Banking on the ‘write’ stuff

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They belong to a profession that is often considered staid and serious. Creativity isn’t something you’d usually associate with bankers, but their success with books breaks numerous stereotypes associated with this proficient lot. From Amish Tripathi’s record-breaking Shiva trilogy to Chetan Bhagat’s top-sellers to Ravi Subramaniam’s gripping thrillers, bankers have churned out some of the best-selling books. In the non-fiction genre, investment manager LiaquatAhamed’s Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World won him the Pulitzer, while Ruchir Sharma (of Morgan Stanley) wrote the international best-seller Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the next Economic Miracles. Based on his 25-year-old career at Wall Street, thriller-writer David Lender’s e-books are exploding online at 99 cents each. Indian American Nina Godiwalla too has authored a bestseller based on her Wall Street experience.

Master storytellers

Amish, who calls himself a boring banker-turned happy author, has the credit of writing the fastest selling series in the history of Indian publishing. This ardent Shiva follower has received a whopping `5 crore advance from Westland Publishers for his next series. This IIM-C graduate surprised himself when he wrote his first novel, The Immortals of Meluha.
“My last job was with an insurance company where I was the National head, Marketing and Product Management. I was never creative, I’d never written fiction — not even a short story. I was an academically-oriented guy and in those days, most such guys would move to science or do an MBA.” The Secret of the Nagas and The Oath of the Vayuputras are his other works. The novelist, however, has no plans of writing banking-related books. “As it is, I have no writing skills, I wouldn’t want to choose a boring topic!” he quips.
Chetan was an investment banker in Hong Kong before he took up writing as a full-time job. Not only has he penned bestsellers, but his stories have been adapted into movies that have been roaring hits. Ravi Subramaniam, on the other hand, is an author who continues to be a banker. After 16 years of working with ANZ, Citibank and HSBC, he is now with Shriram Group.
All his thrillers are set against the backdrop of the banking industry. “Every book of mine is set in a foreign bank. Revealing the dark underbelly of banking may sometimes rub people on the wrong side.”
Surprised by the fact that there weren’t too many banking thrillers around, Ravi, who aspires to be the ‘John Grisham of Banking’, decided to explore this genre. “Scams, frauds, crime, passion and sleaze — this field has everything!” says Ravi whose works include the award-winning novel If God Was a Banker, The Incredible Banker, Devil In Pinstripes and The Bankster.
While mythology and financial mysteries have been delved into by Amish and Ravi, writer Shoma Narayanan’s works belong to an entirely different genre — romance. An MBA from XLRI, Shoma has been with HSBC for 12 years now. Currently Senior VP of product and marketing, Shoma’s tryst with Mills and Boon began, thanks to a short story contest. “I won a one-year mentorship with one of their UK editors. My book (Monson Wedding Fever) got approved and had a global release.” Shoma’s other M&B books are Take One Arranged Marriage, Secrets and Saris and another is due for release in November. This multi-tasking mommy is now writing a general fiction novel for another publisher.

Professional advantage?

With so many successful bankers-turned-authors, will it be easier for others in the profession to get their works published? “I don’t think publishers look at the background. They look at the subject. They take big risks by investing in a book, so you can’t expect them to choose something that will give them losses. My book was rejected too, they said it was religious, mythological and had no hope of succeeding. But to everyone’s surprise, it was received well. A lot of mythological books are coming out now. A few years later, there may be a new genre. It all depends on what’s succeeding,” says Amish.
How much does their occupation help in the success of their novels? “My career has helped me because my books are set in this field. If I quit my job, where will I get my ideas from? As for bankers, most of them are furiously competitive, focused on detail and relationship driven. They use social media to reach out and come from premier institutions,” says Ravi.
Shoma admits that her profession didn’t influence her writing in anyway. “If I’d written a corporate thriller or a book based in a banking environment, I would’ve had an edge. The only advantage is that my line of work probably gives a good PR twist.”
This wave of banking experts weaving stories is just a matter of coincidence, feels Kapish Mehra, managing director, Rupa Publications. “Any industry that allows you to interact with a variety of people, absorb different kinds of stories and has a public interface kind of job helps garner content. It’s got nothing to do with banking in specific.”

Banking and balance

Amish wrote his first book along with his job and decided to quit only in May 2011. “I don’t come from a wealthy background and can’t be irresponsible with my career decisions. I resigned only when I could afford to. My family encouraged me saying that I was making more money from books than my salary and that I should commit to it full-time.” Would he ever go back to banking? “You never know. What if my subsequent book flops and then I’ve to go back to banking to earn my living? But even then I will continue to write.” The storyteller’s first novel will now be adapted for the big screen by filmmaker Karan Johar. “We’re working on the script now. Inshallah it’ll turn out well.”
For Ravi, writing is a passion. He says of his double act, “Writing is a lonely job and requires sacrifices. Socialising takes a backseat and I sacrifice my sleep. I’d advise people not to give up their jobs as it takes time to make money from writing. Once you’ve established yourself then you can figure it out.”