Journalism of Courage
New tactics have been adopted for the marketing of books – video clips,background scores,short plays and micro sites
Mumbai-based music composer and rhythmist Ameya Naik was confused by the task at hand. So here was an author,briefing me about his book and asking me to compose music for it, he says about author Ashwin Sanghis concept of a book launch. Naik,who is six years old in the music composing business,thought Sanghi’s concept to be rather out of the box. I have composed background scores for video mediums,but a book seemed rather challenging. I had to understand what was in the 300-page book and try to get the idea across in a four-minute clip, he says.
Writers,authors and publishers across the country seem to be going beyond the formal book launches the talks,the speeches,the book reading sessions and so on. In Pune,author Sonja Chandrachud released her new novels,The Potion of Eternity and Pearls of Wisdom,at Orchid School in August 2010. Children enacted pieces from the book,with elaborate costumes and a perfect stage setting. Says the author,My readers are children and they are a highly intelligent audience. They want something that can cut to the chase directly; something exciting. So in order to get that connection right,I needed to make a splash and also to get involved in explaining the idea that my writing reflects.
The new writer is no longer the marketing-shy,faceless name. Agrees Sanghi,Earlier,authors would frown upon marketing. It had something to do with intellectual snobbery. But now,authors are getting actively involved in marketing. Also,social media has really changed everything. In fact,Sanghis book sold over 500 copies even before the launch,owing to the social media accessibility that it had.
Sriram Ravi,assistant manager,marketing,Indiaplaza,Bengaluru,says,I think the entire concept of a book launch is becoming more of a formality rather than an event. Social media has started giving book lovers a preview of the book like its first chapter – even before the launch. A lot of authors,like Karan Bajaj,have developed micro sites,where you get to see the storyline,the background information on the book and even its making. That,I think is changing the dynamics of how a book was perceived.
Publishers are all for making the authors more accessible to their readers. At a recent book launch conducted by Hachette,India,a strictly no speech event was organised. People came in,interacted with the author and learnt more about the book in their own way. It was almost an anti-launch, says Anurima Roy,publicity manager,Hachette,India. That particular launch was a huge success. We realised that in the presence of social networking,the traditional launch had to be substituted with something else. Social networking sites are becoming the norm rather than the exception now in terms of marketing of a book. There is a particular focus on reviews in blogs and running contests online,but most of all,these sites lead you directly to the target audience, she adds.
Roy also feels that book launches will simply be reduced to a mere formality in the future. With the increase in publishing output and the fact there are at least 3-4 launches per week,today a launch does not guarantee stand-out visibility. It still has its place and can work with select books but as a ritual,to mark the release of a book,its an expensive method of promotion. There are other ways like social media,mailing and so on that are more cost effective, she explains.
