To write is to live a million lives within reads the subtitle of his blog. We are talking about Srinath Krishnamoorthy, the enthusiastic lad who came all the way from Palakkad, Kerala to New Delhi with a single intention to promote and take his book to the masses. Srinath stayed through the entire event and made sure he gained recognition by connecting with his Target Audience. And we’re happy to say that the year has had an awesome opening for him as he witnessed his name skyrocketing to new heights. Today, he stands proud as the author of the book Hope We Never Meet Again, which now rests in the living room and amidst the palms of many across the country. Read to find out what he did that helped him sell hundreds of copies of his book at the New Delhi World book fair.

Lesson 1 – Connecting with readers

Srinath arrived to the book fair a day after it started. He is an author and what better platform can an author get than the world book fair. Its an event where people step in looking for books, intending to meet authors; and when they met one Srinath, readers very nothing less than excited.

Moreover, Srinaths sheer drive to meet people and talk about his book was another factor that helped his book reach its readers. He was enthusiastic, cheerful, and was delighted to introduce himself to new people and share his book with people at the fair. An author must know how to carry himself in a crowd and have an aura that will captivate people.

Lesson 2 – Knowing the Target Audience

It was the fourth day of the book fair and the crowd had just started coming in for the day. A couple of men stood outside our stall and we asked Srinath if he wasn’t interested in promoting his book to them. The answer we received was this, I dont think they’ll be interested in buying my book. They might take my bookmarks, but not the book. I’m looking for youngsters, preferably girls, who come in groups of two or four. Young Couple are also good for promoting my book. Also, their age should be not more than 35. Impressive, we thought because he knew who his target audience was. He exactly knew the trend and understood as to who would be interested in reading his book and who wouldn’t. This is important for any author because only when an author knows who would read his book will he understand how to take it to them.

Lesson 3 – Right Priority

The young author was also clear on what his purpose and priority at the book fair was. When asked if he wanted to increase the sales of his book or increase his visibility as an author, he said that right then, his priority was to establish a strong author image and not worry about the monetary rewards and royalties. He very well understood that until he had an author persona in the industry, he could not think about the money he would make from his book. That’s why he even obliged to sell his book at heavy discounts. This is crucial because this move by the author not only increases the reach of his book but helps him when he releases his second book, too.

Lesson 4 – Proactive Marketing

The author did not just stop with introducing his book to people and bringing them inside the stall for them to have a look at the physical copy of the book alone. He got his tablet, explained about his book, the basic plot, showed them the reviews his book garnered online and offline, and interacted with people as well. After selling his book, he insisted on signing the copies for his readers, thanked them for supporting him, and took selfies with people holding his book. He also asked them to leave a review online and gave them a hashtag to use when they posted the image on social media. This is what we call endorsing one’s brand as an author and Srinath quite nailed it. He knew that the time he was in the book fair can never come back and it was wisest to capitalize on it. That’s why he had to his credit the brand as an author, rave online reviews, photo tags on social media, and quality sales count.

As authors, we need to understand that our job and responsibility just doesn’t end once the book is out in the market. It is on us to take it to our readers, follow up with them, and establish a lasting rapport. Follow these and you can see the cash register ringing to your favor. All these add up and help when your books roll out in the market in the coming years.

To understand more, let’s hear from the author Srinath himself:

So, Srinath! You seem to be a happy man right now. Tell us a little bit about your book.

Your book, Hope We Never Meet Again, is doing well and you were there in New Delhi witnessing the book fair as well. How was your experience at the World Book Fair?

What strategy would you suggest to upcoming authors and writers to help them sell books to readers?

As a first-time author, what do you think is more important – royalty out of book sales or building credibility and recognition as an author?

You would have interacted with a lot of your readers by now. Is there a pattern you see among your readers? What is the one thing that unites them? And what have you understood from your readers that would help in your second book?