If Surat-based Savi Sharma’s reputation doesn’t precede her, her record-breaking book sales most certainly do. Initially self-published—and soon after, picked up by publishing house, Westland—she is India’s first female writer of mass-market fiction to sell a startling 1,00,000 copies of her debut novel, Everyone Has A Story, in just 100 days. Everyone Has A Story has sold one lakh copies and secured a stronghold on the Nielson top 10 lists for 24 weeks, but it’s the 1,500 reviews on Amazon that make its success sweeter for Savi Sharma.
1.Every author gives the audience one story but has a story of own. When did you start writing actually?
I used to contribute to my school magazine Abhisarg but that was just a once in a year thing. My first write-up was a poem about choices.
2. How does it feel after the success of “Everybody Has A Story”? How has it changed your life?
More than the numbers, I feel very happy to read the reviews my readers write on Amazon. I receive more than 100 emails and messages every day from my readers, sharing their story and telling me how EHAS has become an inseparable part of their lives. It feels wonderful to know that my words have the power to touch people’s heart and soul, inspire them, heal them and help them to be a better person.
3. So, you have always thought of self-publishing or the circumstances forced you to get into the self-publishing system?
If I had gone the traditional way, I would have had to wait for months to get it published. I didn’t want to wait; I knew I had a good story that needed to be shared with the world. I simply believed in the power of social media and the Internet to promote my book myself. Readers in India are looking for good stories and good storytellers, and they would heartily accept them if they find them anywhere.
4. What is your aim and idea that you want to propagate in your audience?
My biggest dream in life is to inspire as many people as I can through my writing. Also, love is a universal theme which everyone can connect with, and love is all we need. And I strongly believe love should inspire you to be a better person and to find yourself. So although the story of Meera and Vivaan is a love story, their journey inspires everyone. So, there is the idea of inserting inspiration in the romantic fiction of India.
5. How did you start writing? How did you build these characters of ” Everybody Has A Story” and on what basis?
I decide the soul, the message of my book, before starting writing. So, this was the first step which I took to start “Everybody has a story”as well. Looking for inspiration, I decided to turn to myself, and the result was a book populated by characters carrying parts of me. From the idea of writing about myself comes a character looking for her first story—Meera; another who has the urge to travel the world—Vivaan; and someone who wants to open a café—Kabir. All of them are parts of me. I took four months for the first draft, and another for the final.
6. These days many books of Indian writers are being adopted as a Bollywood movie. Would you like to see ” Everybody has a Story” as a movie in Bollywood?
I would love to have my book made into a movie so it can reach and inspire many more people. My favorite director is Imtiaz Ali and I would be glad if he reads this story and finds it interesting.
7. How would you give a description of “Everybody Has A Story” to compel the readers to see it as an entertaining piece and read it?
The book tells the tale of “Meera, a fledgling writer in search of a story that can touch millions of lives and Vivaan who dreams of traveling the world but gets trapped in the corporate world. The story unwinds when Kabir, a cafe manager, and Nisha, the despondent cafe customer joins the crew.”
Savi’s article by India Today.
Savi’s article by Catch news.
Savi’s article by The Hindu.
Savi’s article by Vogue.