CHENNAI: What does it take to be a bestselling author in India? Ajay Pandey, the author of You are the Best Wife, Her Last Wish, and the more recent You are the Best Friend, seems to have figured it out. The author was in the city recently for the release of his third book, a sequel to the first one that broke records by making it to AC Neilsen’s top 5 best-selling books on Amazon, in 2015.
Calling all three books semi-autobiographical, Ajay believes writing one’s own story sells better because it strikes a chord with people, especially in India.
“The title alone, for example, covers a particular demographic. My first book sold better among married women because of the word ‘wife’ in it. But it was in reality a love story that anyone could’ve related to. My second book didn’t do as well because people assumed somebody was dying,” he explains. “So to reach 22-25 year olds, I thought the word ‘friend’ would work better in this book. The title is important because no one would read it otherwise.”
Ajay’s narratives are carefully crafted to ‘build a suspense’ for his readers. His first book begins in an ICU with his wife in a critical stage; and the third one, he explains “Starts with me looking into the mirror, as my mother complains of my dark circles, my clothing, and the state that I have landed my self in. The question for the readers is, ‘how did I get into depression?’”
Ajay also believes he needed to talk about the stigma around depression in his book, and convey that it is okay to not want to socialise when one is in depression.
The book is about his relationship with a friend, Anisha, he met at Art of Living in Pune. “When I tell her I don’t believe in god, she is shocked. We have a long conversation, and keep meeting after that. She gives me the drive to live again,” Ajay explains.
“People are fed up of just one kind of depiction of love. But this one is a very mature read with a lot of lessons for the readers. There is no physical intimacy at all.”
The difficult points in the book are arguments that the two friends have. One of them revolves around the promotion of his first book. “I didn’t want to promote it because it was a tribute to my wife, but she convinces me that she’s not being sympathetic; that she simply cares for me and the book. That’s when I realise that we are simply not aware that promotion is a must to create demand.”
Ajay believes that the success his books have seen is his biggest motivation. He has a 11-7 job at Cognizant, Pune, and spends his mornings writing. “I have already signed contracts for upcoming books, and aspire to become a full-time writer in the future,” he adds.