Amish Tripathi the author on Tuesday revealed Amish Tripathi the negotiator.
Tripathi, who was at IIM Calcutta to collect the distinguished alumnus award, told Metro how his B-school stint helped his writing career.
"From my IIM education, I learnt to negotiate my contracts hard and see to it that my books are marketed well. I have learnt a lot about negotiating contracts," Tripathi said.
He said knowing the art of negotiating was crucial to becoming a successful author. "Writing, in a way, is a business too. It is a small-scale industry," he said.
Tripathi, who during his student days was the lead singer in a band, cited Aamir Khan as an example of an artiste who knows his business well. The author of six books that include the Shiva trilogy graduated from IIM-C in 1997 and worked for various companies for 14 years before turning to writing full-time in 2011.
"IIM-C and the jobs that I have done have helped me manage the business side well. What that does mean is that I earn enough from my books, and I don't have to do anything else," he said.
Tripathi's books have sold four million copies, totalling Rs 120 crore in revenue, an IIM professor said while introducing him to the audience amid applause.