Booked on an idyllic afternoon
Book clubs that were ideally platforms for book lovers to come together to read and share their views, have unexpectedly turned into productive platforms where budding writers and novelists are getting an opportunity to get published.
Of late, several publishing houses have started to pick writers from these book clubs where they come across some talented and promising authors. Divya Fernandes, advertising professional, found her publisher at one of the book club meetings. “I was a part of this book club for a while and at one of the meetings came across a publisher from a renowned publishing house. He gave us great insight into the world of publishing and now I’m on my way to get my first draft published by the same house,” says Divya.
Several other success stories like Divya’s have also received a boost through these book clubs. Avinash Karnik, an architect by day and blogger by night, too posted his stories on a book club forum he was a part of and received critical feedback for his stories. Avinash says, “The best part about being a part of book club is the constructive criticism that comes from book lovers. Since they have already read that much, they offer suggestions and changes to the plot. I am in the process of writing a book and have been getting interesting feedback from members. Blogger and photographer Swati Saldanha too found book clubs extremely productive on an otherwise idyllic Sunday afternoon. “I was interested in graphic novels and coffee-table books. And a talk by this graphic novelist on one Sunday afternoon just gave me that inspiration that I was waiting for. Apart from people coming together and discussing their views, the new opportunities that book clubs offer these days are valuable,” she says.
In an age where Internet has taken over our lifestyles, these book clubs offer an outlet for creative writers and readers. Gaurav Bhagat, a research associate, says, “I love meeting people from all kinds of backgrounds. I can say that our metros have definitely evolved as hubs for writers with such clubs and forums. Reading that is such a solitary exercise suddenly becomes so much fun with people around discussing and counter-pointing your views.”
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