Book marketing was a pleasant accident for us. It all started when Amish Tripathi, a good friend, approached my company Think WhyNot for his book The Secret of the Nagas. At the time, he wanted to market the book on the digital space and approached us to see if it we could handle its marketing. As part of the ideation for the book, we created a movie-style trailer. This trailer, along with other social media strategies (plans) went viral and the book became a bestseller.
After an extensive phase in the books and literature marketing industry, we spotted two emerging trends. Indian authors are currently booming. As the ratio goes, Indian fiction books today outdo international fiction by 3:1. Indians want to read about Indian history, Indian stories i.e stories in the context of our own backdrop.
On the other hand, not all Indian authors get the opportunity to see their books on sale. The reducing number of book stores in the city and the ensuing 80:20 rule (80% sales come from hardly 20% authors) is one cause. It highlights the need to amplify marketing efforts. Today, a story usually does not end with just writing a book. Marketing is an important part of making an author well-known. Limited shelf space that only displays the top 10 bestsellers poses a problem in the discovery of new authors. There was a need for a platform that showcased Indian writing, helped existing authors expand their base, and newer authors to get discovered by the Indian reader.
Litomania was born out of the desire to highlight popular Indian fiction and non-fiction. So far, India has no Litfest dedicated purely to popular Indian writing. Litomania will provide a platform for readers to discover what motivates their favorite authors.
Litomania is based on the question 'What is India Reading?', and opens up opportunities and insight into the topic. Apart from featuring the top bestselling Indian authors, the litfest will see participation from popular young Indian authors such as Anusha Subramanian, Sudeep Nagarkar and Ravinder Singh.
There will be special interaction sessions, titled Master Class, which will feature selected authors discussing their writing. Young authors like Subramanian will speak on themes like 'The search for desi Harry Potter'. There will also be a workshop for young adults by Preeti Vyas, publisher and founder of FunOKPlease Publishing India, on 'Understanding the Publishing Process'. Romance and melody will be spun by Ravinder Singh, another young popular Indian author. Bestselling authors Amish Tripathi, Ashwin Sanghi, Ravi Subramanian and Ravinder Singh will discuss 'What is India Reading?'.
Litomania is our opportunity to bring an interesting mix of discussion, entertainment, master classes and book launches - all at one destination.
Sangram Surve is the CEO of Think WhyNot Group and Festival Director of Litomania. The company has worked with Westland, Rupa, Penguin, Random house, Hachette and Jaico to help market around 30 to 35 books, most of them best sellers.
The two-day festival will be held on October 10-12, 2014 at WeSchool Mumbai. Visit litomania.com for the schedule.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}