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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
Bestseller is a quirky take on the publishing industry in India. It introduces us to Akshay Mathur, an out-of-work editor from UK, who has been given the charge of turnaround a derelict publishing House in Mumbai. The book introduces us to various twisted characters who come to the publishing house with their stories and hopes. Each wannabe author lends a different angle to the story. The struggles of Akshay in keeping things afloat amid a bossy boss, a too-close-to-comfort friend and juggling manuscripts are funny yet relatable. It is a tale of how a person can use the resources available to him to produce the best.
There are multiple things that work in the book’s favour. The story is short, simple and easy to understand. The quirks of each character, be it a movie star, or a best selling author or even a politician, are captured wonderfully. The moments where Akshay is flustered or is mad can be understood and even related to the events in one’s life.
In short, Bestseller is bound to be a bestseller.
My review, definite read. It will make you smile at each turn.
There are multiple things that work in the book’s favour. The story is short, simple and easy to understand. The quirks of each character, be it a movie star, or a best selling author or even a politician, are captured wonderfully. The moments where Akshay is flustered or is mad can be understood and even related to the events in one’s life.
In short, Bestseller is bound to be a bestseller.
My review, definite read. It will make you smile at each turn.
Akshay Mathur, the protagonist of this story, a divorcee in his thirties, lost his job as an editorial in UK, and he is back to India, to Kalim Publishing House. He is given a period of one whole year to prove his potential and to publish 5 bestselling books. Kalim Publishing House, was successful in publishing the bestsellers, back in those days. But, in past few years, it has not received much of any work. The irony is that, Mr Kalim, the owner of Kalim publishing house, dies on the day when Akshay joins the office. And Akshay is made the Head Editorial and has thrusted the responsibility upon. Kalim’s daughter Zorah, leaves the job at advertisement agency, and joins Kalim Publishing House to assist Akshay. We get to see the instant chemistry between Zorah and Akshay.
There are characters whom we can relate, Roshan Khan, an obnoxious Bollywood star, who is full of himself, is set to release his autobiography. Annya Malik, a beautiful young lady, an author of erotic novels, who can go to any lengths to get her book published. There are politicians who wants to gain people’s votes, by publishing their book. There are new budding authors, movie adaptations, publicity stunts, success parties.
As a reader, it gives us insights on the process of how a bestseller book lands into our bookshelves. Starting from writing a book, reading manuscripts, editing, adding some spice, publishing, success parties, movie adaptations, all of it. The story is realistic and honest and not something that is made up. It is a light hearted, easy read. The writing style and the structure is simple. I love the mental dialogue going on in Akshay’s mind, that makes you laugh to great lengths. I liked Akshay’s wittiness but it was also quite contradictory at times. You get to see the struggles, ups and downs, rivalry, competition, jealousy, romance, humour, everything in right proportion, which makes it an enjoyable read. The author has put in a lot of effort of introducing too many characters, which was not required. The story gets quite predictable in the end, but also interesting to know how the story proceeds. The cover is so bright and breezy. The theme is really different, an engaging story, which can be finished in a few sittings.
There are characters whom we can relate, Roshan Khan, an obnoxious Bollywood star, who is full of himself, is set to release his autobiography. Annya Malik, a beautiful young lady, an author of erotic novels, who can go to any lengths to get her book published. There are politicians who wants to gain people’s votes, by publishing their book. There are new budding authors, movie adaptations, publicity stunts, success parties.
As a reader, it gives us insights on the process of how a bestseller book lands into our bookshelves. Starting from writing a book, reading manuscripts, editing, adding some spice, publishing, success parties, movie adaptations, all of it. The story is realistic and honest and not something that is made up. It is a light hearted, easy read. The writing style and the structure is simple. I love the mental dialogue going on in Akshay’s mind, that makes you laugh to great lengths. I liked Akshay’s wittiness but it was also quite contradictory at times. You get to see the struggles, ups and downs, rivalry, competition, jealousy, romance, humour, everything in right proportion, which makes it an enjoyable read. The author has put in a lot of effort of introducing too many characters, which was not required. The story gets quite predictable in the end, but also interesting to know how the story proceeds. The cover is so bright and breezy. The theme is really different, an engaging story, which can be finished in a few sittings.
Rating - 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bestseller is a satirical story inspired by real-life incidents based on a publishing house. The plot is a mixture of humour, drama, romance and politics.
The story starts with Akshay Mathur, our protagonist, a failed writer, moving to India from the UK. He is here to join Kalim publishing house, which is in the edge of sinking and his task is to make at least 5 bestsellers in a year so that Kalim get the old fame and success back.
Akshay working with some misfit colleagues is trying to pick good content from the garbage. Here, we can see the struggle, hard work and also the frustration of an editor of a publishing house. We can meet many authors who want to publish their content, claiming it to be the best. It's really sarcastic when Akshay make funny comments in his mind while talking to the characters, Sudhir, Roshan Khan, Anya etc. I didn't expect a love story from this book. But, our author, Mr Ahmed Faiyaz well executed it in a funny manner. So, there is love between Akshay and Zoya, daughter of Kalim. As usual, where is love there will be break up..and then a patch up. This book is full of twists and turns. How Akshay picked the content, the making of the bestselling book, the marketing strategies. I totally loved the witty, funny and sarcastic representation. And I finished it in 2 sittings. Thank you @ahmedfaiyazofficial for the book. And we must appreciate his 5-year hard work. It is worth reading.
This book helped me understand how a publishing house really works inside. (FYI: I don't think every publishing house works that way but mostly the startups) TBH, I would never want to work in a publishing company like the one in this book. Not at all. Not even for billion dollars. The author has made it look so bad that all they ever focused on was the money they are going to get from selling biographies of the already famous actors or by selling eroticas and soppy romances and not bothering to even read the manuscripts of good books. But I guess that's what the author has intended to bring forward from this story.
It's a comical satire which has a protagonist name Akshay Saxena who comes from London to India after losing his job to join in a publishing house which is already losing its name. And this book is all about his journey in this company. Above everything, I loved his mind voices which the author has managed to pull off along with his dialogues. They were very funny because he was cynical, witty and was always at the edge of losing his temper.
Now the things I didn't like about the book was writing and objectification of women. I don't know how many of the readers noticed that but it really bothered me. Knowingly or unknowingly, every female character in this book is plainly whiny, sexual, hot or good for nothing. Like, come on, there is more to female characters than just that. Honestly, that was really irritating and don't even start me on that.
Other than that it's an easy read which you can definitely opt for light reading.
It's a comical satire which has a protagonist name Akshay Saxena who comes from London to India after losing his job to join in a publishing house which is already losing its name. And this book is all about his journey in this company. Above everything, I loved his mind voices which the author has managed to pull off along with his dialogues. They were very funny because he was cynical, witty and was always at the edge of losing his temper.
Now the things I didn't like about the book was writing and objectification of women. I don't know how many of the readers noticed that but it really bothered me. Knowingly or unknowingly, every female character in this book is plainly whiny, sexual, hot or good for nothing. Like, come on, there is more to female characters than just that. Honestly, that was really irritating and don't even start me on that.
Other than that it's an easy read which you can definitely opt for light reading.
The cover of the book forced me to pick up the book. Also I heard good things about the book so thought of reading it and giving my own opinion on it. Bestseller is based on the life of people who works in publishing companies.
The story follows the journey of Aditya, who was sent to India after he lost his job in The UK due to recession. He found himself in an old publishing house- Kalim Publishers and was given the responsibility to publish atleast 5 bestsellers in a year. The condition of the publishing house was so bad that Aditya was skeptical at first but later on got the motivation. He was given the weirdest team which made his life a bit difficult but he enjoyed doing his work. Will he be able to fulfill his goal of publishing the bestsellers?
The story is a wonderful compilation of different stories combined into one. I liked how the author projected the life of publishers in the book. I used to think that Publisher's lives are so easy and fun, they just have to read books and print the ones they find good. But there is nothing like that, their job is so stressful and hectic. I loved learning about them. The twists and turns in the storyline made it difficult for me to keep the book down.
A lovely book with the elements of romance, comedy , success , failure and corruption. The author was able to express the emotions of the characters beautifully. The narration is smooth and the book is well paced. I loved how the author has developed its characters. The language was easy and understandable. Overall it is a light and a quick read.
Definitely Recommended!
The story follows the journey of Aditya, who was sent to India after he lost his job in The UK due to recession. He found himself in an old publishing house- Kalim Publishers and was given the responsibility to publish atleast 5 bestsellers in a year. The condition of the publishing house was so bad that Aditya was skeptical at first but later on got the motivation. He was given the weirdest team which made his life a bit difficult but he enjoyed doing his work. Will he be able to fulfill his goal of publishing the bestsellers?
The story is a wonderful compilation of different stories combined into one. I liked how the author projected the life of publishers in the book. I used to think that Publisher's lives are so easy and fun, they just have to read books and print the ones they find good. But there is nothing like that, their job is so stressful and hectic. I loved learning about them. The twists and turns in the storyline made it difficult for me to keep the book down.
A lovely book with the elements of romance, comedy , success , failure and corruption. The author was able to express the emotions of the characters beautifully. The narration is smooth and the book is well paced. I loved how the author has developed its characters. The language was easy and understandable. Overall it is a light and a quick read.
Definitely Recommended!
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.
~
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.
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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.
• 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.
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.
Bestseller by Ahmed Faiyaz gives us an insight into the world of publishing houses and how much effort is needed to make a book bestseller. And as an outsider, I found it really intriguing.
Akshay Mathur, an out of work editor for a magazine in the UK and a failed author, has been asked to move to India and rebuild a once renowned publication house run by Iqbal Kalim. It seems like an impossible task for him considering the condition of the publication house with no potential working staff.
The language is super easy and narration is well formed. The best part of the book was Akshay's satirical comments on others and some in his head. There are so many diverse characters like a wannabe author, a self-proclaimed, self-publicist, self-everything celebrity, a desperate author, an overexcited CEO, politicians and one or two sane characters as well.
It is not only a simple straight book about publishing books but also has a lot of twist and turns, planning and plotting, envy and a little bit of romance.
It is a fast paced book and can be completed in one sitting as it doesn't bore you out, not even once. This book is a lot of things but for the most part, it's hilarious and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Akshay Mathur, an out of work editor for a magazine in the UK and a failed author, has been asked to move to India and rebuild a once renowned publication house run by Iqbal Kalim. It seems like an impossible task for him considering the condition of the publication house with no potential working staff.
The language is super easy and narration is well formed. The best part of the book was Akshay's satirical comments on others and some in his head. There are so many diverse characters like a wannabe author, a self-proclaimed, self-publicist, self-everything celebrity, a desperate author, an overexcited CEO, politicians and one or two sane characters as well.
It is not only a simple straight book about publishing books but also has a lot of twist and turns, planning and plotting, envy and a little bit of romance.
It is a fast paced book and can be completed in one sitting as it doesn't bore you out, not even once. This book is a lot of things but for the most part, it's hilarious and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
After a terrible reading slump and a spree of reading books that were completely off my genre, Bestseller by Ahmed Faiyaz brought a gush of fresh air. With a tinge of drama, a kick of humor and a satirical dig, the Bestseller indeed justifies its name.
The book is a satirical take on the publishing industry and is loosely based on real events. I have always been intrigued with how this industry functions and the book has made a good attempt in providing some insights in to the inside story. The protagonist of the story is Akshay Mathur who migrates to India from UK in search for riper opportunities in the industry and a chance to redeem his career. Another prime character of the novel is the vivacious Zorah Kalim who works very closely with Akshay. There are a few more supporting characters, some annoy you with their lunacies and some play a short yet crucial role in shaping the story. The personality of each character is very well defined and the airtime given to each one is judiciously done.
The story is fast paced, and it is indeed un-put-down-able. The narration is so lucid that it forces the reader to visualize the scenes and paints a clear yet vivid picture in the background of your mind. There isn’t a single moment when I got bored. The author has moved way beyond story-writing skill. He has ensured the book is a page turner indeed. The dialogues are colloquial and it can be quite annoying for a literary fanatic, but it went well with the entire storyline except for Tarun’s character, which I felt could have been a little less dense.
The author has craftily punched the truth into the wit thus making the reader question the publishing industry – its existence and its deliverables. The harsh reality is painted with strokes of humor and ends up as one of the most entertaining and “masala” book I have read this year.
The book is a satirical take on the publishing industry and is loosely based on real events. I have always been intrigued with how this industry functions and the book has made a good attempt in providing some insights in to the inside story. The protagonist of the story is Akshay Mathur who migrates to India from UK in search for riper opportunities in the industry and a chance to redeem his career. Another prime character of the novel is the vivacious Zorah Kalim who works very closely with Akshay. There are a few more supporting characters, some annoy you with their lunacies and some play a short yet crucial role in shaping the story. The personality of each character is very well defined and the airtime given to each one is judiciously done.
The story is fast paced, and it is indeed un-put-down-able. The narration is so lucid that it forces the reader to visualize the scenes and paints a clear yet vivid picture in the background of your mind. There isn’t a single moment when I got bored. The author has moved way beyond story-writing skill. He has ensured the book is a page turner indeed. The dialogues are colloquial and it can be quite annoying for a literary fanatic, but it went well with the entire storyline except for Tarun’s character, which I felt could have been a little less dense.
The author has craftily punched the truth into the wit thus making the reader question the publishing industry – its existence and its deliverables. The harsh reality is painted with strokes of humor and ends up as one of the most entertaining and “masala” book I have read this year.