Ahmedabad, India – Book marketing and selling is a very complex process, and more than 100 factors affect the entire process.

Online portals selling books made it even more difficult for bookstores and offline booksellers. And Covid made the process as the whole of offline selling almost obsolete. The entire community of booksellers, wholesalers, small book stores, vendors, and publishers worldwide went bankrupt, and millions of such businesses closed down. Many libraries also closed down, which was the saddest part for book lovers across the globe, including Ashutosh Rawal. He had just finished writing a book during the lockdown, and he was looking for a publisher and new ways to sell the book offline.

Book Giveaway Campaign in Ahmedabad:

As Ashutosh Rawal is learning the ropes and brainstorming about new ways for publishing, marketing, and PR to promote his self-published book, he came across a novel idea of helping the booksellers sell books at the crossroads, railway stations, and on the street stalls.

He strongly feels that Giving is not just about donating and about making a difference. Touching lives is more important than selling book copies, and this idea triggered this fantastic & unique campaign.
These people, who are last in the chain of bookselling and put in the maximum amount of hard work, earn the least amount of money when they sell the books. They are the last in the line of the retail chain, and nobody thinks about them. They are almost invisible in the entire process of bookselling. However, they are toiling on the road, hot summer, heavy rains, or cold winters.

As an author and publisher, Ashutosh Rawal thinks that to sell a book, one needs to “Give First” and then expect the book sales to pick up. He strongly feels that one needs to have a philanthropist mindset while designing the marketing plan for the book. And more importantly, the philanthropist’s activity should not be done with the expectation of returns, and it should be done keeping in mind the well-being of the people who are the last but crucial part of the entire selling chain.

He designed the campaign to donate five books, completely free of cost, to these booksellers on the road or railway stations or at the crossroads. They have to sell the book and keep all the money with themselves, and they do not have to pay anything to the Author or publisher. This is like a gift from the Author to them. Or rather, one can say that it’s a tribute to these booksellers for their hard work and efforts on the road. He thinks that “Giving does not precede receiving; it is the reason for it; it is in giving that we receive.”

He has already started this campaign from his hometown of Ahmedabad and is looking for book lovers from across India to join and help him. His initial target is to reach out to 40 cities across India. Anyone reading this article and who would like to be a part of this unique giveaway campaign may reach out to him through social media channels. He wants to involve as many book lovers as possible and create a new wave of kindness and sensitivity towards people struggling on the roads selling bestsellers. They are real heroes.

All they have to do is identify such roadside sellers in their city or area, and they should be willing to reach out to them. Ashutosh Rawal will ship the books to them without any cost. Once they receive the books, they must donate these copies to respective roadside booksellers.

Yes, there are 200 + books to be given across several cities across India. It is an excellent opportunity for true book lovers and enthusiastic readers to reach out to him. One needs to provide a couple of hours of their time and make a world of difference in the life of these booksellers and vendors.

Come and be a part of this “First-of-its-Kind” initiative across India and help us create a new history. It’s high time we acknowledge the efforts of these silent booksellers and reward them for their hard work.

About the Book

The book is titled: WHY I’M Crazy About Japan

The answer to the above question is the whole book…! The book is very fast climbing up the charts of the best-selling book in the Specialty Travel category.

Book-lovers who have not read the book yet must order a copy and read it first. He interestingly narrates real-life experiences in Japan in the book, and it feels like the next bestseller on the list. This book talks about the people of Japan and their unquestionable sincerity in everything that they do. Every chapter talks about a minor incident and how it changed the vision and the life of the Author.

The Author shares these stories in a very light & witty manner to make understanding easy for readers of all age groups. Routine, day-to-day interactions with people on the streets, at his university, or in the restaurant had a massive impact on his perception of life.

There is a life lesson to be learned at the end of each chapter but delivered very subtly and effectively. Today, young readers may run away if someone tries to preach heavy knowledge to them. Hence, Ashutosh Rawal touches the funny bone and instantly connects with the millennials. Some chapters are downright hilarious but successfully send the underlying more profound message.