Surekha Vijh –
Amish Tripathi, known by his first name Amish, is the fastest selling author in India and thought of as the new sensation among Indian youth. He recently traveled to the US to publicize his latest book Scion of Ikshvaku.
An astounding success with his first three books The Immortals of Meluha. The Secret of the Nagas, and The Oath of the Vayuputras. Readers look forward to his latest books, which includeScion of Ikshvaku and Sita: Warrior of Mithila.
The first three books collectively comprise his Shiva Trilogyand the latter two are the first of the Ram Chandra Series which he says will be a collection of five books.
The Shiva Trilogy became the fastest selling book series in Indian publishing history while the Ram Chandra Series has become the second fastest selling book series in Indian publishing history.
The Shiva Trilogy collectively sold over 2.5 million copies, earning it the distinction of being the fastest-selling series in the history of Indian publishing.
In the Indian market, where large sale volumes of books are rare, Amish’s books have been extremely successful. The success of his novels is credited to his marketing skills and strategies.
He agrees that his management background along with his marketing experience has been helpful in devising effective strategies for promoting his books. “It’s a fallacy to think that a good book sells itself,” he says.
Forbes India has ranked Amish among the top 100 celebrities in Indiain 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018. He was also selected as an Eisenhower Fellow, an exclusive program for outstanding leaders from around the world.
Weeks before The Immortals of Meluha hit the bookshops, Tripathi printed sample copies of the first chapter and persuaded bookshops and chains to give them away free to anyone who approached the cash counter, which created a buzz. He also made presentations to big retail chains, visited smaller retailers, met local distributors, and regularly sent email updates to various stakeholders. He targeted social media websites for promoting his debut novel, and made a trailer film with a background score reportedly composed by Taufiq Qureshi and uploaded it on YouTube.
Amish, with his charming personality and boyish looks, says he is humbled by the success of his books, which also makes him more committed to the process of writing. He was also a guest speaker at the Embassy of India in Washington DC.
The Immortals of Meluha was the first book he ever wrote. “I never wrote a word of literature before,” he smiles.
Writing has changed him as a person too, he was as an atheist as a teenager, and like most teenagers, would rebel against his parents’ authority. But a transformation took place in him after he wrote the book, The Immortals of Meluha turned him into a believer and a Shiva devotee.
The Shiva-trilogy is a fantasy re-imagining of the Indian deity Lord Shiva‘s life and his adventures. It is widely gaining popularity.
The Secret of the Nagas has been released in the UK through Jo Fletcher Books (an imprint of Quercus Books) under the Ram Chandra Series.
Scion of Ikshvaku has won him the Crossword Book Award for Best Popular Award[ . This is the first book in the Ram Chandra Series. Like the Shiva Trilogy, this serious is a fantasy re-imagining of the Indian epic Ramayana. It follows the story of Ram and is a prequel to the Shiva Trilogy.
Amish released two new novels in 2018. One of them is his first non-fiction book while the other is its sequel.
Scion of Ikshvaku, from the Ramachandra Series with name Sita: Warrior of Mithila opened at No. 1 on the national bestseller lists. It was the highest selling book of 2018. He also launched his first non-fiction book, Immortal India.
Amish Tripathi was born in Mumbai on 18 October 1974 and grew up near Rourkela, Odisha. He attended St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai and Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. He then worked for 14 years in the financial services industry, in companies such as Standard Chartered, DBS Bank, and IDBI Federal Life Insurance, before beginning his writing career.
Referring to his writing process, Amish says he likes to believe that there is a higher source. He says he just follows his heart, once he sits at his desk, he lets his imagination roll.
“After that, I have no influence on my writing, it just follows its own path,” he adds.