Imagine: A country of 300 million readers (of books).
Reimagine: Bookselling. So we can take the moonshot at these numbers.
That’s the objective of the Kunzum Bookselling Reimagined Conference: To expand readership in society. And to enable authors and publishers market books more effectively. The only of its kind event in India, stakeholders will come together to share their vision, brainstorm and come up with ideas that work. And then collaborate, bound as we are by the same goals.
WHO IS THE EVENT FOR?
Authors, publishers, marketing and communication consultants, retailers, distributors, media, investors and even accountants! Not just from the publishing industry, but others too for lessons that can be adapted for books.
TALKING BOOKSELLING. IN A BOOKSHOP!
The event will take place at Theatre Kunzum, an extension of Kunzum’s bookstore. What can be a better setting for inspiration and bonding than one with books all around?
WHEN & WHERE
Dates: July 6-7, 2023
Time: 10:00 a.m. onwards both days as per schedule below.
Location: Kunzum Books, GK2, New Delhi
REGISTRATION
Delegate Fee: Rs. 2,000 [Includes vouchers worth Rs. 500 to shop for any books at Kunzum]
Early Bird: Register before June 30, 2023 and get shopping vouchers worth Rs. 1,000.
CLICK HERE to secure your spot!!
Note
* The above includes entry to all sessions at the conference and complimentary tea / coffee with our signature brownie cookies twice a day. There are enough cafes and restaurants in the market should you want a meal.
* All seating would be on a first-come-first-served basis.
SESSIONS: DAY 1 (July 6)
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Welcome tea / coffee / cookies and networking.
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Overview: The Marketing Landscape of Publishing in India
What is working in India: the product mix, and effective marketing channels and tools. What more needs to be done and how do we do it.
PANELISTS: Akriti Tyagi Kohli (Head – Marketing, HarperCollins India) + Shabnam Srivastava (GM – Marketing, HarperCollins India)
11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
How to Break the Marketing Mold: Key Strategies That Will Help Grow Your Readers
A special presentation by Lipika Bhushan, Founder, MarketMyBook.
11:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
The Culture of Reading
What will it take for us to become a society where books are an integral part of our lives? Where does Indian publishing find itself today, and where can we go from here? How have other industries (entertainment or otherwise) captured the popular imagination to scale? How can Indian publishing attempt the same?
KEYNOTE: Sanjoy Roy (Managing Director, Teamwork Arts – Producers of Jaipur Literature Festival)
11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Let’s Reimagine the Books Market
It’s the way we think – Ajay Jain, a recent insider to the industry, will present an outsider’s view to market books more effectively! He will also talk about the opportunity, and a responsibility, to make books an essential part of our lives.
KEYNOTE: Ajay Jain (Writer, Photographer, Traveller and Founder – Kunzum)
12:15 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Bookselling in Bookshops: A Transformative Experience
Bookselling in bookshops can be a transformative experience and also how we would need media support for achieving the millennium goals for bookselling.
PANELISTS: Sridhar Balan (Publishing veteran and literary columnist) + Karthika VK (Publisher – Westland Books)
12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
The Untapped Potential of Subsidiary Rights
Write the book. And then unlock its full potential through films / TV, selling translation and territorial rights, workshops, speaking circuit, consulting and personal branding.
PANELISTS: Hemali Sodhi (Founder – A Suitable Agency) + Arcopol Chaudhari (Executive Editor – Rights & New Media, HarperCollins India) + Prashant Pathak (Publisher- Wonder House Books)
1:30 pm. – 2:15 p.m.
LUNCH BREAK
2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Genres & Segmentation Matters in Marketing
The product mix in publishing is a complex one. Varied customer segments, genres and even individual titles require separate marketing planning to include evangelising, events, PR, social media, advertising and in-store promotions. And this requires all departments to get involved – editorial, publicity and sales. To get categories like fiction to notch the big numbers, even as niche ones are given the push they deserve. A look at how strategies are being – and can be – planned and executed.
PANELISTS: Rahul Dixit (SVP – Sales, HarperCollins India) + Parth Phiroze Mehrotra (Editor-in-Chief, Juggernaut Books) + Sharif D. Rangnekar (Writer, Singer-Songwriter, Workplace Inclusion Consultant). Moderated by Lipika Bhushan (Founder, MarketMyBook).
2:15 pm. – 3:00 p.m.
All Publicity is Vital Publicity
Media coverage is critical for books with limited paid promotional budgets. PR is also complex today – with traditional media offering limited space and new media / influencers not an easy ocean to navigate. In collaboration with PRCAI. More details to be added.
PANELISTS: Pallavi Narayan (Corporate Communications, Penguin India) + Arunima Mazumdar (Books Publicist, Writer & Reviewer) + Imtiaz Alam (Founder, Zimisha Communications) + Pradeep Wadhwa (Kritical Edge)
3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Storytelling with Purpose: SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
PR Experts Craft Authentic Brand Narratives to Connect with Consumers. Presented by Aishwarya J Badan (Value 360 Communications), Nimisha Mathur (AdfactorsPR) and Kashika Gulati (AvianWE).
3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Marketing: A Holistic View and ROI on Investments
Marketing is an investment. And you need to get the mix right. Across promotional and distribution platforms. Leverage traditional channels, and digital ones like Amazon and social. What are your options? What resources and budgets do you need? How do you calculate ROI to justify the spend?
PANELISTS: Sahil Sharma (Marketing Consultant & Literary Agent) + Aman Arora (General Manager – Marketing, HarperCollins India)
3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
CHAI SAMOSA BREAK
4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Social Media: A Strategic Approach
We are all on social media. But marketing on it is a science and an art to be mastered.
PANELISTS: Meenakshi Singh (Head – Consumer Marketing & Publicity, Bloomsbury India) + Saburi Sumran (Marketing Manager, Pan Macmillan India) + Ayushi Srivastava (Digital Growth Hackers) + Disha Arun Naik (Marketing Manager, Penguin India)
SESSIONS: DAY 2 (July 7)
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Welcome tea / coffee / cookies and networking.
10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
True Fans Who Follow You Everywhere
Build a community around you – so you have a captive audience for your books, talks, events, podcasts, workshops etc.
PANELISTS: Ajay Jain (Founder – Kunzum) + Rachna Kalra (Marketing & Communication Consultant;
Founder – Windword & Silent Book Club)
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Moonshot: 300 Million Readers
Ideas and resources needed to create a society with hundreds of millions of new readers.
FIRESIDE CHAT: Ananth Padmanabhan (Chief Executive Officer, HarperCollins India) with Ajay Jain (Founder – Kunzum)
12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
THE MAKING OF A WINNER
Everyone – authors, publishers, agents, publicists – loves bestsellers. How do you identify a winner? And once you do, how do you make it a success in the market? A special session with Nandan Jha, Executive Vice President: Sales & Product and Business Development at Penguin Random House India in conversation with Premanka Goswami, Associate Publisher, Penguin India.
12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Own the Media for Best PR
Blogs, LinkedIn, newsletters, podcasts, Medium, Substack – get the word out on self-published media to connect with your readers. Since the content is already there in the form of the book, it is a matter of repurposing it for such media through extracts, teasers, reflections, contests and other engagements. It could help build a community of loyal fans who would develop a greater understanding of the author’s work and thus boost sales on an ongoing basis. And open other opportunities for writing gigs, speaking engagements, consulting, shows, future book deals and more.
PANELISTS: Neha Raj (Founder, Booknerds Author Agency) + Vaishali Mathur (Publisher – Indian Languages, Penguin India)
12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
You Are Only as Good as Your Personal Brand
The perception of the author can often determine the sales of their books. What does it take to build a personal brand with high loyal following and strong recall? It’s a mix of product (the authors themselves and their books), publicity (social media, speaking engagements, PR, paid ads, blogs / newsletters) , community building and leveraging the tools available. Take a leaf from the books (pun intended) of movie, TV, music and sports stars.
PANELISTS: Atika Gupta (PR and Brand Communications Consultant) + Shantanu Ray Chaudhari (Columnist and Critic, Editor & Publisher) + Suhail Mathur (Author & Literary Agent, The Book Bakers). Moderated by Pallavi Narayan (Corporate Communications, Penguin India).
1:15 pm. – 2:00 p.m.
LUNCH BREAK
2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
In the (Right) Hands of the Editors and Literary Agents
The editors and literary agents who handle your book can often determine its market success.
PANELISTS: Kanishka Gupta (Literary Agent & Founder, Writer’s Side) + Manasi Subramaniam (Editor-in-Chief – Penguin Press, Penguin Random House India)
2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Face-to-Face With Your Readers
There is still no substitute to meeting one reader at a time – at book clubs, fairs, events and bookstores. Keep at it till your sales reach the tipping point. And build your personal brand and a community of loyal fans around it.
PANELISTS: Saksham Garg (Author & Former Editor, Penguin Random House India) + Mansi Shetty (Divisional Lead – Children’s Marketing, Penguin India)
3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Case Study: Success of The Hidden Hindu by Akshat Gupta
What did it take for the series to become the success that it has?
PANELISTS: Sahil Sharma (Marketing Consultant & Literary Agent)
3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
NETWORKING & FUN OVER CHAI & SAMOSAS
CULTURAL EVENING
Details to be added.