Federation of Publishers and Booksellers hosts book marketing masterclass

The first segment of the day was dedicated to educational publishing whilst the second half delved into the world of literature. 

The event was inaugurated by Yuvraj Malik, director of the National Book Trust. The NBT is known for hosting the New Delhi World Book Fair, the largest book fair in the world. Malik emphasised the transformative nature of the publishing industry stating, “We must accept change. It’s integral to focus on the 5Ps — knowing your product, pricing, people, place and promotions. If you don’t love the product, you cannot sell it.”

The first speaker of the day was Sesh Seshadri, the founder of Overleaf, established in 1999. The company has collaborated with various publishing houses across India, the UK, USA, Singapore and others. They produce books for CBSE, ISCE, IGCSE and IB boards. Seshadri’s manner of speaking was effervescent, often using statistics to cite his points. 

“With the implementation of NEP, the diaspora in terms of who you market to, will be too great,” he said keeping in mind the NEP’s focus on teaching in vernacular languages. “Mother tongues will further fragment the industry.” 

Second in line was Monica Malhotra Kandhari, managing director of the MBD Group, which owns eight printing units, producing five lakh textbooks per day. The company produces books for all state boards, classes and subjects. 

Malhotra Kandhari spoke of how in the Indian education system, everything automatically boils down to marks. “We believe we should at least attempt to provide supplementary materials in printed books. We can use QR codes, with links leading to interactive, and hence more absorbing, study materials.”

She also spoke of how Teachers’ workshops should be conducted after publications release new textbooks. “When we have a product, we want to tell you how to use it effectively. Demonstrative lessons often help in this.”

These two lectures were followed by a networking lunch, post which Raj Mirchandani spoke of his strategies with Capital Books, a publication house with a very niche audience. 

The company publishes higher academic books for researchers and professionals, leading to the books being sold at higher prices. He stated that conventional marketing methods should not be understated: “If a publisher takes the finished product to whomever its target audience are, there is a 50% chance of the book being sold. Unfortunately, however, the mailing systems method only has a proven effectiveness of 2-3%. He also spoke about the importance of conferences to discuss books both from an editorial and selling point perspective.

The literary segment commenced with Anusha Sundaram of Parragon Publishing. “The purest form of the book perhaps hasn’t changed since the Gutenberg in the 1500s,” she stated. “What brings the most traction to books are author signings, advertising books in journals and even sometimes selling books at odd spaces. We have sold books at fruit seller stalls, sari shops, and several others.”

Sundaram’s approach was a slightly more modern one. She drew attention to the efficiency of collaborative posts on social media, with visibility reaching the audiences of both companies. She also made points about how book reviews make the product seem more authentic. She concluded by saying, “The best way to sell a book is to sell its story.”

Ajay Jain, the forebearer of Kunzum Books, an enterprise with five bookstores in Delhi-NCR, shared his vision behind founding his chain of bookstores. “I’d initially wanted to create a community space. I opened up Kunzum in Hauz Khas, initially as a travel cafe. I’d wanted people to use the space as they pleased, to host gatherings of movie screenings, book clubs, or just to come and have a chat. The system was “pay what you want”. We only used to serve coffee and biscuits.”

Jain’s journey is by far the most intriguing. He remodelled the concept into being a bookstore during the pandemic. “Now, coffee is complimentary as long as you buy a book. You cannot, however, purchase coffee. We have decided to keep the experience very pure.” Jain’s motto seemed to be the importance of creating spaces. “We market books as a culture, and not just a commodity”.

Heading a bookstore that has family legacy, however, is another matter. Anuj Bahri, the son of Bahrisons Booksellers’ founder Balraj Bahri, calls himself a rebellious bookseller. “I never wanted to sit behind the cash counter. I always wanted to expand.” Today, about five branches of Bahrisons are open all over India.

“It’s important that the sales team in a bookstore is well-versed with their products. Instead of calling a book a “bestseller”, they should know its story,” he said. 

Bahri was unabashed in criticising publishers’ sales teams, stating that for most author signings, there was barely a member of the audience available to click their photograph with the book they signed. His marketing strategy simply seemed to be one of good faith, and word of mouth, giving to their customers a wide variety of books to choose from, and good conversation.