Penguin Books India invites fans to shares their love stories just as author Ravinder Singh who had shared his story in his debut novel ‘I too had a love story’. And the best entries will be published by Penguin.
In the age of reality TV, it seems to me that publishers are on the lookout for real love stories. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that ‘bestselling’ books are not ‘fiction’ anymore but I could be wrong. Brands are increasingly finding new ways to engage its consumers and everyone has a love story to share.
Penguin Books India has joined hands with Ravinder Singh, bestselling author of ‘Can Love Happen Twice?” in the search for Love stories in a contest titled ‘Love Stories that have touched my heart’. The best entries will be published by Penguin Books India as a collection of short love stories. The author Ravinder will be a part of selecting team and the editor for the winning entries before they are published.
About ‘Love Stories that have touched my heart’ contest
The contest is being run at the Penguin India website but the promotions are happening on the Penguin India Facebook Page as well as author Ravinder Singh’s Facebook Page.
The click on the given link takes you to a website link with the entry form. The Terms & Conditions are displayed below and there is also an email id for your queries. The entry form has name, email, age, phone and a button to upload your short story.
In addition, Penguin Books India has also joined hands with Cafe Coffee Day for the contest. This is being promoted on the CCD Facebook wall as well.
‘Love Stories that have touched my heart’ on social media
Like I mentioned earlier, the word is being spread through Facebook. The author Ravinder’s wall is a continuous series of conversations about the contest. It is interesting to see him inspire, motivate and cajole fans to share their love stories.
In addition, I saw some wall updates sharing videos by the author where he gives writing tips to aspiring authors. When I explored the Penguin India brand channel on YouTube, I saw some more videos by the author talking about his experience about writing and how fans can participate in the contest.
Could the campaign have been better?
Indeed! There is always room for improvement. If I put myself in the shoes of an aspiring writer, I would be a tad disappointed with the campaign. Although a cool initiative, the campaign seems to be disintegrated.
For instance, I would have preferred to watch all of Ravinder’s videos regarding the contest but scanning through the brand channel with its 86 videos is a tough ask! Besides, I could have easily missed the updates on the wall. Had the campaign been run on a Facebook app, it would help unite all the aspects to the contest.
For a publisher, it has become imperative to engage with readers and offer them a valuable incentive to be a part of its community. This Independence Day, Harper Collins India partnered with Indiblogger, a community of Indian bloggers, to find real love stories along with author and blogger, Yashodhara Lal as a source of inspiration and guidance. The initiative has an amazing discussion forum where bloggers can discuss, debate, share and get inspired towards their journey of getting published. It is also on till the 14th of February, 2013 and has been designed for the long term.
Comparatively, ‘Love Stories that have touched my heart’ is a short term initiative till the 31st of this month but one that has immense commercial potential. However, it could do better with an integrated approach on social media. What do you think?
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