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30 reviews for:

Bestseller

Ahmed Faiyaz

3.48 AVERAGE

garima08's review

3.0

Bestseller, an intriguing story by Ahmed Faiyaz brings to the readers an insight about the realities of the publishing industry. Honestly, it is quite the bold move. And the way in which in nuances of the same have been presented is quite engaging.

The story starts with the introduction of our protagonist - Akshay Mathur, the ex-Editor of a magazine in UK who has now come to India, Kalim publishing house to be specific for a new start. But looks like the stars are definitely not in his favour because his arrival has a butterfly effect in the fragile ecosystem of the publishing industry. Things definitely get interesting.

Throughout the book you come across real life, misfit characters who are trying to bring the protagonist down in every way possible. The pace of the story is decent enough to keep up with and the simple language makes it quite easy to engage with.



The cover is eye catching and the blurb is intriguing enough for you to read more.

At times, you might feel that certain descriptions and situations are dragging out unnecessarily, but that is the hinglish barrier that writers try to overcome when using the Queen's language to portray the average Indian life.

Overall, the book is about possibilities, drama, hilarity and a good dose of sarcasm. I'll be recommending this book as a light read.

ankita_g's review

2.0

Full review: https://wordpress.com/post/peekabook42.wordpress.com/230

I am surprised by the (very) high rating this book has on Goodreads. With the misleading blurb and the buzz that the author managed to create on bookstagram about this book, the author/publisher were, in practice, far more successful in creating a “bestseller” out of this hollow book than the characters did in the story. Its hype is the ultimate example of how bestsellers are actually “made” – it doesn’t matter what is written inside, its how you sell it. You don’t actually need to read this book to understand that. The book would only confuse, if not frustrate you.

Being a realistic book about what goes in the publishing houses, this was a delight to read. The plot was slightly sluggish but the characters made up for it. The characters portrayed by the author were exceedingly interesting and most of the times they kept me hooked to the book. The theme of the book is something I've never read before and I had a lot of fun knowing what goes in publishing houses. Bestseller is a combination of romance, humour, politics, bollywood and drama. The language used by the author is plain and that makes the reading easy.
There were two things I disliked about the book. First, the sexist comments made on Zorah but I guess it was just a part of the character development. Second, the second half of the book seemed a little slow than the first half which may make it difficult for some readers to finish the book.
Other than that, the book was an absolute delight. I would definitely love to read more on this theme and by this author.

Bestseller by Ahmed Faiyaz is a hilarious satire on the Indian publishing industry. The content is very fresh, interesting and it is a light read. This book gives an insight into the 'behind the scenes' of the publishing industry. The plot was quite different and there was not a boring moment in the entire book.

The plot revolves around Akshay Mathur, a literary editor who has lost his job in the UK and has moved to India to turnaround and revamp Kalim, an old publishing house in India. And he has only a year ahead to prove himself and bring Kalim in the limelight. What follows is an amazing journey filled with twists and turns and lots of funny instances. Read the book to enjoy and know more about Akshay Mathur's story.

The book is a complete page-turner. It is fast-paced and written in an easy and lucid language. The writing style is great and the narration was on point. The story touches on various themes and is absolutely an enjoyable read. The characters are very well developed. Akshay's sarcasm and witty nature make him all the more delightful! I really enjoyed reading this book. The plot is a perfect mixture of comic elements and other themes like romance, drama and wit.

This quick and light read is indeed an amazing read! Definitely recommended. You'll surely enjoy this delightful book.

aworldinpages's review

3.0

3.5 stars.
Review soon.

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.

sachin123's review

3.0

Bestseller - by ahmed faiyaz is a story  of akshay, who has came back from london due to his unsuccessful attempt at writing a book and being an editor of a publishing house. After joining an old publishing house in india ,He is set with a challenge to publish 5-6 bestseller within a year otherwise he will have to look for another job.When the story unfolds we come across all the intricacies behind publishing a book. Despite being one of the biggest industries ,Publishing has been a fairly unknown profession.This book depicts all the details that goes into the book business. It also explains "why the bestseller you bought is not so good" .Subtle Humour makes you chuckle at times. Only thing I didn't like about the book is that it's little repetitive and character development is almost close to none. Overall it is a good read.
paprisoren's profile picture

paprisoren's review

4.0

Name : Best seller
Genre: Fiction
Author: @ahmedfaiyazofficial 💮
The story starts with Akshay Mathur who was a failed author in UK. He got fired from his job & then comes to Mumbai to join as a editor at Kalim Publishers. The firm once was a successfull but not now. His boss Angus Lee gives him the target to give atleast 5 bestseller within one year. But its easier said than its done. The protagonist falls for Zorah, his former boss's daughter. Inspite of having zero skills some known faces get the chance to publish their book? So what happens? Will he succeed? Will he be able to maintain his reputation as editor as well as firm's reputation?
💮
I love the narrative. Its a easy breezy fresh story. Language is simple. I wouldn't have known what really happens behind the curtains if i would not read this novel. Like how much effort they put in to publish, to edit also the marketing strategic to promote the books. The author has shown the harsh truth of publishing world. The political pressure, media pressure. I love the transformation of Akshay from being an honest to a calculative, witty person. But i feel the female characters have been described poorly. Like zorah, while i was reading i felt zorah could've been more. The words that have been used to describe her were not appropriate. And some of the characters have been dragged up overly i.e Roshan Khan.
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If you wanna pick up a light reading or wanna know about publishing industry or just a beginner i would recommend this book.
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My rate: 3.5/5

Simple and easy to read book!!

pratyushasen's review

2.0

This is a book about a man who returned to India from London as he was out of work there. He starts working in a dying publishing house and is given a team and goals to achieve.

Right from the start, he gets sucked into the world of politics, bollywood and books that are hardly any good.

The book was funny at certain points. But it was cringe-worthy when portraying female characters. Zorah (one of the many female characters) had the maximum part in this book and still her only descriptions were of her figure. Her attributes were more like what the lead character thought about her and not her true self.

I should stop reading books written by Indian men writing through the perspective of Indian men.

Would not recommend it to anyone. Skip this book. You have nothing to lose.