Excerpt from one of my favorite books of all time – Linchpin (Seth Godin).
Seth quotes Moby, multiplatinum recording artist with a great haircut, who had this to say about art:
Ideally, the market should accommodate art, art shouldn’t accommodate the market… I know, it sounds idealistic. I had been trying to make myself happy and make radio happy and make the label happy and make the press happy… and it made me miserable.
I also don’t really aspire to sell too many records. See, my friends who are writers sell 20,000 books and they’re happy. My friends who are theatre directors sell 5,000 tickets during a run and they’re happy.
I like the idea of humble and reasonable metrics for determining the success of a record. And I like the idea of respecting the sacred bond that exists between musician and listener.
Back to me, is it possible for us to make the artists (in this case the authors) less miserable? The authors are also hardcore humans like us who have to do physical workouts, spend hours in traffic, handle the ever-demanding boss, show up at the community events, attend to endless laundry list and still exhibit the stance of a saint…. and top it all write to feed their soul. With the hope to touch yours.
Also Read: Eating Wasps by Anita Nair
Here are my humble requests to you in this Valentine’s special edition of Storizen. Whenever you go to a book launch (or a book event), just go and buy a copy of the book to show your love for the author (or books or both).
Take that extra few minutes out to find out the price of the book and check your card balance for that amount. Do this and your love will transcend through the author to great books in the future.
My dear publisher (or the event coordinator), here’s an equally humble request to you. The reader, who came all the way for the book event, make them feel special. By providing a special discount, if they buy the copy on that day (or in the near future).
Take that pain to collect their name, email, and number and send them a message of Gratitude and Love (even if they don’t buy a book).
Also Read: Every Day is Mother’s Day
To all my friends in the publishing ecosystem, thank you for bringing great books and enriching my life. I love you all.
(Written by Mukesh Rijhwani)
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