“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is age-old advice. But in present times, there’s many a trick and tactic to catch the eye of a reader and make him reach for his wallet. Like cinema and music, books are tapping the power of marketing strategies. The publishing industry now has a well planned publicity and marketing module to push the sales of books. From book trailers and provocative covers to posh book launches and packaging of the product, it’s all about the art of creating the buzz.
Take for example the cover of Aami Tomake by Samaresh Majumdar which has a woman, seen from behind, hugging a man. A ‘real’ knotted string holds her slinky blouse together and it’s a knot you can untie before opening the book. Ilishe Anondo, which contains 150 ilish recipes, comes in a red velvet jewellery box. Amish, Devdutt Pattanaik and Ashok Banker are some of the authors who released videos prior to the release of their books.
Saugata Mukherjee of Pan Macmillan India feels the marketing of books is of great importance in times when e-book sales are on the rise and paperbacks are trying hard to keep pace with their digital counterparts. He says, “Whether it’s the merchandise or special cover operations with the usage of special quality paper to make the book look unique or television ads and radio campaigns, publishers are constantly on the lookout for innovative marketing opportunities.”
Author and filmmaker Rajeev Jhaveri, whose debut book I, Romantic reached readers packed in a box, says, “Any way to reach the readers is good. With almost everyone writing a book in India and so many of them internationally, it is difficult for readers to know what is out there in the market. Using viral marketing tools, videos, music, posters are all very important to stand out.”
Another author who doubles up as an advertising professional feels that advertising tools like posters and gimmicky covers work, as they set a book apart from the crowd. “Like all products, it all depends on getting the reader interested enough to pick up a copy. These attempts have not yet been scientifically measured though I’m sure publishers will soon head in that direction,” says Anjana Basu.
In India, given that what makes news is cricket, politics and Bollywood, it is a difficult space for writers to grab attention. So reaching out through book blogs and social media is definitely the way to go for young writers, believes Ahmed Faiyaz of Grey Oak publishers, India and adds, “They work depending on who your audience are. Sometimes you need nothing as good content sells itself, while at times you need to make a lot of noise to get noticed, given that the marketplace for that kind of content is crowded.”
However, there are others who still consider that nothing works like the good old word-of-mouth and good reviews. Literary agent Kanishka Gupta laments, “I am wary of these new promotion strategies. I’ve heard stories about authors buying back their own books in bulk so that they can climb up the bestsellers chart. Some clever authors tie-up with brands/companies/web portals that fit in with the theme of their books. I know of many authors who have tried to imitate the strategies adopted by Amish but have failed to generate any sort of interest. Ultimately it comes down to the book’s own merit.”