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Bestseller
Akshay Saxena, an out of work editor of a defunct literary magazine in the UK, is told to move to India for a year to help shore up the value of Kalim, an ailing Indian publisher.Akshay finds himself in a job where he has to do the impossible. Angus Lee, the new owner of Thomson Lee Books, wants at least five bestsellers in the coming year, failing which the business would be wound up.He has to find a way of making a success out of books he would never publish or would never even read. To complicate things further, he has to contend with motley crew of has-beens and misfits working for the publishing house as well as wannabe writers, dealing with their follies and derisive tactics, and battle his own affections for Zorah Kalim, the impulsive daughter of his former boss.Will he succeed in bringing out that one ‘bestseller’ from his publishing house? And what about his own life and love in office? Find out in this riveting read.
166 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2018
7 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
About the author
Ahmed Faiyaz
15 books60 followersAhmed Faiyaz grew up in Bangalore and now lives in Dubai.
He’s a strategist by profession, with a number of years in management consulting behind him. He’s a book and film addict, and a passionate writer. His first book, Love, Life & All That Jazz…, published in April 2010, remains a popular bestseller across major cities. His stories are also featured in the National Bestseller, Urban Shots
Grey Oak has recently released Another Chance, his second full-length novel, and is slated to release Down the Road, an anthology of 30 short stories he has co-edited, in April 2011. He is a founding member of Grey Oak Publishers and Grey Oak Foundation.
More on
www.ahmedfaiyaz.in and www.twitter.com/ahmedfaiyaz
He’s a strategist by profession, with a number of years in management consulting behind him. He’s a book and film addict, and a passionate writer. His first book, Love, Life & All That Jazz…, published in April 2010, remains a popular bestseller across major cities. His stories are also featured in the National Bestseller, Urban Shots
Grey Oak has recently released Another Chance, his second full-length novel, and is slated to release Down the Road, an anthology of 30 short stories he has co-edited, in April 2011. He is a founding member of Grey Oak Publishers and Grey Oak Foundation.
More on
www.ahmedfaiyaz.in and www.twitter.com/ahmedfaiyaz
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 321 reviews
August 8, 2020
It is true that if you keep seeing something every day, you will get attached to it or at least your opinion of the same will change over time. The same thing happened to us, though we liked the cover & blurb of the book, we didn't choose it in the first go, due to heavy workload. But as we started seeing this book in our bookish social timeline, we started regrating the decision. It was WrittersMelon who gave us the second chance to read this book & we would like to thank them for providing us the review copy in exchange for an honest review.
"Bestseller" is a story of bringing best selling books by a dying publishing house. The protagonist of our story is Akshay, who was working in a UK based publishing house. His life changed when he was fired by his company, he had to come to India and join Kalim Publishing house. He was given the task of bringing at least 5 best selling title within a year. He was assigned small team of odd natured people for this task. Fired from the previous organization, Akshay wanted to prove himself, so he found the challenging task attractive. But finding best selling title needed a good script, which was somewhat overlooked by the company in past. So Akshay had to clear that image of publishing house as well. Also, many authors were trying to capture Akshay's attention to get their work to publish among 5 best selling titles. See whether Akshay would be able to solve the problem of his employer with his personal happiness as well.
Coming to writing style, the overall tone of the book is humorous & slightly satirical. Though I have worked with good-publishing houses in the the capacity of a book reviewer. I was not fully aware of the life of people working with publishers. The author has nicely portrayed issues that arises in publishing industry. Light language & use of funfilled events make reading expereince interesting. The book has potential to finish in 1-2 sittings. I finished it in 3 sittings though. Though book is short in size, the author has done justice to all major characters. Finally a short book that you can take on your trip or book date. :)
Detailed review link - https://chevusread.blogspot.com/2019/...
"Bestseller" is a story of bringing best selling books by a dying publishing house. The protagonist of our story is Akshay, who was working in a UK based publishing house. His life changed when he was fired by his company, he had to come to India and join Kalim Publishing house. He was given the task of bringing at least 5 best selling title within a year. He was assigned small team of odd natured people for this task. Fired from the previous organization, Akshay wanted to prove himself, so he found the challenging task attractive. But finding best selling title needed a good script, which was somewhat overlooked by the company in past. So Akshay had to clear that image of publishing house as well. Also, many authors were trying to capture Akshay's attention to get their work to publish among 5 best selling titles. See whether Akshay would be able to solve the problem of his employer with his personal happiness as well.
Coming to writing style, the overall tone of the book is humorous & slightly satirical. Though I have worked with good-publishing houses in the the capacity of a book reviewer. I was not fully aware of the life of people working with publishers. The author has nicely portrayed issues that arises in publishing industry. Light language & use of funfilled events make reading expereince interesting. The book has potential to finish in 1-2 sittings. I finished it in 3 sittings though. Though book is short in size, the author has done justice to all major characters. Finally a short book that you can take on your trip or book date. :)
Detailed review link - https://chevusread.blogspot.com/2019/...
April 8, 2019
To sum up the book, 'Bestseller' is like that Bollywood masala flick which would run housefull on all theatres despite its weak script and poor screenplay by somehow managing to make the audience smile through the forgettable characters' antics.
Plot:
Akshay Saxena is sent to India to turn around 'Kalim', a publishing house after he loses his editorial job and goes broke in London.
Angus Lee, his friend cum owner of Thomson Lee Books presents Akshay with a seemingly-impossible task to accomplish by the end of the year - To produce 5 bestsellers. Failing which would result in pulling down the shutters on the Publishing house.
Will Akshay be able to get the faltering business back on track? Or will he succumb to the pressure and fail to achieve the target set by Angus?
My Take:
The only highlight of the book was the fact that it portrayed the current scenario of Indian publishing quite accurately. It was really interesting to read the backstory of how the books that we hold in our hands hit the shelves of our nearby bookstores. Its a funny take on the diabolical nature of the whole publishing realm in India.
That being said, The book had so many issues. Key ones are listed below
The saying 'Too many ingredients spoil the dish' proved to be apt in this case wherein a big host of characters were introduced back to back all in the same chapter. It was really hard for me to keep track of the characters and sometimes I mistook one for the other. The narration had more dialogues and was less descriptive. It was as if the whole plot was running in a 4x speed. There wasn't depth in any of the characters. The romance between Akshay and Zorah was rather forced and unnatural.
From a neutral point of view, I can say that it was a fast and breezy read. But as a Book Critique who dissects each and every book he reads, I just don't think this is nowhere near a 'bestseller'. I'm surprised that it has amassed a staggering amount of positives responses from the community.
Yes, the story takes a funny dig at the sorry state of our publishing industry which was entertaining to an extent but when it comes to seeing it as a fully fledged novel, it just doesn't compel me enough to give it a high rating.
Plot:
Akshay Saxena is sent to India to turn around 'Kalim', a publishing house after he loses his editorial job and goes broke in London.
Angus Lee, his friend cum owner of Thomson Lee Books presents Akshay with a seemingly-impossible task to accomplish by the end of the year - To produce 5 bestsellers. Failing which would result in pulling down the shutters on the Publishing house.
Will Akshay be able to get the faltering business back on track? Or will he succumb to the pressure and fail to achieve the target set by Angus?
My Take:
The only highlight of the book was the fact that it portrayed the current scenario of Indian publishing quite accurately. It was really interesting to read the backstory of how the books that we hold in our hands hit the shelves of our nearby bookstores. Its a funny take on the diabolical nature of the whole publishing realm in India.
That being said, The book had so many issues. Key ones are listed below
The saying 'Too many ingredients spoil the dish' proved to be apt in this case wherein a big host of characters were introduced back to back all in the same chapter. It was really hard for me to keep track of the characters and sometimes I mistook one for the other. The narration had more dialogues and was less descriptive. It was as if the whole plot was running in a 4x speed. There wasn't depth in any of the characters. The romance between Akshay and Zorah was rather forced and unnatural.
From a neutral point of view, I can say that it was a fast and breezy read. But as a Book Critique who dissects each and every book he reads, I just don't think this is nowhere near a 'bestseller'. I'm surprised that it has amassed a staggering amount of positives responses from the community.
Yes, the story takes a funny dig at the sorry state of our publishing industry which was entertaining to an extent but when it comes to seeing it as a fully fledged novel, it just doesn't compel me enough to give it a high rating.
July 19, 2019
The publishing industry does not garner nearly as much limelight as entertainment industries do. But Ahmed Faiyaz's Indian contemporary fiction, Bestseller, more than makes up for it by adding heaps of glitz and glamour to an intriguing premise. Kalim Publishing is a sinking ship that has been nearly reduced to the position of swatting flies because of the great paucity of titles to be published as well as motivated personnel who could make that happen. Picture a decrepit building in some corner of Mumbai and three bored-looking workers. Into such a scenario steps the savior of the day; Akshay Saxena has recently been fired from his job as an editor of a magazine in the UK. In order to be able to go back and work on starting an imprint, he is tasked with the responsibility of making Kalim a successful business once again.
All was well and good up till the first chapter of the book. Thereafter, the appeal of the book was on a steady decline, as we are introduced to character after character who hold no real significance. I didn't find an ounce of professionalism in most of the characters and they were supposedly experienced in their own respective fields. The entirety of the novel is colored by a very carefree, "chalta hai" (blase) attitude which undermines the importance of the industry. Because it gives you the impression that all sorts of funny business are brushed under the carpet in order to push a title onto the bestseller list. There wasn't a single character I found likeable. Zorah tries too hard and before you know it, she and Akshay have begun an office romance that is at times unreasonable and otherwise, cringe-worthy.
The plot in itself could've been executed better. I was really looking forward to reading a well-structured novel based on the synopsis. But it felt like the author chose to fast forward over the parts that were the most important and instead focus on unconvincing aspects of the story like:
-Akshay and Zorah's romance.
-The painfully demeaning representation of writers (almost everyone who approaches the publishing company either didn't know basic English or had some ridiculous story proposal or employed tricks like seduction, blackmail to have their books published).
-Akshay being caught in an elaborate tug of war between celebrities and politicians.
-His rather silly plan to make the books sell.
Peppered by a couple of sentences in Hindi, the author's writing style is the one thing I found moderately enjoyable. It has all the qualities of being colloquial and can easily be understood. However, there were a handful of errors that had been overlooked in the editing phase of publishing this book.
What ultimately got on my nerve is Akshay's mental commentary. It follows you everywhere from the beginning of the book till the end. During his interactions with the various characters, his clear disdain for them is evident from his thoughts. So there are comments printed in italics in between conversations that show us what exactly he thinks about the person he is speaking to. And mind you, it just all makes him look like an arrogant imbecile who can't fathom enough courage to speak his mind to his clients. Here's a line that'll help paint a picture in your mind about the kind of relationship Akshay and Zorah have:
"This is easy, she'll crib, I'll say sorry and we'll end up in the sack."
I'm sure it is apparent from this review that I was extremely disappointed by the book. There was nothing that made me smile or feel happy about reading it.
★.5
All was well and good up till the first chapter of the book. Thereafter, the appeal of the book was on a steady decline, as we are introduced to character after character who hold no real significance. I didn't find an ounce of professionalism in most of the characters and they were supposedly experienced in their own respective fields. The entirety of the novel is colored by a very carefree, "chalta hai" (blase) attitude which undermines the importance of the industry. Because it gives you the impression that all sorts of funny business are brushed under the carpet in order to push a title onto the bestseller list. There wasn't a single character I found likeable. Zorah tries too hard and before you know it, she and Akshay have begun an office romance that is at times unreasonable and otherwise, cringe-worthy.
The plot in itself could've been executed better. I was really looking forward to reading a well-structured novel based on the synopsis. But it felt like the author chose to fast forward over the parts that were the most important and instead focus on unconvincing aspects of the story like:
-Akshay and Zorah's romance.
-The painfully demeaning representation of writers (almost everyone who approaches the publishing company either didn't know basic English or had some ridiculous story proposal or employed tricks like seduction, blackmail to have their books published).
-Akshay being caught in an elaborate tug of war between celebrities and politicians.
-His rather silly plan to make the books sell.
Peppered by a couple of sentences in Hindi, the author's writing style is the one thing I found moderately enjoyable. It has all the qualities of being colloquial and can easily be understood. However, there were a handful of errors that had been overlooked in the editing phase of publishing this book.
What ultimately got on my nerve is Akshay's mental commentary. It follows you everywhere from the beginning of the book till the end. During his interactions with the various characters, his clear disdain for them is evident from his thoughts. So there are comments printed in italics in between conversations that show us what exactly he thinks about the person he is speaking to. And mind you, it just all makes him look like an arrogant imbecile who can't fathom enough courage to speak his mind to his clients. Here's a line that'll help paint a picture in your mind about the kind of relationship Akshay and Zorah have:
"This is easy, she'll crib, I'll say sorry and we'll end up in the sack."
I'm sure it is apparent from this review that I was extremely disappointed by the book. There was nothing that made me smile or feel happy about reading it.
★.5
July 8, 2019
An amazing plot with an even beautiful blurb wrapped around a piece of crap that this story really is.
January 8, 2019
Book Publishing is an evolving industry in India that is growing by leaps and bounds. It has got its own ways to spread its feet and come up as a mammoth unit. What happens inside is something the common people are always unaware of and this book just perfectly bridged that gap.
BESTSELLER is a light-hearted book containing different parallels running smoothly without messing up the other. It sharply remarks at the inside happenings of the publishing industry in a very humorous tone. It hooked me right at the beginning and never left me. The book is unique in its approach and the subject it throws light upon. The glammed up industry comes naked right in front of us as we move ahead in the book.
With a compelling writing style and attractive backdrop the book is set in, it manages to pull off the show nicely. All the characters have been designed and developed properly. I laughed at the errors in Tarun’s actions and cheered at how Akshay deals with it eventually. Their dialogues and witty exchanges were amazing. At no point, no you would find the book to be put down. It carefully carries you away. The most important part is that it brings forth the truth. The ugly, wicked truth in a very sarcastic manner. The storyline has been set so well that reading the book is a sheer delight. Akshay Mathur’s keenness to protect the dilapidated publishing house and restore its glory is worth witnessing. In the end, I am still pondering over how many efforts it takes to make a book bestseller. Just how many strategies and clear tactics behind a popular book. It brings me to the question as to where our publishing industry is going by putting quality at stake? Why a flood of books are emerging in the markets? Just to get the taste of being a ‘bestseller‘?
If you desire to read something fresh and equally entertaining, do check this book. It is wonderful!
Read on blog: https://khyatigautam.wordpress.com/20...
BESTSELLER is a light-hearted book containing different parallels running smoothly without messing up the other. It sharply remarks at the inside happenings of the publishing industry in a very humorous tone. It hooked me right at the beginning and never left me. The book is unique in its approach and the subject it throws light upon. The glammed up industry comes naked right in front of us as we move ahead in the book.
With a compelling writing style and attractive backdrop the book is set in, it manages to pull off the show nicely. All the characters have been designed and developed properly. I laughed at the errors in Tarun’s actions and cheered at how Akshay deals with it eventually. Their dialogues and witty exchanges were amazing. At no point, no you would find the book to be put down. It carefully carries you away. The most important part is that it brings forth the truth. The ugly, wicked truth in a very sarcastic manner. The storyline has been set so well that reading the book is a sheer delight. Akshay Mathur’s keenness to protect the dilapidated publishing house and restore its glory is worth witnessing. In the end, I am still pondering over how many efforts it takes to make a book bestseller. Just how many strategies and clear tactics behind a popular book. It brings me to the question as to where our publishing industry is going by putting quality at stake? Why a flood of books are emerging in the markets? Just to get the taste of being a ‘bestseller‘?
If you desire to read something fresh and equally entertaining, do check this book. It is wonderful!
Read on blog: https://khyatigautam.wordpress.com/20...
June 19, 2020
The book is about an out of job editor in London named Akshay who comes to India looking to revive a moribund publishing house. The hurdles he faces are many as he comes to terms with depleting manpower, no new comissioned books and the added pressure of publishing 5 bestsellers in a span of one year. To add to his vexation is a boss who has a marketing experience in selling everything but books and is a stubborn, linguistically challenged lecher.
Akshay finds an ally in Zorah, his colleague, with whom he gets involved with sonner than you can say ‘that’s predictable’. The book proceeds to cover Akshay’s journey into recovering Kalim’s lost glory.
The book is fast-paced and written well. It caters to the audience that enjoys a pacy read with twists and turns that would keep boredom away. However, my problem with Bestseller is how it portrays its women characters as mere objects. The male gaze is, without a doubt, strongly at play and it turns the women into ones possessing a “rack” that the protagonist “admires... not too obviously”. An instance from the book that made me cringe was when Zorah says something perceptive to Akshay which makes him think of her as “a thinking hottie”. Does this mean that good looks and intelligence are mutually exclusive characteristics in women? There’s a lot to say about this but I’d rather not go on.
I think that it’s about time Indian authors start writing books that are sensitive and nuanced. It’s not okay to indulge in casual sexism in the name of producing entertainers.
Akshay finds an ally in Zorah, his colleague, with whom he gets involved with sonner than you can say ‘that’s predictable’. The book proceeds to cover Akshay’s journey into recovering Kalim’s lost glory.
The book is fast-paced and written well. It caters to the audience that enjoys a pacy read with twists and turns that would keep boredom away. However, my problem with Bestseller is how it portrays its women characters as mere objects. The male gaze is, without a doubt, strongly at play and it turns the women into ones possessing a “rack” that the protagonist “admires... not too obviously”. An instance from the book that made me cringe was when Zorah says something perceptive to Akshay which makes him think of her as “a thinking hottie”. Does this mean that good looks and intelligence are mutually exclusive characteristics in women? There’s a lot to say about this but I’d rather not go on.
I think that it’s about time Indian authors start writing books that are sensitive and nuanced. It’s not okay to indulge in casual sexism in the name of producing entertainers.
January 18, 2019
Bestseller was a great read. And that is the statement I shall begin with.
And the reason I recommend all book lovers to read this, is because this book provides an insight to the entire business that goes behind the publishing of the books.
The book is quite a humourous take on the book publishing industry and has been written in a light style. The author has been able to nicely weave together the intricacies that are wounded around the individuals. The writing style of the author is beautifully compelling and sucks you in, right from the very first page. The fast-paced storytelling, coupled with the almost life-like characters make for a very enjoyable read, one that I personally completed in one sitting.
The characters of Akshay Mathur, Zorah Kalim – the protagonists in this novel were two very well-rounded characters. Moreover, Tarun was such an irritating person and I was so infuriated at times that he tried to one-up the rest. But then again, since I am assuming the author intended the reader to feel this way only; he has really succeeded in this.
The themes of rivalry, ambition, the negative impact of success and power, etc., are also well explored in the events as well as the characters in the book. The love angle with Zoya and Akshay was also written in a very real way. In all, the characters and the events, all made the story seem very real and also relatable.
The writing style was also very easy to red and I think that everyone will easily understand this. It is very easy to read also, and actually reads like butter. The cover of the book is also amazing. The repetitive element in the books displayed in the cover as opposed to the actual cover of the book is great.
Bestseller was a great read. And that is the statement I shall also end with.
And the reason I recommend all book lovers to read this, is because this book provides an insight to the entire business that goes behind the publishing of the books.
The book is quite a humourous take on the book publishing industry and has been written in a light style. The author has been able to nicely weave together the intricacies that are wounded around the individuals. The writing style of the author is beautifully compelling and sucks you in, right from the very first page. The fast-paced storytelling, coupled with the almost life-like characters make for a very enjoyable read, one that I personally completed in one sitting.
The characters of Akshay Mathur, Zorah Kalim – the protagonists in this novel were two very well-rounded characters. Moreover, Tarun was such an irritating person and I was so infuriated at times that he tried to one-up the rest. But then again, since I am assuming the author intended the reader to feel this way only; he has really succeeded in this.
The themes of rivalry, ambition, the negative impact of success and power, etc., are also well explored in the events as well as the characters in the book. The love angle with Zoya and Akshay was also written in a very real way. In all, the characters and the events, all made the story seem very real and also relatable.
The writing style was also very easy to red and I think that everyone will easily understand this. It is very easy to read also, and actually reads like butter. The cover of the book is also amazing. The repetitive element in the books displayed in the cover as opposed to the actual cover of the book is great.
Bestseller was a great read. And that is the statement I shall also end with.
January 8, 2019
It is witty read that talks about struggles of new authors in the book industry getting published to all the competitions they overcome to play with their luck and become best seller.
A satirical novel that has different characters who add up to the sarcastically funny plot showing the broader view of the Indian publishing industry .
Narration is engaging and lucid.
The characters were captivating.
Divided into small chapters.
Cover is really bright beautiful and the title is uniquely catchy.
It gave a view inside the book publishing world about which i had not much idea earlier.
A light read that is entertaining and yet show the inside view of some hard realities of a section of Industry.
A satirical novel that has different characters who add up to the sarcastically funny plot showing the broader view of the Indian publishing industry .
Narration is engaging and lucid.
The characters were captivating.
Divided into small chapters.
Cover is really bright beautiful and the title is uniquely catchy.
It gave a view inside the book publishing world about which i had not much idea earlier.
A light read that is entertaining and yet show the inside view of some hard realities of a section of Industry.
January 12, 2019
It is a super fast paced, easy, breezy and fun read.
January 10, 2019
I picked this book because I wanted to read and know more about the life of publishers. And also because of the attractive book cover and eye catchy title. This book is a true account of life of people who work at publishing house. I used to think that life of publishers is easy and quite interesting too as they get to read lots of manuscripts by different authors and not just this they get to choose which story will see light of the day. But.....Noo.. I was totally wrong. After reading this book I now better understand that the life of publisher is between a rock and a hard place. This is a story of Akshay Saxena, an out of work editor of a defunct literary magazine in the UK, who is told to move to India for a year to sustain the value of Kalim, which is an decrepit Indian publisher. Angus Lee, the new owner of the Thomas Lee Books, posed this challenge for Akshay and his team to at least bring five bestsellers in the coming year and if this target was not met then this business would be wound up. He falls in love with Zorah Kalim, daughter of his former boss. They both try their best to make this impossible target a reality. And what follows next is a hilarious journey of how Akshay deals with the different types of authors who are not just authors but celebs, politicians, models and what not. They all eat his brain to read their stories and make them bestseller anyhow. Some of the authors focus less on quality content and more on making their book a huge success. How Akshay deals with these funny authors and other problems of achieving his target of bringing bestsellers from this publishing house, you'll have to grab this book. I absolutely enjoyed reading every page of this book and what I liked reading more was how Authors just want positive reviews from Bloggers :D.
January 5, 2020
So this book kept popping up on bookstagram with good reviews. Labelled as witty,hilarious & satirical , I picked it up for some light reading. Just kept waiting on & on for the promised laughs, humour & witty comebacks but boy did they ever arrived. No,sadly no.
The only saving grace about this was that it portrayed the inner workings of publishing industry. All that glitters is definitely not gold. This golden industry does have some hidden skeletons up in its shelf. It's all about delivering numbers in businesses. Even the books are not left untouched by it. An editor's dilemma is brought into light. On one hand they have to deliver several BESTSELLERS to be in the business & on the other they have to deal with and fend off the over enthusiastic wannabe writers.
Although it's a fiction , but it lacked a gripping story to go with. It's more like BTS description of publishing. The romance angle looked forced & unnecessary. And that swapping of authors in the end was something I couldn't comprehend.
It's a 196 pages long book & at the top it should have taken me 2 days to wrap it up, but it took me a week to do so. I struggled to finish it & just kept reading sluggishly.
In the end I did wondered what tactics did they applied to make this a Bestseller. Legit question isn't it?
The only saving grace about this was that it portrayed the inner workings of publishing industry. All that glitters is definitely not gold. This golden industry does have some hidden skeletons up in its shelf. It's all about delivering numbers in businesses. Even the books are not left untouched by it. An editor's dilemma is brought into light. On one hand they have to deliver several BESTSELLERS to be in the business & on the other they have to deal with and fend off the over enthusiastic wannabe writers.
Although it's a fiction , but it lacked a gripping story to go with. It's more like BTS description of publishing. The romance angle looked forced & unnecessary. And that swapping of authors in the end was something I couldn't comprehend.
It's a 196 pages long book & at the top it should have taken me 2 days to wrap it up, but it took me a week to do so. I struggled to finish it & just kept reading sluggishly.
In the end I did wondered what tactics did they applied to make this a Bestseller. Legit question isn't it?
January 2, 2019
The story is about Akshay who is sent to India from England in order to attempt to revive Kalim Publishing, a company that was once at the top but is now in deep trouble.
Akshay is given a year to turn around Kalim’s fortunes but he has his own problems to contend with as he is divorced and in debt. Aided by Zorah and hindered by Tarun, Akshay tries to publish more books on Kalim’s behalf.
The author has vividly depicted the way things work in the publishing industry by way of Akshay’s struggles. Akshay encounters an array of amusing characters ranging from the film star Roshan Khan to the politician Suryakant Joshi. Akshay unwittingly becomes a Page 3 personality and is thrust in the limelight in the course of his struggle.
Can Akshay succeed in getting Kalim Publications to start earning a profit or will he have to return to England in disgrace? The reader needs to read the book to find out.
The story is well written and extremely interesting. If you are looking for a brisk paced and entertaining read, I will certainly recommend this book to you.
Akshay is given a year to turn around Kalim’s fortunes but he has his own problems to contend with as he is divorced and in debt. Aided by Zorah and hindered by Tarun, Akshay tries to publish more books on Kalim’s behalf.
The author has vividly depicted the way things work in the publishing industry by way of Akshay’s struggles. Akshay encounters an array of amusing characters ranging from the film star Roshan Khan to the politician Suryakant Joshi. Akshay unwittingly becomes a Page 3 personality and is thrust in the limelight in the course of his struggle.
Can Akshay succeed in getting Kalim Publications to start earning a profit or will he have to return to England in disgrace? The reader needs to read the book to find out.
The story is well written and extremely interesting. If you are looking for a brisk paced and entertaining read, I will certainly recommend this book to you.
April 14, 2019
It's less of a book, more of a fantasy. An editor comes to India to give a sputtering but prestigious publishing house a new lease of life. And in the process finds a love interest, loads of money, bollywood cred and critical acclaim too.
The writing is bleh, the plot is ridiculous, and yet, it reeks of pretension that would give the most elite of the literati a run for their money. I've never heard of a book editor being featured on page 3 with dedicated gossip columns and fan pages. To someone who's seen the industry, the plot is almost comical. But what's most irritating is the way the author portrays women. Calling them one-dimensional too would be a bit of a stretch. The way they're written, it's almost offensive, and they're literally just there for glamour, sex and romance. Most characters, including the protagonist, are caricatures really. The only good thing about it is that it covers an industry often ignored.
The writing is bleh, the plot is ridiculous, and yet, it reeks of pretension that would give the most elite of the literati a run for their money. I've never heard of a book editor being featured on page 3 with dedicated gossip columns and fan pages. To someone who's seen the industry, the plot is almost comical. But what's most irritating is the way the author portrays women. Calling them one-dimensional too would be a bit of a stretch. The way they're written, it's almost offensive, and they're literally just there for glamour, sex and romance. Most characters, including the protagonist, are caricatures really. The only good thing about it is that it covers an industry often ignored.
January 16, 2019
It took me a while to reconcile that the novel itself was called “Bestseller”. First the title and then the blurb made me more inquisitive to swallow down the pages. A story revolving around the Publishing house Kalim, seaming a bunch of captivating characters, was so well narrated and portrayed that compelled me to finish the book at one go. The blurb reads:
Bestseller in simple term was the story of Akshay Mathur’s struggle to sustain with the protocol of the moribund publishing house and his own code of conducts. The time span of 367 days stated how a sinking publishing house restored to a summit that actually called success. I found two protagonists who eventually and parallelly faced the same fate – Akshay Mathur and the Publishing house Kalim. Both of their lives were compromised, burdened and dimming. Akshay was deep in debt and sneaked an escape from UK to look for a better life in Kalim – the publishing house in India. His past story did not gloriously scream but told that he was a divorcee. His honest approach towards an editorial’s job was in stake, all beamed up in the novel to raise a question in the minds of the reader- what future was waiting for Akhshay and the publishing house. On the other hand the Publishing House Kalim was almost on the verge of closing down. How Akshay and the Publishing House Kalim unwantedly tied up their future with the prim and pompously glittered world of celebrities highlighting their lifestyle, played a crucial role here. Fake and false fame was actually the other side of the picture that often success is mistaken to – Ahmed sarcastically and humorously presented it in novel. It is a captivating story that heralded to engage its reader without taking any break. The characters were portrayed in such a skilful manner that they came almost alive as the story developed. The relationship between Zorah (Daughter of Iqbal Kalim, the founder of Kalim publishing house) and Akshay started with a quick note where the hunger of the body spoke first but then it ended up in a true love story. All the characters – Sita, Tarun, Anya Malik, Roshan Khan, Angus Lee, Mr. Samuel, would make you feel that they live in your neighbourhood and you met them on and off.
I must appreciate the simple colourful but interesting book cover that might attract the readrs at fist glance. A publishing house or an editor’s job always looks luring and coveting. But we hardly get a glimpse of the inside story of this places. The pressure, the politics, the fame game everything was narrated in this book with minute detail. While reading the book I almost became a part of the lives of Kalim. Ahmed’s writing skill is utterly commendable for the easy and simple flowing language. He knows how to hold a grip to keep thoroughly engage his readers from the beginning till the end. The book really didn’t fail me except one error. In the book it was mentioned that Tamas was written by Bapsi Sidwa where Tamas was written by Bhishm Sahni. Coming back after 6 years, Ahmed Faiyaz truly won the heart of the readers once again and did a commendable job I must say.
Bestseller in simple term was the story of Akshay Mathur’s struggle to sustain with the protocol of the moribund publishing house and his own code of conducts. The time span of 367 days stated how a sinking publishing house restored to a summit that actually called success. I found two protagonists who eventually and parallelly faced the same fate – Akshay Mathur and the Publishing house Kalim. Both of their lives were compromised, burdened and dimming. Akshay was deep in debt and sneaked an escape from UK to look for a better life in Kalim – the publishing house in India. His past story did not gloriously scream but told that he was a divorcee. His honest approach towards an editorial’s job was in stake, all beamed up in the novel to raise a question in the minds of the reader- what future was waiting for Akhshay and the publishing house. On the other hand the Publishing House Kalim was almost on the verge of closing down. How Akshay and the Publishing House Kalim unwantedly tied up their future with the prim and pompously glittered world of celebrities highlighting their lifestyle, played a crucial role here. Fake and false fame was actually the other side of the picture that often success is mistaken to – Ahmed sarcastically and humorously presented it in novel. It is a captivating story that heralded to engage its reader without taking any break. The characters were portrayed in such a skilful manner that they came almost alive as the story developed. The relationship between Zorah (Daughter of Iqbal Kalim, the founder of Kalim publishing house) and Akshay started with a quick note where the hunger of the body spoke first but then it ended up in a true love story. All the characters – Sita, Tarun, Anya Malik, Roshan Khan, Angus Lee, Mr. Samuel, would make you feel that they live in your neighbourhood and you met them on and off.
I must appreciate the simple colourful but interesting book cover that might attract the readrs at fist glance. A publishing house or an editor’s job always looks luring and coveting. But we hardly get a glimpse of the inside story of this places. The pressure, the politics, the fame game everything was narrated in this book with minute detail. While reading the book I almost became a part of the lives of Kalim. Ahmed’s writing skill is utterly commendable for the easy and simple flowing language. He knows how to hold a grip to keep thoroughly engage his readers from the beginning till the end. The book really didn’t fail me except one error. In the book it was mentioned that Tamas was written by Bapsi Sidwa where Tamas was written by Bhishm Sahni. Coming back after 6 years, Ahmed Faiyaz truly won the heart of the readers once again and did a commendable job I must say.
January 15, 2019
Bestseller.
The title was a vague hint towards the storyline and the content of the book. The cover seemed quirky and promising. The artwork on the cover was quite attractive and it made me curious about the story.
I loved the light and easy writing style of the author. The slight remarks of the protagonist added humor to the story. The story which is presented here is an insight into the working and life of this industry which has always been present amidst us but we failed to understand its intricate workings.
I was amazed by the pressure and work that they have to handle. The marketing and promotions, the publishing decisions, the unpredictability of the market and the effect of strong and powerful people in the publishing industry; There are so many factors involved behind a book being bestseller.
The scandals and scams and the controversies that surround the book only adds up to the hype of the book and act as the promotional tool for the book. Many relations are formed and many are ended only for the sake of promotion of the book. The effect they have on their audience and the promotion of the book is tremendous. Book publishing is not only the publishing of the book but it is everything else which takes the book off the bookstore shelves to the shelves of a book reader.
The characters are well developed and equally important. The protagonist helps us to understand the importance of quick decision making which could lead to indifferent results. In this book, we saw how the ethics of the business are the least of all the concerns. The book didn’t tried to cover up the flaws and games of the publishing world nowadays, instead it opens it up for the readers to understand.
The importance of a good script as well as a good editor who can foresee the potentiality of the book and take quick decision is also depicted. The editors have to face scripts which lack a single correct sentence to a script with correctly placed commas. They also work along with the writers. They write and rewrite those scripts till they can feel the perfect symphony of the words.
It shows the new publishing world where along with passion, you need immense will power and quick decision to keep your passion running. The industry must stay updated to the world around it.
The book shows the pressures of targets on the employees. This is true for each and every industry. The target forces the employees to take rushed and forced decisions. The words which would have been rejected, suddenly starts helping in the completion of the target. This in a way reduces the freedom of the editorial and the literature industry suffers.
Overall, I loved the book and will suggest it to you. This book has information, humor, romance and tension. It is short and light read which might lighten the mood and help in understanding the processes and promotions involved in the books that are sitting upon the shelves of your room.
The title was a vague hint towards the storyline and the content of the book. The cover seemed quirky and promising. The artwork on the cover was quite attractive and it made me curious about the story.
I loved the light and easy writing style of the author. The slight remarks of the protagonist added humor to the story. The story which is presented here is an insight into the working and life of this industry which has always been present amidst us but we failed to understand its intricate workings.
I was amazed by the pressure and work that they have to handle. The marketing and promotions, the publishing decisions, the unpredictability of the market and the effect of strong and powerful people in the publishing industry; There are so many factors involved behind a book being bestseller.
The scandals and scams and the controversies that surround the book only adds up to the hype of the book and act as the promotional tool for the book. Many relations are formed and many are ended only for the sake of promotion of the book. The effect they have on their audience and the promotion of the book is tremendous. Book publishing is not only the publishing of the book but it is everything else which takes the book off the bookstore shelves to the shelves of a book reader.
The characters are well developed and equally important. The protagonist helps us to understand the importance of quick decision making which could lead to indifferent results. In this book, we saw how the ethics of the business are the least of all the concerns. The book didn’t tried to cover up the flaws and games of the publishing world nowadays, instead it opens it up for the readers to understand.
The importance of a good script as well as a good editor who can foresee the potentiality of the book and take quick decision is also depicted. The editors have to face scripts which lack a single correct sentence to a script with correctly placed commas. They also work along with the writers. They write and rewrite those scripts till they can feel the perfect symphony of the words.
It shows the new publishing world where along with passion, you need immense will power and quick decision to keep your passion running. The industry must stay updated to the world around it.
The book shows the pressures of targets on the employees. This is true for each and every industry. The target forces the employees to take rushed and forced decisions. The words which would have been rejected, suddenly starts helping in the completion of the target. This in a way reduces the freedom of the editorial and the literature industry suffers.
Overall, I loved the book and will suggest it to you. This book has information, humor, romance and tension. It is short and light read which might lighten the mood and help in understanding the processes and promotions involved in the books that are sitting upon the shelves of your room.
January 7, 2019
Ahmed Faiyaz is a bestselling author with many books to his credit. The book Best seller presents the hidden complications of the Editor and how a manuscript gets transformed into a book. The steps or the process, the manuscript needs to undergo before it reaches the hands of a reader, the post publishing effects & occupying the best seller list are the major topics of concern in this book. The working style of the publishing industry, its competitors, influence of media, writer’s submissions and various barriers in between are finely crafted. Presenting it in the form of a story is highly laudable. The story moves around Mumbai - a Metropolitan city in India, the Hindi words in between makes it a Desi read. The struggle to bring back the lost glory of a publishing firm is the root of this story.
The book also throws light on the subjects like disappointing reviews and reasons for book failure which leads to more complications.The financial crisis in the publishing firms gets bigger, if the technique to gauge the market scenario & the sales promotion goes wrong. I quote from page 116 “”printing excessive copies of Sudhir’s book has also damaged us; we have printer bills to clear and dead stock piling up.””
Post the publication of a book comes the serious issues in the form of copy rights and translations. When selecting a book for publication, it needs to be weighed in every angle because the author says “” Books serve a higher purpose.”” Quality in the publication & its importance is underlined in the page 70 of the book. I quote-“She is really unhappy with the Editors. The publisher didn’t market her book well and the paper quality of the book is cheaper than what it normally uses,’’
Preparations for a book launch includes posters & book marks commissioned and events lined up in the leading book stores, interviews with newspapers and TV channels are dealt in a precise way in page 66 of the book. The author has painstakingly covered all the aspects of the publishing industry to present a complete package to the readers.
I quote from page 125 of the book, “A week after its release, the book stood at #1 on the nonfiction national best seller list, with over 100,000 copies sold in book stores and online. Angus was delighted and managed to sell the rights in the European and American markets to Falcon books, the world’s largest, for $500,000, most of which went to Sandeep and Shipra, given the agreement we had struck.” Becoming the Bestsellers are the dream come true for both the author and the publishing house. The link for best seller
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestseller
If it is a best seller the shower of praise is sure for the Editor. At the same time if it is a failure even the harsh comments are sure to follow. I quote from page 96 ‘’He claimed that writers and booklovers were disappointed, as Akshay Mathur had great potential to make a difference. But it appears he is an editor with a price tag and neither has the power nor the inclination to do so. Akshay remains a puppet in Kalim’s dog and pony show in the name of publishing.’’
The book BEST SELLER definitely makes a good read by keeping the readers engaged in a yearlong challenge of an Editor.
(Received a copy of the book from WRITER’S MELON in exchange for a honest review)
The book also throws light on the subjects like disappointing reviews and reasons for book failure which leads to more complications.The financial crisis in the publishing firms gets bigger, if the technique to gauge the market scenario & the sales promotion goes wrong. I quote from page 116 “”printing excessive copies of Sudhir’s book has also damaged us; we have printer bills to clear and dead stock piling up.””
Post the publication of a book comes the serious issues in the form of copy rights and translations. When selecting a book for publication, it needs to be weighed in every angle because the author says “” Books serve a higher purpose.”” Quality in the publication & its importance is underlined in the page 70 of the book. I quote-“She is really unhappy with the Editors. The publisher didn’t market her book well and the paper quality of the book is cheaper than what it normally uses,’’
Preparations for a book launch includes posters & book marks commissioned and events lined up in the leading book stores, interviews with newspapers and TV channels are dealt in a precise way in page 66 of the book. The author has painstakingly covered all the aspects of the publishing industry to present a complete package to the readers.
I quote from page 125 of the book, “A week after its release, the book stood at #1 on the nonfiction national best seller list, with over 100,000 copies sold in book stores and online. Angus was delighted and managed to sell the rights in the European and American markets to Falcon books, the world’s largest, for $500,000, most of which went to Sandeep and Shipra, given the agreement we had struck.” Becoming the Bestsellers are the dream come true for both the author and the publishing house. The link for best seller
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestseller
If it is a best seller the shower of praise is sure for the Editor. At the same time if it is a failure even the harsh comments are sure to follow. I quote from page 96 ‘’He claimed that writers and booklovers were disappointed, as Akshay Mathur had great potential to make a difference. But it appears he is an editor with a price tag and neither has the power nor the inclination to do so. Akshay remains a puppet in Kalim’s dog and pony show in the name of publishing.’’
The book BEST SELLER definitely makes a good read by keeping the readers engaged in a yearlong challenge of an Editor.
(Received a copy of the book from WRITER’S MELON in exchange for a honest review)
February 3, 2019
The book starts off with Akshay Mathur, a divorcee in his early thirties, who worked as an editor in a UK based magazine, but now he has moved to India, to work with Kalim in his Publishing house, which is on its downfall. Akshay was given a year to revive the publishing house and to publish 5 Bestselling books, or the place will be stripped down.
But, things don't go as he planned, when Mr. Kalim dies an unfortunate death. Akshay was soon made the Head of Editorial team after the demise of Mr. Kalim. With Tarun, the new CEO, and Zorah Kalim, daughter of Mr. Kalim, who he falls in love with, Akshay goes on his odyssey to publish 5 bestselling books.
The book is riveting and intense from beginning to end, and is an absolute page-turner as well as a very satisfying read. It is an insight to how a publishing house works, which is depicted with a dash of humour. The plot of the book is very finely designed and you won't find any section boring or less interesting. I really liked how the love triangle was kept a subplot and the main story revolved around the working of the publishing house.
Read full review on my blog:
https://liveitqueensize.wordpress.com...
But, things don't go as he planned, when Mr. Kalim dies an unfortunate death. Akshay was soon made the Head of Editorial team after the demise of Mr. Kalim. With Tarun, the new CEO, and Zorah Kalim, daughter of Mr. Kalim, who he falls in love with, Akshay goes on his odyssey to publish 5 bestselling books.
The book is riveting and intense from beginning to end, and is an absolute page-turner as well as a very satisfying read. It is an insight to how a publishing house works, which is depicted with a dash of humour. The plot of the book is very finely designed and you won't find any section boring or less interesting. I really liked how the love triangle was kept a subplot and the main story revolved around the working of the publishing house.
Read full review on my blog:
https://liveitqueensize.wordpress.com...
January 18, 2019
Book Name: Bestseller
Author: Ahmed Faiyaz
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Rupa Publications .
.
Plot: Akshay Saxena, an out of work editor of a defunct literary magazine in the UK, is told to move to India for a year to help shore up the value of Kalim, an ailing Indian publisher. Akshay finds himself in a job where he has to do the impossible. Angus Lee, the new owner of Thomson Lee Books, wants at least five bestsellers in the coming year, failing which the business would be wound up & the story continues...
.
My Opinion: I received the book in the morning & I managed to complete it till evening. It was a easy breezy read & the interesting blurb made me pick it up. We never know the other side of anything until we see things from the second perspective. As a bookstagrammer, I read, I review & I know the struggles behind each & everything we present. In the same way, in a world where reading is considered as secondary, writing, publishing & making the book Bestseller is one of the toughest job in the world. The author has very beautifully shown the other side of the book marketing industry, struggling authors, deadly publishers & unhappy readers. I would never get to know the secrets if the author didn't write it. I appreciate him personally. You should pick this if you are curious about the hidden secrets & an author's life. The cover is amazing, @rupa_publications
never fails to design a beautiful cover.
.
Pros: The book had a message but along with it, it had a beautiful plot & storyline. The author had narrated the story too well. I was really keen to know more & more about the ongoing situations. The book is not too fat nor too thin, it was a middle sized one. The book was humorous at times & made me laugh widly. I highly recommend it.
Cons: Well, I wish honestly the author could be more creative in order to plot the main protagonist as in to create more interest amongst the readers.
.
Rating: 4.2🌟
Author: Ahmed Faiyaz
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Rupa Publications .
.
Plot: Akshay Saxena, an out of work editor of a defunct literary magazine in the UK, is told to move to India for a year to help shore up the value of Kalim, an ailing Indian publisher. Akshay finds himself in a job where he has to do the impossible. Angus Lee, the new owner of Thomson Lee Books, wants at least five bestsellers in the coming year, failing which the business would be wound up & the story continues...
.
My Opinion: I received the book in the morning & I managed to complete it till evening. It was a easy breezy read & the interesting blurb made me pick it up. We never know the other side of anything until we see things from the second perspective. As a bookstagrammer, I read, I review & I know the struggles behind each & everything we present. In the same way, in a world where reading is considered as secondary, writing, publishing & making the book Bestseller is one of the toughest job in the world. The author has very beautifully shown the other side of the book marketing industry, struggling authors, deadly publishers & unhappy readers. I would never get to know the secrets if the author didn't write it. I appreciate him personally. You should pick this if you are curious about the hidden secrets & an author's life. The cover is amazing, @rupa_publications
never fails to design a beautiful cover.
.
Pros: The book had a message but along with it, it had a beautiful plot & storyline. The author had narrated the story too well. I was really keen to know more & more about the ongoing situations. The book is not too fat nor too thin, it was a middle sized one. The book was humorous at times & made me laugh widly. I highly recommend it.
Cons: Well, I wish honestly the author could be more creative in order to plot the main protagonist as in to create more interest amongst the readers.
.
Rating: 4.2🌟
January 17, 2019
Kalim publishing had seen better days. There were books that had topped the charts and were considered literary gems. Famous people frequently visited the place. But that was long…long ago. When Akshay Mathur, an out of work editor from the UK, comes to work at Kalim publishing, it was a ship sinking head-first. To make matters worse, chief editor of Kalim Publishing, Iqbal Kalim passes away on Akshay’s first day at his new stint. Angus Lee, the owner of Lee Books which was a major stakeholder in Kalim publishing, gives Akshay the enormous task to get at least 5 bestsellers in the next one year from this comatose publication house. With Tarun as the CEO and an ancient dismal staff, Akshay could only see gloom from where he stood.
But with high spirits and a new found love at his side, Akshay decides to give it his best try. Bollywood heartthrob, Roshan Khan’s biography brings in some unsolicited limelight for Kalim and especially Akshay. But bad publicity is at better than no publicity at all. Akshay juggles his luck with first time authors like Anya Malik and Sudhir who are no less interesting that the characters of a bestseller. When Vinod Dutta, the dying children’s books author proposes a book to Askhay, he plans a mean trick that could make or break his career and the future of Kalim Publishing. Sudhir Joshi, the politician who wants his biography written, has a political agenda. And in this pursuit of a bestseller, Akshay gets much more than he had signed up for.
When the name of the book is “bestseller”, one does have huge expectations from it. So I wasn’t being completely unfair. But this one proved its worth. An interesting plot written very smartly keeps one glued to it at all times. There are hardly any less-than-interesting moments. The story moves fast and one characters develop one chapter after the other. Overall, an interesting read. I would certainly recommend this if you like fast-paced witty reads.
But with high spirits and a new found love at his side, Akshay decides to give it his best try. Bollywood heartthrob, Roshan Khan’s biography brings in some unsolicited limelight for Kalim and especially Akshay. But bad publicity is at better than no publicity at all. Akshay juggles his luck with first time authors like Anya Malik and Sudhir who are no less interesting that the characters of a bestseller. When Vinod Dutta, the dying children’s books author proposes a book to Askhay, he plans a mean trick that could make or break his career and the future of Kalim Publishing. Sudhir Joshi, the politician who wants his biography written, has a political agenda. And in this pursuit of a bestseller, Akshay gets much more than he had signed up for.
When the name of the book is “bestseller”, one does have huge expectations from it. So I wasn’t being completely unfair. But this one proved its worth. An interesting plot written very smartly keeps one glued to it at all times. There are hardly any less-than-interesting moments. The story moves fast and one characters develop one chapter after the other. Overall, an interesting read. I would certainly recommend this if you like fast-paced witty reads.
January 14, 2019
To have a bestseller is no cakewalk. It takes a lot of hardwork, extensive promotions, good reviews and moreover a well edited book with a good narration and above a good story.
"Bestseller" is the story of Akshay Mathur who comes to India from London to take up the responsibility of the sinking ship Kalim Publishers. On his first day of work his boss Iqbal Kalim passes away. The inauspicious editor takes up the responsibility of the firm later along with Iqbal Kalim's daughter Zorah, with whom he ends up being in a relationship. All is not easy for Akshay as the prospective manuscripts that he have don't hold the potential to be a bestseller and he has only 365 days to give 5 bestseller. Things spiral out of control when his colleague Tarun with no practical experience in publishing industry goofs ups things big time .
Further how Akshay works the things out to bring Kalim Publishers to the forefront is the crux of the book.
The book is extremely realistic and brutally honest. Author lays bare the practice of ghost writing, and other practices in the marketing of books that are not promising but create a hype with the PR. The book also shows the readers how an underdog could be a well sought after writer even without spending a fortune, of the book has the substance. Most of the characters are similar to the real life ones. This may or may not be a coincidence. A banker who is broke and writes inspirational books, the Khan superstar who writes his autobiography, the female author who is more interested in fashion parading than writing are all indicative of real life ones.
Author has chosen a subject that is untapped for ages and hence provided a freshness to the topic handed over to him. Akshay and Zorah's story is a cliché when Anya enters the picture. Characters are crafted well with solid base such that the plot is character driven.
Quirky soliloquy of the protagonist is hilarious. Author had the audacity of making the readers laugh out loud in a heartbreaking scene.
Verdict
The book is recommended to every author, reviewer, reader, and publisher. And moreover to anyone who is in the field of marketing
"Bestseller" is the story of Akshay Mathur who comes to India from London to take up the responsibility of the sinking ship Kalim Publishers. On his first day of work his boss Iqbal Kalim passes away. The inauspicious editor takes up the responsibility of the firm later along with Iqbal Kalim's daughter Zorah, with whom he ends up being in a relationship. All is not easy for Akshay as the prospective manuscripts that he have don't hold the potential to be a bestseller and he has only 365 days to give 5 bestseller. Things spiral out of control when his colleague Tarun with no practical experience in publishing industry goofs ups things big time .
Further how Akshay works the things out to bring Kalim Publishers to the forefront is the crux of the book.
The book is extremely realistic and brutally honest. Author lays bare the practice of ghost writing, and other practices in the marketing of books that are not promising but create a hype with the PR. The book also shows the readers how an underdog could be a well sought after writer even without spending a fortune, of the book has the substance. Most of the characters are similar to the real life ones. This may or may not be a coincidence. A banker who is broke and writes inspirational books, the Khan superstar who writes his autobiography, the female author who is more interested in fashion parading than writing are all indicative of real life ones.
Author has chosen a subject that is untapped for ages and hence provided a freshness to the topic handed over to him. Akshay and Zorah's story is a cliché when Anya enters the picture. Characters are crafted well with solid base such that the plot is character driven.
Quirky soliloquy of the protagonist is hilarious. Author had the audacity of making the readers laugh out loud in a heartbreaking scene.
Verdict
The book is recommended to every author, reviewer, reader, and publisher. And moreover to anyone who is in the field of marketing
January 8, 2019
Bestseller gives you the inside peek into the publishing industry. It’s a big eye-opener to a layman to know what goes behind the scenes of a publishing company. It’s a nice book for budding authors to get to know the highs and lows, a publisher might face in his business.
The story is narrated in a simple and easy to read manner, a perfect example of how actually a bestseller should be written. There are no confusing jargons or tough vocabulary which a novice reader might come across and get put off by the book.
The story is about an iconic publishing firm which had seen its golden days once but was now going through a phase where it might not last more than six months. The owner Mr Kalim, is a person with ethics and he won’t publish any crap in spite of realizing he might go out of business anytime soon..
This publishing firm now gets a breath of fresh air when a company from London decides to get this company out of its hole. The story is all about how this company grows back to its original fame.
It involves various characters like Zorah, who is Mr Kalim’s daughter, then Akshay (the main hero) who is sent from London to revive this publishing house, then there is this romance which brews up between these two while working, then there is Anya Malik, who wants to publish an erotic novel, thus giving the book a good amount of spice, then there is Roshan Khan, a reigning superstar who is going through a bad phase himself after a string of flop films and how he plans out to revive his career using this publishing firm to write his autobiography and there is this politician who wants to be written about to gain advantage in upcoming elections.
So, there is enough action, romance, love triangle, even a bit of erotica in this book to make it a perfect potboiler of sorts.
The reading is easy, interesting and a reader would want to know what happens next.
The story though predictable has its own twists and turns to make it a light, entertaining read giving you insights of the publishing world and its politics and how it works!
The story is narrated in a simple and easy to read manner, a perfect example of how actually a bestseller should be written. There are no confusing jargons or tough vocabulary which a novice reader might come across and get put off by the book.
The story is about an iconic publishing firm which had seen its golden days once but was now going through a phase where it might not last more than six months. The owner Mr Kalim, is a person with ethics and he won’t publish any crap in spite of realizing he might go out of business anytime soon..
This publishing firm now gets a breath of fresh air when a company from London decides to get this company out of its hole. The story is all about how this company grows back to its original fame.
It involves various characters like Zorah, who is Mr Kalim’s daughter, then Akshay (the main hero) who is sent from London to revive this publishing house, then there is this romance which brews up between these two while working, then there is Anya Malik, who wants to publish an erotic novel, thus giving the book a good amount of spice, then there is Roshan Khan, a reigning superstar who is going through a bad phase himself after a string of flop films and how he plans out to revive his career using this publishing firm to write his autobiography and there is this politician who wants to be written about to gain advantage in upcoming elections.
So, there is enough action, romance, love triangle, even a bit of erotica in this book to make it a perfect potboiler of sorts.
The reading is easy, interesting and a reader would want to know what happens next.
The story though predictable has its own twists and turns to make it a light, entertaining read giving you insights of the publishing world and its politics and how it works!
January 1, 2019
Akshay Mathur, a 34 something divorcee is fired from a UK based magazine. He is forced to work in India at Kalim Publishing that often compromises quality of literature.Things always don't go his way and the supremo of the publishing dies an unfortunate death. The onus is on him to keep the cog in the wheel turning.He is given an ultimatum of placing five books on the best seller charts within a year by Angus Lee who has a major stake in Kalim publishing. Akshay is surrounded by a hoard of colourful characters -Sita, the receptionist who is rumoured to be the mistress of Iqbal Kalim, Tarun the bald burly new CEO who can go to any length to resurrect the lost glory of the publishing house. Then there are authors like Sudhir, Vinod Dutta, Anya Malik who are in talks with the publishing house for publishing their books in the sci-fi, erotica and romance genres respectively. The road is not smooth for Akshay and his team as they are constantly under fire for 'licking ass' of the celebrity Roshan Khan. Vinod Dutta's wishes for his book to see the light of the day before his death. How will Akshay manage with numerous authors grabbing his throat eyeing for the best seller charts ? Will he live to others expectations on the cost of compromising his personal interests?
I had a fair idea on the working of a publishing house. But this book gave a broader view of the happenings in a sarcastic tone.Akshay's character was fleshed out well. As the narrative was from his perspective, you read the story in his voice. His transformation from an opportunist coot to a person feeling protective towards his venture was heartening to witness.Other characters were just apparitions and sometimes it was difficult to wrap our heads on them. Their fallibilities in the language were the major laugh out loud moments in the book.There were multiple plot lines running parallely which were fairly well managed. The writing was crisp and eloquent which made it a compelling read.
I had a fair idea on the working of a publishing house. But this book gave a broader view of the happenings in a sarcastic tone.Akshay's character was fleshed out well. As the narrative was from his perspective, you read the story in his voice. His transformation from an opportunist coot to a person feeling protective towards his venture was heartening to witness.Other characters were just apparitions and sometimes it was difficult to wrap our heads on them. Their fallibilities in the language were the major laugh out loud moments in the book.There were multiple plot lines running parallely which were fairly well managed. The writing was crisp and eloquent which made it a compelling read.
January 7, 2019
The last read of 2018 for me was amazing. Bestseller is a humorous read revolving around the world of Indian publishing. It is a witty and engaging presentation of the business of books in India.
Our hero here is Akshay Mathur whose book does not do well in the market and ends up being the editor of a struggling publishing house in India. Akshay needs to deliver 5 bestsellers within a year.
I have always thought that being paid to read is the best job in the world. And indeed AK has the best job. Finding out the gem from lots of rocks and the satisfaction that you chose the right book when it does well in the market are the perks of being an editor of a publishing company.
So AK is amidst Wannabe writers, competitors, movie adaptations, success parties, and launch parties. It stresses on how a good promotion of the book is also important to support a great book. And also how Promotion of books alone can't help boost sales of an average book. Does AK manage to save the company by delivering 5 bestsellers is the rest of the story.
It is an Interesting and a light read. The writing is simple making it all the more enjoyable to read. I give 5 stars for this hilarious and captivating story. So if you are looking to read something light and happy this new year, then definitely give Bestseller a go.
Our hero here is Akshay Mathur whose book does not do well in the market and ends up being the editor of a struggling publishing house in India. Akshay needs to deliver 5 bestsellers within a year.
I have always thought that being paid to read is the best job in the world. And indeed AK has the best job. Finding out the gem from lots of rocks and the satisfaction that you chose the right book when it does well in the market are the perks of being an editor of a publishing company.
So AK is amidst Wannabe writers, competitors, movie adaptations, success parties, and launch parties. It stresses on how a good promotion of the book is also important to support a great book. And also how Promotion of books alone can't help boost sales of an average book. Does AK manage to save the company by delivering 5 bestsellers is the rest of the story.
It is an Interesting and a light read. The writing is simple making it all the more enjoyable to read. I give 5 stars for this hilarious and captivating story. So if you are looking to read something light and happy this new year, then definitely give Bestseller a go.
March 5, 2019
Bestseller
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Publishing industry has always been a fascinating area to me since I admire the work that they do. So when this book came out which promised to give a fictional insight about the happenings within a publishing firm, I knew I had to read it. It was a breezy read which I finished in a day.
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The protagonist is a young man named Akshay Saxena who finds himself in India post losing his job in London. Through a friend he is entrusted upon pulling Kalim publishing house from troubled waters. Akshay then meets Zorah Kalim, daughter of the previous CEO of Kalim publishing and gets smitten by her immediately. In order to save the firm, Akshay has to bag 5 best selling novels within 9 months but it's easier said than done. The book mainly revolves around few celebrities who get a chance to print their books inspite of having zero skills of being an author. The lack of resources, time and decision making issue drives Akshay to his wits end.
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The story is funny here and there as it shows the struggles of handling various authors, employees and the unnecessary media coverage. It also gives an insight on how the process of book publishing takes place starting with procuring of manuscripts to the books adorning the shelves of bookstores. The characters are quite okay with Akshay and Zorah being the central ones. I did find few characters being overly pushed into spotlight like Roshan Khan and others. The flow is easy and makes a perfect beginner's read.
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There were few instances which disturbed me. One of them being how women were portrayed in a very shallow manner. Almost every woman has been introduced using petite or hot synonym which did not please me. There were references made such as a hottie who can think. It felt absurd to have combined those two qualities as they had nothing to do with each other. This could and should have been avoided. Overall it's a good book to get some light reading done.
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2.7/5.
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Publishing industry has always been a fascinating area to me since I admire the work that they do. So when this book came out which promised to give a fictional insight about the happenings within a publishing firm, I knew I had to read it. It was a breezy read which I finished in a day.
~
The protagonist is a young man named Akshay Saxena who finds himself in India post losing his job in London. Through a friend he is entrusted upon pulling Kalim publishing house from troubled waters. Akshay then meets Zorah Kalim, daughter of the previous CEO of Kalim publishing and gets smitten by her immediately. In order to save the firm, Akshay has to bag 5 best selling novels within 9 months but it's easier said than done. The book mainly revolves around few celebrities who get a chance to print their books inspite of having zero skills of being an author. The lack of resources, time and decision making issue drives Akshay to his wits end.
~
The story is funny here and there as it shows the struggles of handling various authors, employees and the unnecessary media coverage. It also gives an insight on how the process of book publishing takes place starting with procuring of manuscripts to the books adorning the shelves of bookstores. The characters are quite okay with Akshay and Zorah being the central ones. I did find few characters being overly pushed into spotlight like Roshan Khan and others. The flow is easy and makes a perfect beginner's read.
~
There were few instances which disturbed me. One of them being how women were portrayed in a very shallow manner. Almost every woman has been introduced using petite or hot synonym which did not please me. There were references made such as a hottie who can think. It felt absurd to have combined those two qualities as they had nothing to do with each other. This could and should have been avoided. Overall it's a good book to get some light reading done.
~
2.7/5.
January 27, 2019
3rd Book of 2019
Rating - 4.5 Stars
Plot Summary - Akshay Saxena, an out of work editor of a defunct literary magazine in the UK, is told to move to India for a year to help shore up the value of Kalim, an ailing Indian publisher.
Akshay finds himself in a job where he has to do the impossible. Angus Lee, the new owner of Thomson Lee Books, wants at least five bestsellers in the coming year, failing which the business would be wound up.
He has to find a way of making a success out of books he would never publish or would never even read. To complicate things further, he has to contend with a motley crew of has-beens and misfits working for the publishing house as well as wannabe writers, dealing with their follies and derisive tactics, and battle his own affections for Zorah Kalim, the impulsive daughter of his former boss.
Will he succeed in bringing out that one ‘bestseller’ from his publishing house? And what about his own life and love in office? Find out in this riveting read.
My Review - What a book it is! I totally wanna see this book on a big screen someday. You may ask what is it about? So there’s this guy Akshay Saxena, who is a failed author from London and had recently secured a job in India at a Pre-Independence era Book publishing firm ‘Kalim Books’. On his first day to the office, the owner of the firm dies of a Heart stroke leaning against his office chair. What a tragedy to start a new job with. He was soon made the Head of Editorial after the sad demise of Mr. Kalim. He had been given the task to give a rebirth to the dying firm of Kalim’s with a given challenge to publish 5 Bestselling books in just 365 days, or the place will have to be stripped down.
The book takes you on a journey of poignant Akshay, from how he took a job in almost decimated firm Kalim and how he managed to give 5 Bestselling books within a span of just 365 days. The ups and downs of Publishing industry have been described brilliantly. How some Authors behave, to what extent they go just to get their work published and how sometimes the publishing firm gets between the Political wars. Also, the chapters of the book have been written in a sort of calendar days, where each chapter is denoted from 1 to 365 taking reader on a journey throughout the year of poignant.
As from the reader’s point of view, I loved to read the insights of Publishing world. The kind of humor Author Faiyaz added to it, makes you laugh throughout the book. As I wrote earlier, I would love to see a movie made on this book as the book packs all the elements to give a blockbuster with Humor, Light office romance, Thrill, and many emotions to give the viewers a complete pack of entertainment.
Conclusion - Witty and totally a page-turner.
Full Review on Blog.
Link to Blog - The Tales of Fugitive Biker
Rating - 4.5 Stars
Plot Summary - Akshay Saxena, an out of work editor of a defunct literary magazine in the UK, is told to move to India for a year to help shore up the value of Kalim, an ailing Indian publisher.
Akshay finds himself in a job where he has to do the impossible. Angus Lee, the new owner of Thomson Lee Books, wants at least five bestsellers in the coming year, failing which the business would be wound up.
He has to find a way of making a success out of books he would never publish or would never even read. To complicate things further, he has to contend with a motley crew of has-beens and misfits working for the publishing house as well as wannabe writers, dealing with their follies and derisive tactics, and battle his own affections for Zorah Kalim, the impulsive daughter of his former boss.
Will he succeed in bringing out that one ‘bestseller’ from his publishing house? And what about his own life and love in office? Find out in this riveting read.
My Review - What a book it is! I totally wanna see this book on a big screen someday. You may ask what is it about? So there’s this guy Akshay Saxena, who is a failed author from London and had recently secured a job in India at a Pre-Independence era Book publishing firm ‘Kalim Books’. On his first day to the office, the owner of the firm dies of a Heart stroke leaning against his office chair. What a tragedy to start a new job with. He was soon made the Head of Editorial after the sad demise of Mr. Kalim. He had been given the task to give a rebirth to the dying firm of Kalim’s with a given challenge to publish 5 Bestselling books in just 365 days, or the place will have to be stripped down.
The book takes you on a journey of poignant Akshay, from how he took a job in almost decimated firm Kalim and how he managed to give 5 Bestselling books within a span of just 365 days. The ups and downs of Publishing industry have been described brilliantly. How some Authors behave, to what extent they go just to get their work published and how sometimes the publishing firm gets between the Political wars. Also, the chapters of the book have been written in a sort of calendar days, where each chapter is denoted from 1 to 365 taking reader on a journey throughout the year of poignant.
As from the reader’s point of view, I loved to read the insights of Publishing world. The kind of humor Author Faiyaz added to it, makes you laugh throughout the book. As I wrote earlier, I would love to see a movie made on this book as the book packs all the elements to give a blockbuster with Humor, Light office romance, Thrill, and many emotions to give the viewers a complete pack of entertainment.
Conclusion - Witty and totally a page-turner.
Full Review on Blog.
Link to Blog - The Tales of Fugitive Biker
December 31, 2018
When Akshay Mathur takes over Kalim Publications, it was close to being shut and nothing short of a miracle could prevent that. His efforts to create a balance between publishing classic literature and books that might create a connection with the common men, lead to hilarious moments. This book starts off at a really quick pace and soon, a lot of drama unfolds. I do not have direct exposure to the workings of a publishing firm, but as far as I can see from the outside, I think the depiction of the characters and the events are accurate. The author’s humour is on point and I caught myself laughing-out-loud at more than one occasion. Something that I did not like in the book is Zorah’s and Akshay’s romance in the book. It was sudden and seemed forced. Also, the chances of the incident with Anya being forgiven by Zorah so easily is unrealistic, given her character. The character of Zorah had a chance to be powerful and create an impact but like most of the female leads, she was reduced to Akshay’s assistant. There was a slight undertone of sexism at certain points of the book which could have been avoided. This is a breezy read and I really enjoyed the satire.
May 29, 2019
[ If someone asked me to describe “Bestseller” by Ahmed Faiyaz in one word , i would say “fast’’ ; and bet me !!..i sure wouldn't grope for words at all . Now when i say fast , it is in the context of the amount of time needed to read the book and the rapid successive events in the same . “Bestseller” tries to elucidate in a hazy manner about what goes in a publishing house and has an evident amateur rambunctiousness about it . The novel has energy but lacks the inspiration . we are never properly introduced to the characters , and thus fail to connect with them properly . A fiction requires people to build up their characters gradually so that at least audience know how to react to them . here we don't have the window to react . it's like the buffet where we actually don't have the permission to help ourselves . the theme that author has taken is on-spot and the need of the hour but after i read the novel , it just misses out so many intricacies that are far beyond political intervening , rivalry or paparazzi . i mean maybe as a reader i might be expecting a lot from the author , but the theme he took required him to delve into the subject more seriously than making it a perfect “ bollywood-screenplay”. There is a lot of spiciness and people who loved Chetan Bhagat and Durjoy will certainly love the book . the perfect balance of a novel intended to be a major -bollywood film maybe ? . the book suits it well . I am not bashing the book at all , but honestly reviewing it . I am sure many people liked the book and it surely is likeable given the fact that you could compete this book in less than 9 hours ( well, i did !!) and the “masala” aspect would surely be a hit among many . did i like the book cover ? oh yes i did but only that the content did not settle much with me well enough , given the strong theme which I feel required more than a fast read .
I give “ bestseller” 🌟🌟
I give “ bestseller” 🌟🌟
December 24, 2018
‘Bestseller’ is witty, light and humorous. Intricate and tight plot, lucid narration and quirky dialogues help make it an entertaining read!
Akshay Mathur is a fish out of water who has to take the reins of an ailing publishing house in his hands and help it remain afloat in the sea of competition. The procedures, the staff and the hidden agendas throw him off his rockers. To add fuel to the fire, his heart refuses to lend support and he falls for Zohra and Aanya, unable to identify the one who is his soulmate. This story is about Akshay’s quest to discover his true potential and rise up to every occasion with courage. Layer by layer as he unravels the perils associated with the Indian publishing industry, he learns a lesson for life. Change begins with one person. But does this really happen? Can one person change the entire scenario of the world of literature? That’s for Akshay to find out.
Read the complete review here: http://aliveshadow.com/category-bookr...
Akshay Mathur is a fish out of water who has to take the reins of an ailing publishing house in his hands and help it remain afloat in the sea of competition. The procedures, the staff and the hidden agendas throw him off his rockers. To add fuel to the fire, his heart refuses to lend support and he falls for Zohra and Aanya, unable to identify the one who is his soulmate. This story is about Akshay’s quest to discover his true potential and rise up to every occasion with courage. Layer by layer as he unravels the perils associated with the Indian publishing industry, he learns a lesson for life. Change begins with one person. But does this really happen? Can one person change the entire scenario of the world of literature? That’s for Akshay to find out.
Read the complete review here: http://aliveshadow.com/category-bookr...
April 22, 2019
Review:
The first thing I noticed about the book was the title ”Bestseller”; it instantly made me cringe from inside. Behold my friend, that was my first impression without reading what the book was actually about. I had just started the book, and couple of pages into it; the title made sense and the story started gripping me (something that happens quite rarely). I was hooked, more so because it was an unheard story, something that I haven’t read at all. What makes the book even more delightful is that it is from a point of view of an editor in the world of publishing.
Bestseller has some interesting characters that hold true to the story line. The protagonist, Akshay is an editor with principles and respect for the craft. He is witty and how, I managed to finish the book – wanting to read more of his sarcasm. Mr. Samuel, Sita, Zorah, Tarun (the CEO guy) etc all seem to add to the extensively laid performance in the book.
Writing of the book is simple, honest and flows like water down the stream. There is an absolute crispness in the dialogues which makes the book come out to be quite a distinct read.
Overall, the book is a light and enjoyable read. I wish there were more layers in the character which could have given an edge to the story line; though I understand, it would have been a difficult task looking at the pace of the story. The book is short that has just the right amount of humour to entertain you.
Book Information:
Pages: 196
Language: English
Genre: Fiction
My Rating: 3.5/5
The first thing I noticed about the book was the title ”Bestseller”; it instantly made me cringe from inside. Behold my friend, that was my first impression without reading what the book was actually about. I had just started the book, and couple of pages into it; the title made sense and the story started gripping me (something that happens quite rarely). I was hooked, more so because it was an unheard story, something that I haven’t read at all. What makes the book even more delightful is that it is from a point of view of an editor in the world of publishing.
Bestseller has some interesting characters that hold true to the story line. The protagonist, Akshay is an editor with principles and respect for the craft. He is witty and how, I managed to finish the book – wanting to read more of his sarcasm. Mr. Samuel, Sita, Zorah, Tarun (the CEO guy) etc all seem to add to the extensively laid performance in the book.
Writing of the book is simple, honest and flows like water down the stream. There is an absolute crispness in the dialogues which makes the book come out to be quite a distinct read.
Overall, the book is a light and enjoyable read. I wish there were more layers in the character which could have given an edge to the story line; though I understand, it would have been a difficult task looking at the pace of the story. The book is short that has just the right amount of humour to entertain you.
Book Information:
Pages: 196
Language: English
Genre: Fiction
My Rating: 3.5/5
April 30, 2019
• Bestseller by Ahmed Faiyaz •
.
The Bestseller is the story of Akshay, an editor who moves from London to Mumbai for a year to accomplish the arduous task of bringing up the value of a publishing house that hasn't published a new book for years. He has to achieve this feat while working with people who have no idea about what they're doing and work toward publishing books that can hardly be called that.
.
.
.
Ahmed gives us a detailed description of what goes behind publishing a book. From reading a manuscript, to editing it, deciding which ones are worth publishing, designing the cover, marketing the book, and in the end, getting the right number of books published, it is a lot of people's hard work and involves a lot of decision making which may or may not be worth it all in the end.
.
.
.
However, I couldn't connect with the book very well. Neither with the way it was written nor with how the characters were constructed. I often found the plot predictable and thought the characters lacked depth. Maybe it's just not what I was looking for, in the book, on reading the blurb? Maybe, my 15-year-old self would have appreciated it way more? I don't know. But right now, it is not something I enjoyed reading. And would give it 2 stars out of 5.
.
The Bestseller is the story of Akshay, an editor who moves from London to Mumbai for a year to accomplish the arduous task of bringing up the value of a publishing house that hasn't published a new book for years. He has to achieve this feat while working with people who have no idea about what they're doing and work toward publishing books that can hardly be called that.
.
.
.
Ahmed gives us a detailed description of what goes behind publishing a book. From reading a manuscript, to editing it, deciding which ones are worth publishing, designing the cover, marketing the book, and in the end, getting the right number of books published, it is a lot of people's hard work and involves a lot of decision making which may or may not be worth it all in the end.
.
.
.
However, I couldn't connect with the book very well. Neither with the way it was written nor with how the characters were constructed. I often found the plot predictable and thought the characters lacked depth. Maybe it's just not what I was looking for, in the book, on reading the blurb? Maybe, my 15-year-old self would have appreciated it way more? I don't know. But right now, it is not something I enjoyed reading. And would give it 2 stars out of 5.
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