done. Some part of me wanted to protect the man I’dloved for years and to end our relationship with dignity. Yet, there was a friendI did tell and he still chose to remain friends with him. You are strong, accomplished and look reasonably happy,he asked me, so how could you possibly become a target?

Cut such people off. Don’tlet their opinion matter. You don’t need to be surrounded by people who supportmen who beat women, doubt you or have no respect for your life. No one, noteven your father or mother, is allowed to diminish the horror of what you havebeen through.

Fortunately, such reactionsare not common. Almost everyone, including some of my rather conservativeaunties and my traditional grandmother, told me that I should not have put upwith this. Most people were incredibly kind.

So, tell people. Reach out.Spread awareness. Don’t let another woman’s life be ruined.

 

TELLTALE SIGNS

He seemed mature, calm andcaring. He did not look like he could hurt a fly. In the early days of ourrelationship he treated me like a princess. The fact is that abusive men do notcome with a placard. You will likely not recognise them till the first timethey raise their hand. But you can recognise the tendency to violence that aman may have by identifying certain characteristics.

If a man is oversensitive,petty, vindictive, negative, over possessive, suspicious and critical, with a bad and unpredictable temper, he may be someone who cannot rein in his emotions andtherefore more susceptible to hit you. He will likely view the worldsuspiciously. No one is his friend. Everyone is out to get him. Stonewalling isalso a common recurrence with abusive men, making communication with themalmost impossible. If he tries to control you and dominate you, to assert hispower over you on a regular basis, be alert.

Look closely at the family ofthe man you’re with. Has there been a history of abuse? Has he seen his fatherhit his mother? Does he have a behavioral pattern of getting into fights? Mineonce beat up a boy in his school so badly that the boy had to be hospitalised. Such men are more likely to resort toviolence.

An abusive man will show sometell tale signs. Do not justify or rationalise such behaviour even if you’re inlove or lonely. Be attentive. Be honest to yourself. Be smart.

 

GETHELP

If your partner acknowledgeshis mistakes and stops, if he is willing to change, then by all means keep thefaith and carry on. Take him to a psychiatrist. Make him control his temper.

Meditate. Meet friends. Takeup hobbies. Help him become a positive and calm person.

Tell some trustworthy people,especially your parents. Involving other people can keep him in check for thefuture because he knows you have found a way to protect yourself.

Identify the trigger pointsthat send your partner off the edge. For example, the first time he hit me hewas going through a family crisis (of which I was informed much later) thatproduced a deep dread in him of our own committed relationship. Instead ofdiscussing it with me, he expressed his panic by hitting me. Recognise thesetrigger points and work together on maintaining calm when they occur.

If he had even once sincerelyapologised and agreed to get professional help for his abusive habits, I wouldhave happily held his hand and walked into the sunset with him. It’s adesperate hope we all cling to that the one we love will change for the better.Sadly, it rarely happens. In our patriarchal society men often hit because theythink it proves their masculinity. Additionally, a man who hits you wants tocontrol you and diminish you; he will likely not let you give him advice.

So if he is unwilling toacknowledge what he’s done and to stop doing it, don’t wait around. He will notchange. Your hope cannot make a man stop hitting you. If you are too kind ortoo patient, he may, one day, take things too far and you could end up dead.Don’t be deluded into thinking that this cannot happen to you when it has,sadly, happened to many women before, even when the man didn’t intend to killthe woman.

The first step is thehardest. It will feel impossible. You’ll tell yourself you can’t do it. But youcan. So get out of the house immediately. If you have children, take them withyou, or he may threaten to hurt them. Tell your parents. Stay with a friend,stay with family, stay in a hostel. Be out of reach to him. Report him to thepolice. The law under The DomesticViolence Act 2005 protects you. Go to a woman’s organisation or a socialworker. If you’re married, find a lawyer. Reassure yourself that you are notalone. There are many people to support you.

Understandthat leaving an abusive situation is a process, not an event.

You will cry. A lot. Probablyevery day for many months, maybe years. You will feel depressed, helpless,drained, scared, ashamed, and confused. Acknowledge the reality of yoursituation. Be strong. It will only get better. The scars will heal, as will thewounds. The tears will dry up. You will no longer feel a weight on yourshoulders. You will feel light. Relieved. Free. You will smile again. You’ll beable to trust again. You may also love again, or not. It doesn’t matter. Theworse is behind you and your future can be anything you want it to be.

Sometimes I find it difficultto believe that I’m still here. But I am. And, more than anything else, I amlaughing again. You will too.

– Published in Femina (July 2015)

She was fire

Ravi Subramanian:

Anusha’s blogpost … Am seriously amazed at the way children think and write today… Our kids have so much of talent.

Originally posted on Anusha Subramanian:

She wasfire

Anger smouldering inside her like glowing embers
Stray sparks from which set her heart ablaze
And they burnt a trail navigating her soul
Until they finally escape through her fiery gaze

She wasfire

Her skin burned with simmering passion
Yet she suppressed it, her lips were sealed
She locked inside, her flaming zeal
Her burning intensity she tried to quell
The world was not ready for the words she held

She isfire

She let the flames consume her whole
And burn away the tainted bits of her soul
Her trial by fire ends today
She’s stronger now in every way
And the blaze that she tried to tame in vain
Was never really meant to be restrained
The flames and her can never be apart
‘Cause she was born with fire in her heart

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Life Lessons: Be the average guy

A few days back I had a very interesting interaction with Rediff.com. It was a freewheeling chat on life and the lessons one can take away from ones own life – something which was of relevance to the younger generation. At the end of the discussion, Divya Nair from Rediff.com summarised it and put it up on their website for people to read. A few takeaways from the discussion which I thought might be of relevance to the youngsters of today. (taken from Rediff.com website)

Be the average guy: Be humble and work hard. It’s over two decades since I graduated from IIM-Bangalore. If I were to analyse the successes of my batchmates, I’d safely say the average guys (as compared to the toppers) have been much more successful. They’ve evolved as smarter individuals and have a good balance of efforts versus results. I have always believed that the ‘average’ guys are the best in the long haul. They don’t have the airs that toppers have. They’re willing to listen to others and put in more effort — a quality that is missing among the toppers and the ones who score the least in school and college.  Even if you are not the average guy, it helps, if in your mind, you think that you are nothing but average. The belief that you have a long way to go, makes you work harder.

Put in the effort needed. The know it all younger generation lacks commitment and is not willing to put in the effort needed. Some of it, I suppose, is because they haven’t seen the kind of struggle their parents have. Since everything seems to be available to them without a battle, several young people I have come across don’t seem to value the things they have/get. They often take for granted what the previous generation considered a luxury. They are impatient, want quick results and often lack commitment that is essential for the results to kick in.

Use the advantages of being young. The youth of today is also very high on energy and is full of ideas. The world has opened up in ways we couldn’t have thought of and, with it, their horizons have expanded too. Young Indians have a lot of passion when it comes to doing something they love. Everyone wants to stand out in the crowd. They network well, they adapt amazingly to the changing environment and they are comfortable with technology in a way that we may never be.

 Don’t try to be someone else.This generation loves to compare, which may not be such a bad thing if you only knew who to compare yourself with. Be original; be yourself; don’t imitate anyone.

Learn to be patient. Enjoy the journey as much as the destination. At the risk of using another cliché, don’t chase the money; chase your passion. As it happens, now is also a great time for you to do just that. In these last few years, we have evolved as a country.

Try your hand at entrepreneurship. Mainstream jobs are not growing and entrepreneurship is the buzzword of our times. Investors are more forthcoming and we, as a culture, are slowly but surely becoming more forgiving towards failure. Make the most of it. Put your ideas to test. Start a business. Be your own boss.

Don’t get dazzled by a glamorous lifestyle. Don’t lose yourself in the glamour and the fast pace that has come to define our lives. This holds especially true for those you who come from smaller towns to big cities for better opportunities. I have been in that situation and I know many who have been there. I can tell you that no one can guide you to sail through that phase — no book, no lecture will help. It is for you, and only you, to realise and keep reminding yourself all the time that if you are good enough to make it this far then it is important for you to make it count.

Find your calling. (Author) Ravinder Singh is a classic case in point. He comes from a small town called Burla in Orissa and went to the same college as I did. He gained tremendous success with the same English that most of us condemn. He’s the best example of how to find your niche. The virtual world has opened up a lot of opportunities for people who come from little known places in India. If you are one of those who are struggling to make a mark, go ahead and make use of the opportunities available.

A hobby is important. Pursue a hobby; it will give you something to look forward to when you have had a bad day at work.

Don’t just be an employer. Be a job creator instead. Don’t hire people who are less intelligent than you; they’ll only take you so far. Hire smart people; you’ll only grow with them and learn new things. Don’t treat your employees as competition. Treat them like family.

Welcome criticism. Don’t be stubborn and rigid. Respond to criticism and learn from your mistakes. Else you’ll fade out even before you know it.

Give back to society. Don’t just do this as part of the corporate social responsibility in your organisation. It could be something as simple as educating your domestic help’s son or daughter and do it without expecting any rewards.

And finally, stay in India! Sure, go forth and get international exposure. But once you’ve learned enough, come home and let your motherland benefit from what you have learnt.

 

The link to the article on the Rediff site is

http://www.rediff.com/getahead/report/achievers-lifelessons-be-the-average-guy-ravi-subramanian/20150202.htm

I Don’t Want Bookstores To Die

(a few weeks back I had done an interview with Sanjitha Rao Chaini at Business World. Sharing it here for those who missed it. Click here to read the article on the Business World Website)

B rick and mortar stores are a lot more relevant from a discoverability perspective, says author Ravi Subramanian who is coming out with his next thriller around bitcoins

What are your views on Bitcoins? And its acceptability in India?

I simply love the concept of Bitcoins and often wonder why no one thought about it earlier. It has everything that a regular currency has, with an added advantage of anonymity. Though in the current form, it is not without its challenges. Easy to hack in, security is one of its biggest drawbacks.

Bitcoins today are at a stage in evolution where internet was 15 years ago. At that time, life was absolutely fine without internet, but today you can’t imagine life without it. Similarly 5-7 years down the line, you just won’t be able to imagine life without Bitcoins (or a form of virtual currency). Acceptability of Bitcoins in India is almost negligible. But a number of Indians do own Bitcoins. We are the first to embrace technology.

You are perhaps one of the first few authors to write a book around bit coins. What kind of research did you put into writing bitcoin related portions in your book? And how long did it take to complete the book?

When my publisher read the manuscript of ‘God is a Gamer’ and told me that it would be the first thriller to have ever been written in the world of Bitcoins, it surprised me. I would have expected Bitcoins to be every thriller writer’s delight. Not many have embraced it because to understand it well enough to write about it, and write about it in a manner that even the layman on the street understands it, the author needs to be comfortable with the world of finance and technology. I guess, not many authors are.

Ever since Wikileaks tweeted to the world in June 2011, that they have started accepting donations in the form of Bitcoins, as a response to the blockade by the US government, Bitcoins have not looked back. They have always been in the news. Often for dark reasons. Every article about Bitcoins would get me curious. How can one currency get so much attention? How can one currency hold in it the potential to redefine the way the world does business? How can one currency drive large financial services giants out of business? And yet, how can this one currency have only negative things being said and written about it. As a thriller writer, this was enough to get my curiosity going. I read six books and numerous articles about Bitcoins, and its impact.

Bitcoins gives you the backdrop to build an intriguing thriller. And that’s what I did. It took me over a year to write this book, primarily on account of the intense reading I had to do. In fact, when I was promoting my previous book, ‘Bankerupt’, I was already on to writing this one.

Bank/Banker and related words features a lot in your titles. Is there any particular reason? Or is it just a brand recall strategy?

A title has to serve two objectives. First, it must be intriguing and must interest the reader enough for him to pick up the book. And second, it must communicate to the reader what the book is all about. Given that my stories thus far have been set in the amazingly intriguing world of financial services, it comes out in the title as well. It is not a conscious strategy. The day I write a story wherein the bank/banker does not form the backdrop, the title will change too. My latest book does not have Bank in the title simply because it’s very different plot as compared to my earlier ones.

You have a website and we do see you promoting your work on social media. How has it helped in books sales? 

Promoting and engaging with the readers are two completely different, often confused, aspects. Yes, I do actively engage with my readers on social media. It helps me understand them better and connect with them. I actively solicit feedback and social media helps me in that. It helps me improve with every book. Yes, I do promote my work on social media, for it is the most cost effective means of promoting wherein you can target your promotions to a specific audience. But that is only closer to a book launch.

How important is it for an author to be involved in marketing/promotions of the book in today’s connected age? Can you measure it in tangible growth?

This is a very hotly debated topic. The entire author community has extremely polarised views on this debate. I believe that an author is the CEO of his book, and must take interest in everything which relates to the book. His job does not end with the manuscript submission. In fact, it begins with manuscript submission. Editing, cover designs, marketing and promotion: nothing is complete without the authors involvement. Author and publishers need to complement each other in their efforts. I have seen excellent books fail because they haven’t been marketed well. Because readers don’t even know about it. Also, if an author believes in his book, he must have the conviction to stand up and recommend his book to the readers. It is important to remember that readers are more open to reading books from authors who they have heard of. Marketing helps in this too.

Measuring the impact of this in tangible terms is a bit difficult. But yes, the increasing trends of books sales is a definite indication that the marketing efforts are working.

Tell us about your writing schedules. How do you juggle work and writing? 

I often call myself an Owl-writer. I sleep very late. Often well past 1.00 a.m. on working days and even past 2.00 a.m. on weekends. Most of my writing happens after dinner. I do not need a secluded environment to write. I often sit in the living room and write. It makes sure that my writing career does not come at the cost of family time. My organisation too, is a lot supportive of my work as an author. I have never felt that my day job was interfering with life as an author. If at all, my day job and writing have fed off each other. One would be incomplete without the other.

Who is competition for you in fiction writing in India at the moment?

We have a number of talented writers in India. Each one of them excelling in their respective fields. And everyone has his or her own loyal reader base. Hence, the competition is not with anybody else but with myself. Whenever I write a book, I always compete with my previous one. I try very hard to make sure that my new book is better than all the previous ones, in terms of content, style, pace and thrill. As long as I consistently manage to do that, I will be happy, irrespective of the competition.

Flipkart recently posted a full page ad on Chetan Bhagat’s new book. Online book retailing is affecting sales at physical book stores. Should the stores go online like how they did in the US?

I am a big fan of bookstores. Brick and mortar stores are a lot more relevant from a discoverability perspective, particularly for a new author. A book shop for me is a place where one can go on a lazy evening, hang out, browse, hold conversations and come back. But it’s also a fact that today online is stealing a march over book stores. I seriously hope and pray that publishers and authors do what it takes to protect the bookstores. There is a certain romance about bookstores, which online will find it difficult to replicate. I don’t want bookstores to die.

How can we encourage innovation in the publishing industry? 

Before we innovate in the publishing industry, we need to get a few things right. Prices of books, e-books and paperbacks need to go up. Authors and publishers need to make more money than what they are making today. A book at less than $3 apiece does not make sense. Look at the battle that Hachette is fighting with Amazon. The latter wants all e-books to be priced at less than $9.99. In India, one won’t have that challenge because not many e-books are priced more than $3.99. It’s a ridiculous scenario in India, wherein everyone in the value chain is out to slit everyone else’s throat and as a result no one makes money. The publishing industry (Fiction + Non-Fiction, excluding educational publishing) is not as big an industry in India as people make it out to be. This industry has to grow. For that distribution is the key. Any innovation has to be targeted at evolving new non-standard channels of distribution. Monopoly in the hands of one channel will only kill this trade.

The recent thrillers you have read….

‘Six Years’, ‘Missing You’, both by Harlan Coben, ‘Invisible’ by James Patterson and David Ellis, ‘Target’ by David Baldacci, ‘60 Minutes’ by Upendra Namburi and ‘Flash Boys’ by Michael Lewis. In the midst of all this, I also managed to read the romance masterpiece, ‘Bridges of Madison County’, by Robert James Waller

Ebooks or print?

Why can’t it be both? For me, e-books serve as a complement to the traditional paperback and not a substitute. While I prefer reading paperbacks, at times when I want to continue reading while the family is asleep and the lights are switched off, an e-book reader comes in handy. When I am travelling, an e-book offers greater choice, and instant gratification. That said, there is something about a nicely printed, colourful and tightly bound paperback, which makes it difficult for me to discard it completely and pick up an eBook reader instead. Yes, one category of books I often wonder why people buy them is the hard cover. It is neither sexy, nor romantic not convenient.

sanjitha.bw@gmail.com

Five Stories that influenced my life (from my personal diary)

Here are five stories that influenced me and changed my life. (This is a reproduction of an article that appeared in the Corporate Dossier supplement of Economic Times today)

FIGHT YOUR OWN BATTLES. DON’T DEPEND ON OTHERS TO DO IT FOR YOU

Many years back, a co-worker, known for his political manipulations, sent an offensive and derogatory message about me to someone in my team. It was meant for someone in his team, but by a strange quirk of mobile phone keys, it got sent to my direct report. It impacted my team and me and I spoke to my supervisor, who promised to stand by me and help me fight the battle.

Armed with his support, I escalated the issue to the HR and a few others up the organisational hierarchy. Had my supervisor not supported me, I would have hesitated in escalating the issue, for the coworkers’ supervisor was an extremely powerful expat, and no one wanted to take him head on.

Backed by my boss, I did take it up only to see my boss chicken out at the last minute. I was left stranded. I had gone so far ahead that I could not have backed out. Expectedly, we lost the battle. We came out looking like complete losers. It taught me a very simple lesson in life.

Take up issues, which you can fight on your own. Never depend on anyone else to fight the battle for you. In organisations we often rely on bosses and peers to support us and stand by us in various initiatives. At best, they can be props. They cannot be the fulcrum around which one pivots. If you can’t fight the battle on your own strength and conviction, don’t fight it.

DON’T CARRY GRUDGES: IT IS UNNECESSARY BAGGAGE

Ajay Bimbhet was one of my mentors in the early stages of my banking career at ANZ Grindlays. After both of us left Grindlays, there were at least two times when he tried to hire me in his team. Both the times, I stayed back with my existing employers. And then we lost touch. I was under the impression that he would be upset with me and was scared to call him.

When my first book If God was a Banker got launched in 2007, he called to congratulate me. I was pleasantly surprised. I thanked him and in the same breath told him that I was surprised that he had called, for I thought he would be nursing a grudge. I remember till date what he had then said. “If I had to carry a grudge on such small issues I would have to stop speaking to half the industry.”

A simple statement, but it taught me a very important lesson. Don’t carry grudges against people. A simple conversation puts an end to longstanding discomfort. Had he not called on the day of my book launch, I would never have spoken to him and stayed under the impression that he would not want to speak with me for not having accepted his multiple offers to join him.

WHEN YOU PICK A TEAM DON’T GO FOR A PACK OF SHEEP, HERD CATS INSTEAD

In my role as head of a business at Citigroup, I had to once hire a senior resource in my team. It was a large role and we wanted someone with drive, passion and business acumen. I shortlisted one individual for the role, and was told by my supervisor not to hire him for he had a mind of his own, was very demanding and would be difficult for me to manage. Ignoring their advice I went ahead and hired him. I ended up working with that person for close to a decade across multiple organisations. He turned out to be the best person I have worked with.

Even though he reported to me, he challenged me, questioned me, debated with me, and in the end, made me think differently from what I would have, had he not been around. I probably became a better person because I hired a person of high intellect and independent thought process. When you pick a team don’t go for a pack of sheep, herd cats instead.

RESPECT YOUNGSTERS

An extremely proud moment for me was when If God was a Banker was released. I was 36 then. A few years later, in November 2012, my daughter who was twelve years old published her first book, Heirs of Catriona – a 200 page, 50000 words book. While it made me a proud father, it also made me feel that the world had changed. Age was no longer a barrier to achieving bigger things in life. What I did at 36, my daughter did at 12.

Youngsters these days are far more capable, efficient, ambitious and clear in their thoughts as compared to the earlier generations. Respect the youngsters at work. Give them bigger challenges. Trust them. They will deliver much more than what you can ever imagine. All they need is a chance.

DON’T LET THE BEHAVIOUR OF OTHERS IMPACT WHAT YOU DO

I am a very cautious driver – the type who stops at a traffic signal, were it to turn red, even at midnight. Like every other observer of traffic rules, incessant honking on the roads peeves me too. About six months back, I had dropped my daughter off at school and was driving to work. The early morning traffic was thin. The light turned red. I stopped. A couple of cars stopped behind me. The moment the signal turned green, a well dressed man, in a Scorpio behind me started honking. That got me wild. I rolled down my window and made a not so parliamentary gesture.

The Scorpio pulled up alongside me and the suited guy in the Scorpio rolled his window down. I anticipated a fight. Instead he gave me a big smile and said, “Don’t get upset early in the morning my friend.” And he zoomed ahead. That set me thinking. Why did I lose my cool? Just because he honked a bit too often? That’s his problem. Not mine.

Often we let the behaviour of others impact us. This spoils our mood, our balance and our composure. And if this happens in the morning, the day goes for a toss. What the man said got me thinking. A smile could make all the difference. From that day onwards, I have retained my composure, not got impacted by maniacs on the road and have become an even more careful driver. My drive to work in the morning, irrespective of traffic is always a peaceful one, and consequently my days are far happier.