'Blood'y!

Sachin Tendulkar is all set to breakanother record, only this one doesn’t seem to be on the right pitch. Aluxury book publisher is bringing out a special edition biography on him whichwill have unpublished family pictures and previously unprinted thoughts abouthis career, weigh 37 kg and have all 852 pages edged in gold. And the icing onthe cake will be a special ‘signature page’ which will be made fromthe Master Blaster’s blood! (His blood will be mixed into the paper pulpto get a red resin tint.) There will just be 10 copies printed of The TendulkarOpus ‘blood edition’ and each book will cost a whopping£49,000! No doubt, Tendulkar is a sporting legend, a cricketing icon, aworld-famous name, but is this taking things a bit too far? Is it a case of fanfanaticism or just a smart marketing ploy? We got Sachin fans and book readersto comment...This is absolutely justified,after all, it’s Sachin Tendulkar we are talking about. Why just a fan, itwould be a prized possession even for a layman. Readers will love it as theywill get to know everything about him, considering he’s such a privateperson, and the fact that his blood will be a part of the book makes itoutstanding. It’s not a marketing gimmick, it’s just a brilliant wayfor a fan to get closer toSachin.I wouldn’t call this book a biography, I’d callit a souvenir. Today’s marketing situation has changed drastically;however, I would not like to comment on the subject until I know more about thecontents of the book.No way, I’d never buy a book like this,even if it’s about Sachin Tendulkar! No doubt it’s a very coolmarketing gimmick, but I wouldn’t want anything with his blood on it! Ilove the game and the man, but I’d be happier not knowing details of hislife than spending that kind of money on such a book.Iwouldn’t call it a gimmick, but it’s definitely a good marketingdevice. I’m sure the publishers will find 10 people willing to buy thebook, Tendulkar has that sort of crazy fan following. People who are fanaticabout the game and about him would love to know more about him and his personallife and be the owner of one of only 10 such books in theworld.This is certainly going overboard. It justdoesn’t go with Tendulkar’s personality; he’s always been astraightforward, sober person, not a flashy cricketer. When coming out with acollector’s item, one has to keep the subject’s character in mind.The blood aspect is extremely putting off, I don’t see it as a positivething at all. Sachin Tendulkar is a legend but the idea of his blood in abook is more gory than something to be cherished. If the book had to have a partof him in it, then probably a couple of strands of his hair would bebetter!I find this absolutely absurd. It’s almostbordering on lunatic. It’s shocking and bizarre that our most reveredcricketer would agree to do it. What’s even more ridiculous is the factthat a publisher could actually think of something like this. I mean, why wouldI want Tendulkar’sblood?As a publisher myself, I can see it’sa headline grabbing gimmick (albeit in exceedingly poor taste — literallyand metaphorically). ‘Anything for instant attention’ seems to bethe thinking behind this ‘bloody’ strategy. Tendulkar’s Opushas already generated enough controversy to make it a bestseller. Though at$75,000 a pop, you really have to be a very wealthy, die-hard Sachin fan to buythe tome. One would expect such a stunt from a rock star — Lady Gaga— perhaps. But not from an iconic cricketer of Sachin’sstature.I am as much an admirer of Sachin Tendulkar as anyone elseand agree he is an icon, but this is taking things too far. Fan behavioursometimes becomes crazy and goes over-the-top; this is the perfect example.I agree that Sachin’s achievements have to behonoured, and in that respect, the gold-plating and price of the book could bejustified. However, the blood part of it doesn’t seem right or tooappealing. Yes, collector’s will have Sachin Tendulkar in blood if not inflesh, and having a part of Tendulkar to yourself would make it special, butpersonally, I don’t agree to a blood signature. Nonetheless, it is abrilliant marketing strategy.I think it’s a bit much. Sachin’sgiven enough sweat and blood to the country already. I think this gimmick is tocash in on America’s craze of vampires and the Twilightseries.Follow us on Twitter for more stories