Sales, Self-Doubt & Sweets: A Debut Author's Festival Season

Festivals, irrespective of which side of the Earth we stand on, mean almost the same- warmth of sharing with smiles ending with laughter.

- Richa Sharma, Author of Finding Home Again

Emotions run on a similar platform for us debut authors too, with a slight detour into our book world.

Before I move further, let's clear the basics first. Who is a debut author? Anyone who has published their first book, irrespective of their achievements or lack of it in any other field. The term debut author, is in fact the great leveller, bringing us all in the same bracket.

For us authors, especially those who have come out in the world with their very first book, festivals increase our newly acquired obsession with sales and marketing. All of us, a few openly and many covertly, wait for sales results. We are regularly advised to increase our reach and target readers for the holiday season. Holiday promotions, book readings, offline and online, festival specific themed releases are just a few from the list. Some of us do it too but many of us continue to stay recluse. Nevertheless, we all hope for a miracle, for our books to land in our reader's lap. When others are waiting for gifts, we wait for sales numbers, more so we wait for reviews. In India, Dussehra and Diwali take up centre stage during the holiday season. So, for us writers, these holidays have our specific touch.