Salesgirl

Twinkle Khanna’s  recent blog on our double standards on tolerance actually got me thinking. She said what she said and while it was one of the most sensible things I have read in last couple of days but there remains a fact if not for her 10 X 10 picture accompanying the article, would the blog have been equally viral? How I wish the answer was Yes.
 

I liked her blog so much that I shared it instantly but as soon as I put the post on my timeline, I knew something  about it was irking me and it was that picture - over and above the post. And then I realized my mistake. I had shared it from the wrong place, where the editor (or whoever runs the show) had thought it necessary to put a picture that size to make readers want to read it, as if without a pretty picture suddenly her words would lose essence.

Needless to say I rectified my mistake and found the right link soon but this got me thinking.

You know I have been facing somewhat of a similar situation but on a very very teeeeeny tiny scale.

Ever since my book got out, I have been getting calls for interviews and online write ups on me. Yes, that’s right ‘on me’ and not so much on the book. Which, I’ll be honest, is really bugging.  Because whether or not you have my three pictures tagged along with that darned interview it will still be an interview but nope, nothing doing, nobody is interested in that.

‘Ya, ya, you have written a book, good for you. What else you got?’

Send us some six pictures to attach with your meaningless words and be done with it.

Which brings me to the bone of contention (you know I hardly would blog if there was no bone) which is – Jury is out whether I can even dare to call myself a writer but what I know for a fact is that I am most definitely not a salesgirl and I am not even gloating about it.

 Infact it’s a quality I wish I had but nada.

 And to be completely honest, it’s not that I did not try. But a week of promoting my own work and it was enough to jolt me back into the reality – LET THE READERS DECIDE.

My friend A, in a very matter of factly way foretold me this even before I was about to embark on my little sales adventure - that the moment you submitted your book for print – that was it- your job was done.

‘Give it a rest now,’ he had said.

But me being me, true to my character, did not grasp the hidden genius in his well meaning advice right away. I did my bit (which if you ask the people back at my publication house is just the tip of an iceberg) but still I did some promotion at least.

But it had not even been three days and there I was totally siding with A on this, against my own interest (if you want to look at it in a very day to day manner.)

What was I afraid of? If the book was good, it’d sell. If not what could I do anyway?

So much so that I wouldn’t even say that I was even torn between A’s wisdom and my ambitious sales record.

The Verdict was out – I CANT SELL.

I just can’t. I mean to silently dare to dream that your novel is well received is one thing but to go on with the self promotion and self praise, I think it’s downright demeaning.

Forget hardcore PR, I can’t even bring myself to do a facebook advertisement. And why should I? I know it’s out there, I know there are people who will somehow bump into my little baby and if they find it intriguing enough they’d probably say hi. Okay I think I went a bit overboard with the metaphor here but the point is why not trust the readers or to be more precise the netizens?
Every now and then we do tumble into stuff which we really like and share. And who knows one such day some of you find your way to my book and I go something like this...

 

So here’s hoping!