Ayantika Pal

How and when did you come up with the idea of being a bookstagrammer? Tell us about your amazing journey as a Book Influencer.

It was 2017. I was looking for book recommendations, and my only source those days were book-tube channels, (bookish YouTube channels). So I came across this one booktuber whom I followed on instagram too, and through her I came across this whole new world of bookstagram. I was ecstatic. I followed a bunch of amazing bookstagrammers and was in awe of their content. They inspired me a lot and soon I started harboring an idea of creating a page of mine too. Just for having an archive where I will record my reading journey and connect with like-minded people. But I was too naïve, a lot of factors resisted me. Previous year, during lockdown I was scrolling through bookstagram, and it occurred to me all of a sudden, LET’S JUST DO THIS! And I did. I jumped from my bed, took my favorite book, clicked a picture, wrote something on it and posted. I was still scared, but I took the leap of faith, and it was one of my best decisions ever! 

I just crossed one year on this platform as a book blogger in August, and all I can say is, my first year was a year of learning. Learning to be confident and to understand the actual purpose of my blog. I am grateful for a lot of things today- having a family of 2.8k+ readers, having review opportunities from leading publishing houses of India and most important of all, the fabulously talented bookstagrammers I have connected and befriended here.

What are the top social media platforms available in India and the USA for book promotions?

The top three platforms for book promotion, in my opinion has to be Instagram, Goodreads/Storygraph and a Blog. Then comes Amazon, YouTube and Twitter. These play the major role in terms of reaching maximum number of readers and book enthusiasts.

At what stage of my book publishing journey should I consider social media promotions? Pre publishing or post and How?

Well, you can have total liberty on how you want to promote your book. In case of Post publishing period, it’s pretty much your publishing house’s task to taking care of this matter, you just play along. This involves sending advanced reader’s copies to bloggers, posting excerpts of the book, organizing author interviews and discussions etc. Pre publishing, if you want, you can kind of record your writing journey in your social media platforms that may help in creating a hype. 

Your feed looks aesthetic!  What are the difficulties faced while shooting such artistic portraits?

To be honest I enjoy the process of shooting and editing. Yes its time consuming, but the results are worth it. I am very particular about my pictures and maintaining a warm vintage-y tone throughout my feed. I like keeping them simple and not overcrowding them with props. I like changing the backgrounds and locations to break the monotony. I absolutely need abundance of natural light which I do not get on some days, of course, so yeah it’s a real hindrance.

What are the common mistakes made by first-time authors while promoting the book on social media?

The one common mistake they can employ while promoting is not doing it enough. And not doing it in the right way. They should be absolutely open to host paid book review programs as much as they can. Stressing on the word “Paid” here because more often than not they don’t realize the amount of work that goes behind putting up a review across platforms and tend to underpay or not pay at all!

You are doing a pretty good job in your niche. What are the 3 top things you consider while reviewing a book?

Thank you for the kind words. Although I don’t think I am a pro at this, but it took a while to adapt a style that works for me. First is to critically examine a book, to understand how I feel about the book and put it into sophisticated words. Second, adding something personal to it, an opinion or may be an experience. And third editing out the fluff, keeping it detailed, informative but concise.

What are the 5 most effective ways to promote books on social media?

Different platforms requires different marketing techniques. 

Updating your reading progress, posting excerpts and quotes you liked.

Taking clear and bright pictures that champion the book well.

Posting its review across platforms, curating it as per requirements.

Discussing and mentioning the book to your friends and acquaintances, promoting it through book-clubs and read-a-thons.

Lastly, organizing author interviews, online zoom discussions or Facebook/ Instagram lives.

What are the things an author should be cautious about before finalizing a social media handle (page) for promoting their book?

They should definitely know the specific requirements different platforms have and how to reach their target audience. For e.g. Instagram now offers different kinds of options for you to create content- stories, posts, reels, guides. Authors should know how to exploit them to their fullest.

What impact does bookstagram have on your life? Are there any negative sides to it?

There was a period when the numbers bugged me too much. Why I am not getting followers? Why it’s reducing every day? How x, y, z are posting so much? How are they reading 40 books a month? I started questioning my abilities and it took a toll on me. So yes, there are negative sides of bookstagram if you let them to be negative. It took a while but soon I realized, it’s not worth it, to turn your hobby into a chore. It’s not worth it to be a part of an imaginary race because no good can come out of this. Let this place to only, and only be a creative outlet of yours, and enjoy the process.

What is the Vision & Mission of your social media handle? Tell us a bit about, the Kind of books you promote, your biggest strength as a book influencer, popular authors promoted so far, years of experience, any testimonials, etc.

Not a mission as such, but the vision is to help more and more people decide their next read, to reach a significant place where I will get more opportunities with national and international publishing houses and most importantly to have maximum enjoyment and satisfaction in what I do.

There is no such genres that I focus on, but I like promoting books which highlights important issues, holds the capability of changing our intellect and outlook, educate us, inspire us and aware us. 

Not only mine but any book–influencer’s biggest strength is of course to inspire someone to pick up a book. To turn a non-reader into a reader may be and I think this is the most beautiful part of the job.

I poses an inherent love for Author Jhumpa Lahiri. I read her books repeatedly and persuade everyone to read. Fredrick Backman, Khaled Hosseini, Mahasweta Devi are among my favorites and I always recommend them!

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