The Bestseller She Wrote
Read The Bestseller She Wrote Online
Authors: Ravi Subramanian
westland ltd
THE BESTSELLER SHE WROTE
Ravi Subramanian, an alumnus of IIM Bengaluru, has spent two decades working his way up the ladder of power in the amazingly exciting and adrenaline-pumping world of global banks in India. Four of Ravi’s seven bestselling titles have been award winners.
If God Was a Banker
, won the Golden Quill Readers’ Choice Award. He won the Economist Crossword Book Award in 2012 for
The Incredible Banker
, The Crossword Book Award in 2013 for
The Bankster
and more recently in 2014 for his thriller
Bankerupt
. For Ravi,
The Bestseller She Wrote
, marks the beginning of a new chapter in his writing. A significant departure from his usual fare, this is Ravi’s first book on romantic intrigue.
He lives in Mumbai with his wife, Dharini, and daughter, Anusha. To know more about Ravi visit
www.ravisubramanian.in
or email him at [email protected]. To connect with him, log on to Facebook at
www.facebook.com/authorravisubramanian
or tweet to @subramanianravi. You can also stay in touch with him by downloading the Ravi Subramanian App on iOS or Android.
Also by Ravi Subramanian
If God Was a Banker
I Bought the Monk’s Ferrari
Devil in Pinstripes
The Incredible Banker
The Bankster
Bankerupt
God is a Gamer
The Bestseller She Wrote
RAVI SUBRAMANIAN
westland ltd
61, 11 Floor, Silverline Building, Alapakkam Main Road, Maduravoyal, Chennai 600095
93, 1 Floor, Sham Lal Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi 110002
First published by westland ltd 2015
First e-book edition: 2015
Copyright © Ravi Subramanian 2015
All rights reserved
ISBN: 978-93-85724-54-1
Typeset in Electra LT Regular by SÜRYA, New Delhi
The author asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, circulated, and no reproduction in any form, in whole or in part (except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews) may be made without written permission of the publishers.
This book is dedicated to all my readers.
Especially those who glimpsed their reflections in its pages
.
contents
1
T
HE CHATTER IN
the packed auditorium at the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru, had reached its crescendo, when a member of the organising committee walked up on stage and addressed the audience.
‘He has arrived, everyone. He’s talking to the Diro right now . . . should be here in three to four minutes.’
Almost immediately the conversations died down. The noise level dropped and everyone, including the two hundred students and faculty in the room, trained their eyes at the door.
‘Why him?’ someone in the front row whispered to the person seated next to him. The front row was reserved for the faculty members. The neighbour shrugged his shoulders. ‘Possibly because he brings in both perspectives—corporate experience and creative excellence . . .’
‘Don’t think so,’ the first gentleman responded with disdain. ‘I am sure it has something to do with the placement season. Pampering these corporate types always helps.’ His neighbour nodded and almost immediately stood up as did most of the people in the auditorium.
He had just walked in.
A tuxedoed emcee strode onto the stage and announced, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to present to you Shri Aditya Kapoor, Director—Branch Banking at National Bank, and an alumnus of our own institute,’ he paused for effect and then proudly added, ‘the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru!’ The firm and effective baritone, blaring out from the public address system was completely drowned in the thunderous applause that followed.
A beaming Aditya walked up to the stage and stood there, taking in the ovation. Returning here felt extra special and it showed on his face. ‘Thank you, thank you,’ he mumbled with his hands folded even as he bowed down a couple of times, in humility. ‘Thank you everyone.’
This time the applause was louder than before.
‘But today,’ the emcee said, ‘he is not here because of his achievements as a banker. Friends, even though Aditya Kapoor needs no introduction, he deserves it. Let me at least make an attempt. Not only is Aditya a banking professional par excellence, he is also India’s numero uno writer. With four books to his credit, all of them topping the fiction charts, he is the most successful new generation Indian author. In a country where 95 per cent of books published sell less than 5000 units, his books have sold over four million copies. Two of his bestsellers have already been made into films. And that’s not all; unlike the rest of his breed, Aditya Kapoor has managed to achieve the unusual feat of keeping the masses and critics equally enthused. Today he is going to talk to us about pursuing our dreams; about his journey from a boring banker to a bestselling author. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting to you, the Paperback King of India, Aditya Kapoor. India’s most successful author . . . ever!’
The whole auditorium resonated with applause. Aditya Kapoor, who had been standing in one corner of the stage, walked up to the podium. Holding the stem of the mic, he pulled it closer to his mouth. The emcee who had been using the microphone earlier was a good ten inches shorter than Aditya’s six-foot-something frame. He cleared his throat, an act which he had rehearsed a number of times in the past and spoke into the microphone: ‘Good Evening.’
His deep baritone could make many a woman go weak in the knees. ‘It feels good to be back after fifteen years,’ Aditya carried on. There was an awed silence in the auditorium. ‘Isn’t it surprising that IIM Bengaluru has never invited me to talk about my professional exploits, something for which this institute trained me, prepared me? Instead, you have given me the honour and privilege of speaking to all of you about what I have achieved by pursuing my passion, my dreams.’
He paused and looked around the room. ‘I am here to speak not about what I have achieved, but about what I have enjoyed. Someone once said, “Find what makes you happy and go for it with all your heart. It will be hard, but I promise it will be worth it.” The fact that I am standing here in front of all of you, talking about my exploits, only goes to show that it is, in fact,’ and he again paused and looked around the room, ‘. . . that it is, in fact, truly worth every single minute that I spent pursuing my dream.’
Aditya continued, ‘When I began writing in 2008, it was for my own self. I became a writer, not only to tell a story but to broaden my own perspective. I don’t know whether readers took away any message from my books or not, but for me, writing was a process which left me intellectually enhanced. It transformed my personality completely.’
There was another round of applause.
A confident orator, Aditya went on to talk about his books, the writing process and getting published. The audience listened to him in rapt attention as he talked about his experiences and how he was able to differentiate himself in a crowded marketplace.
‘Every author puts in a fair bit of effort when he or she writes a book. But not everyone markets it well. Remember the easiest part about writing a book is . . . writing the book. The hard work starts once the book is written. The task of marketing the book and bringing the product to the reader is . . .’
‘Product? Rubbish!’ someone in the gathering exclaimed. The voice was loud enough for at least a few in the room to have heard it. Aditya heard it too. Stopping for just a brief moment, he glanced around before moving on. He had been in such situations before. The person who had made that remark was in the minority and could be ignored.
‘Marketing the book and bringing the product to the reader is a very critical task in the entire product life cycle. If you don’t get the product into the buyers’ consideration subset, how will he or she buy it? Isn’t that what they teach you in your two years at management school? In my case, the book is the product and the readers are our consumers.’