What crafts a bestseller?

on Dec 03, 2019

Author Ashwin Sanghi revealed the cover of his new novel, “The Vault of Vishnu” at the Times Litfest 2019. Authors Ravinder Singh, Anand Neelakantan and Ravi Subramanian together unveiled the book cover of Sanghi’s new novel.

All the bestsellers also discussed the fact of what makes a bestseller in the segment titled ‘Crafting a bestseller.’

Is writing a book that sells a craft or an art?

The answer was that it was a craft.

Sanghi modified the old bon mot, “Write when drunk, edit when sober, marketing is your hangover.” The authors stated marketing plays a major role in making a bestseller. A bestseller is just not a good story told well but it is also marketed well. He also pointed out that the writing could attract the disdain of reviewers or of trolls. But marketing can turn even something like that into a selling proposition.

All four of the writers agreed that success must be crafted carefully. Author Anand Neelakantan talked about how his first novel ‘Asura’ turned into a bestseller only after rework. He disclosed that its initial 500 copies considered too aggressive for the general readers.

Author Ravinder Singh said that successful authorship is no longer about ‘I will write, you do the rest’. The writer himself has to work at marketing. With books perhaps the most conspicuously missing subject on television — where people from chefs to gadget experts become celebrities.

The author has to create a buzz around himself, his work and so on social media.