Hello. Good evening everyone. Welcome to yet another episode of the bookbot Theory. Today we are going to be in conversation with book Lagnajita Chatterjee, brilliant children's writer, to share a bit about her. Lagnajita Chatterjee is a postgraduate from the University of Bhutwan, West Bengal. She has been in the teaching profession for the last 16 years. She believes that a childlike innocence resides in the hearts of all humans
Thanks Namrata thank you team bookbot greetings of the day to all. I hope all are doing good. Well Namrata, the first question I would like to give you is that a person who is passionate, you know, in his creative skills, especially about writing, will think about publishing his writing just like I thought, to bring the words in a book so that it is available to my readers and my children can read and laugh it out loud
The Bookbot Theory
@Bookbot · 4:24
So he has invested in his book and he did buy those many copies. So with that, the publisher also gains a lot of confidence that, okay, this person knows what they are talking about. They have a marketing plan. They are willing to invest in their book by buying x number of copies and trying to push and promote it. So these things are equally important. Publishers today are not just looking at writers who write well
I see, because I have read authors, I have seen them who really have a good hand at writing. But traditional publishers, they straightaway deny they don't accept their writing. They don't accept to publish with them. For them. Do they only work up on face value? Will they never give chance to budding writers? Will theory never let us allow our dreams to take some flight to take and fly high? While awaiting your answer
The Bookbot Theory
@Bookbot · 4:25
So the effort that needs to be put by the author will definitely be higher. See, every month these publishing houses keep coming up with lot of titles, so they mix and match. Some are with very popular authors, some are which are completely debut or new authors. So they try to push the popular authors more so that their sales gets balanced compared to the debut authors. And it takes a while. The author also needs to have a brand
That how much time should a writer actually expect? Yes. How much years should I give? It's not, of course, about months, but years, I suppose. How many. How many is the ideal time that I can say that he would guide me, that a writer should give to become known
The Bookbot Theory
@Bookbot · 4:29
And it's like for everyone who asks me, how can I keep talking about my book, my subscribers or followers will get busy. My only question is, if not you, then who? You have to take pride in that work. You have to keep talking. You have to keep talking. It is very important. There are very famous authors who have actually said that. I treat this like a business. It's a shop
I completely agree to what you say. Yes, authors have to try in their own way, in the best way possible, along with perseverance, patience, performance not only of writing, but also of reaching out to people and the social media and other marketing skills that you see to become known well. But these marketing and publishing kill also needs investment, isn't it? So would you just tell us what would the right amount that one should spend on publishing and marketing?
The Bookbot Theory
@Bookbot · 4:51
That again is a very huge investment, especially when you don't even know whether you'll be able to sell them or not. So if at all, there is a very new raw debut author who approaches me. How I prefer to proceed with them is let's release a Kindle edition first. Market it. Market it the hell out like it should be everywhere. Talk about it, promote it
Well, that's, again, an interesting fact to know about you, about your marketing strategy. And how should we go about it? Well, I suppose you will again get another very strange question from me, but I cannot avoid asking that how does one become a bestselling author? What? All is needed
The Bookbot Theory
@Bookbot · 4:02
Or does it mean winning a book, a prize? What does being a bestseller mean? Bestselling author the word bestseller actually has a very personal definition for everyone. If you ask a publisher, they have a very different definition of a best selling title. If you ask an author, they would have a very different definition of being a best selling title
I want to see those three ones. The book book Lagnajita Chatterjee title inside a nice bookstore, inside the mantelpiece showcase there. And the glass cases will just reflect my book there. And children will stop to take a look and they would get it in their hand and of course they will buy. But it is again a challenge. How should an author go there and reach out to readers? How should they keep their books in the bookstores? What are the ways out to participate?
The Bookbot Theory
@Bookbot · 4:26
How many people will actually walk into those bookstores? Asking for your book to aspire is good, but to spend immediately in the first two, three years of your getting published or not having worked on your online brand, this is not something that I would recommend to any author. Distribution means huge amounts of money and by huge we are talking in six to seven digits. It also involves huge number of copies of your book. Again, we are looking at anything above 300 to 500 to 1000 copies
Yes, it is a big competition nowadays. I see it's a good place people say to be in, and you should be physically present with your book. But many authors cannot do so. They cannot be present. But also, another part is that I see that there is a big competition between the budding authors and the critically acclaimed authors. How can this challenge, how can this challenge and difference be minimized or erased? Will it really be erased? Well, I don't know
The Bookbot Theory
@Bookbot · 4:49
And just with this thought, if every author just continues to work and give their 100% to it, trust me, there is actually no competition. And if you speak to some of the biggest names, you will realize they don't work like that. They also actually work like this. See, look at Perumal Murugan, who's been receiving so many awards, who's so critically acclaimed, he just refuses to be on social media. He refuses to attend any award ceremonies or give interviews
Well, the light that you have thrown upon all the questions that I have asked the clarity of mind that I have received now and the hope in my words I'm sure you can feel it yes, is incomparable to anything else today is a bright day I suppose for myself and I thank you I thank you immensely from the bottom of my heart I thank God for bringing me in connection with people like you who give us always the right opinion who make us choose the right choice rather I would say this way yes, competition I am myself my own competition I should play a healthy competition with myself yesterday and today am I better today than yesterday?
The Bookbot Theory
@Bookbot · 1:28
In case you have any questions on book marketing or any challenges that you are facing, please feel free to tag and ask your questions here. I would love to answer all of them. And in case you're looking for Lagnajita's work, I have just inserted the link to this one to her latest work called Knuckle Trilogy which I am also going to be reading this weekend. I hope you enjoy reading this book and if you do, please leave comments. You share your thoughts with the author
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15
Thanks Namrata. Thanks you once again. I'll reach out to you whenever I need. Whenever I require or even not require. Of course we have shared a good relation and let the friendly relation continue. I would hope that. And thank you. Have a good day. Good night. Bye bye. And I have again attached a link a waiting for your response over the weekend about my nakultralogy. Bye