KOCHI: Selling 11,000 copies of a book in just 170 days is something unusual in Kerala. But the biography of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Malayalam titled ‘Narendra Modi: Navabharathathinte Nayakan’ (Narendra Modi: Leader of Modern India) has done this magic. Published on December 13 last year by Justice V R Krishna Iyer, over 11,000 copies of the book has been sold till date.
Buddha Books, the publishers of the book, has garnered around `22 lakh from this single book. Though the publication house, based in Angamaly, was launched recently -- in May 2013, with this book the company has made its presence felt in the book world. “When Modi became the Prime Minister of India, we received 826 calls in a couple of days asking for the book,” said A T Santhosh Kumar, managing director, Buddha Books.
“We received 5,000 orders for the book during pre-publication offer. After that, three editions were printed with 2,000 copies each. We get enquiries from across the country and overseas for the book. This is the fourth title published by us and the reception for the book has been overwhelming,” he added.
The announcement of Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate by the BJP had literally ignited a biography boom in the country and Kerala was no exception. At present , over 60 titles in different languages are available on Narendra Modi. ‘Narendra Modi: Navabharathathinte Nayakan’ has 22 chapters and a full-length interview that Modi gave to news agency Reuters in July 2013.
The book is written by journalist Murali Parappuram and has 248 pages, priced at `200.
“The response to the book was really unexpected. This is the first book in Malayalam on Modi. This may be one reason behind the popularity of the title. The book starts with the description of Vadnagar, the birth place of Modi, and ends with the announcement of Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate. It took four months to finish the book,” Murali Parappuram said.