Jeffrey Archer ? author of Kane and Abel (27 million copies sold, and counting), erstwhile Tory politician, an ?angel? for the arts, playwright, orator, a regular churner of potboilers since the mid 1970s ? seems to have just realised, like many others, that the moment to sell in India has arrived.
?I can never explain India,? he says about the stupendous sales of his books as he begins a six-city book tour of India arranged by leading bookstore chain, Landmark. He describes this as a clean break between writing drafts for his next book. ?India is a romantic, sentimental land where people love storytellers,? is his observation on the rather boisterous tour reactions. This tour, a first for him, is to promote his latest book, A Prisoner of Birth, set in Belmarsh prison, where the author himself was imprisoned after bei-ng convicted of perjury and intending to pervert the course of justice in 2001. Some of the characters in this novel have been based on people he met during his prison stint, a period he also sees as one that has had advantages. ?I realised how privileged I had been, and how we are all prisoners of our births.?
Archer may not be the expert on India ? ?that is why you do not find India in my novels? ? but he is a charmer. And he knows how to win over the crowd, as he demonstrates in book signing sessions across cities, often where hundreds of his fans had a taste of his charm, appreciated even when it is laced with the occasional sharp comment. Cock-a-hoop with a fan who described him as the ?Sachin Tendulkar of books?, Archer wants to be sold at traffic signals across India. ?That?s where, I am told, the top selling authors are sold,? he says, firmly tongue-in-cheek.
His party?s perceived distance from the south Asian community has no fears for him. He ?trusts Indians and has many Indian friends,? says the peer. And he speaks admiringly of the South Asian community in Britain, saying they are taking control of local councils, rather than the British Parliament, much like the Jews about a century ago. ?We shall have the first Indian-descent prime minister, but after about 20 years,? he says. ?India is going to be there in 20 years.?
And Archer also dangles the prospect of having India in his next book, out in the middle of next year. Which could further swell his loyal following in India.