Southern sojourn --- Ahmed Faiyaz's latest book, Bestseller, is a ring-side view of the publishing industry with all its flaws and
npriya Singh
A Bollywood actor past his prime, a la-di-da society lady, an IITian with a successful startup, a politician; the publishing world truly brings together the motley crew of successful, has-beens and wannabe writers and how.
Author Ahmed Faiyaz’s latest book (5th if you are counting), titled Bestseller, is a ring-side view of an industry he truly admires with all its flaws and beauty intact. “It’s a fascinating world as it brings readers and writers together, readers for the entertainment and knowledge books give them and for writers it’s a dream come true to be published,” he shares during a brief halt in the Chandigarh while on a promotional tour spanning India.For someone who grew up on books, courtesy tons of books from the library his father owned, he has experienced the industry from all aspects; as a reader, publisher and, of course, as a writer. “When I started as a writer in 2010, travelled, attended lit fests, I just happen to closely observe the workings of the publishing world, so the book definitely contains nuggets of my experiences and lot of little stories in the industry put together in a fictional format.”
Akshay Mathur is an out of work editor of a defunct literary magazine in the UK, who has moved to India to turnaround Kalim, an ailing Indian publisher. But he has just one year to do so. To complicate things further, he has to contend with a plethora of misfits working for the publishing house as well as wannabe writers, including an ageing Bollywood heart-throb. And then there’s Zorah, the daughter of the publisher, and also vivacious Anya.Having tasted success with his debut Love, Life and All That Jazz, Another Chance and Scammed, this one surprisingly took six long years to come out.
Of cinematic adaptations
Books are just a part of the story, his actual passion lies in storytelling, “now be that story telling through my books or films and short films,” and that’s how the film making course in Prague in 2012 happened. As for this one, “None other than the likes of Purab Kohli or Ayushman Khurrana or Abhay Deol can play the protagonist Akshay,” adds the author currently settled in Dubai.
manpriya@tribunemail.com
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