For all avid readers, if you ever thought of buying books online and can’t think of one website that offered it all. Here is the answer you were waiting for- indiabookstore. It is a search engine especially designed for books. It had seen incredible growth in past years. With a tremendous team, innovative idea, cool contests and tie ups with various renowned publications, it had marked its impact on many hearts. Here is the interview of its founder- Mr. Animesh Jain and Ms. Priyanka Gupta (product manager). Read about their experience and website:
1.) How would you describe your website in 50 words?
India’s quickest book search engine that aims to provide users best of experience and give insights about book world.
2.) How would you describe yourself in one sentence?
Enthusiastic, energetic and a committed individual who loves taking risk and challenges.
3.) Indiabookstore.net has a number of impressive features, but how did you fund the initial development before launching?
IndiaBookStore is a self-funded startup. We might look for funding in future.
4.) The name describes exactly what you provide. Was it easy to come up with the name and was the domain available?
When IndiaBookStore started, around 3 years back, there were not many book search engines, and that was the reason to have a site which only talks about book and caters to Indian market. With this combination, coming up with name was simple and we found the domain available too.
5.) Do you think entrepreneurs are born or made?
Well, the attitude has to be in you, though a startup is an occurrence of a need that an entrepreneur realizes. And an idea can occur any time, you know like to Newton it happened when an apple dropped.
6.) What about indiabookstore.net can compel a user to re-visit it? What are its weakness according to you?
Weakness–
(I would rather call it improvements) – We need to improvise the look and feel of the product, add useful features and obviously add knowledgeable content.
7.) What is the biggest hurdle you have faced or are still facing?
That would be finding a good team. I am looking for suitable candidates for Product development and social media marketing. Though, not a lot of people would be ready to take the risk of joining a startup. And the fact that the startups are not the pay masters, makes the situation even tough. Finding enthusiastic individuals, who believe in your idea and are ready to put in hard work to make it successful, are really a tough find.
Current opening – www.indiabookstore.net/careers
8.) When did indiabookstore.net begin to gain traction?
It took a couple of initial months to gain significant traffic to the site. Since 2011 its been showing great improvement in terms of organic traffic, pageviews, repeat visitors as well as new, SEO and obviously very positive and overwhelming response from our regular users. Currently we have 100K+ visits every month.
9) What were you doing before launching indiabookstore.net? Are there any parallel projects you are thinking about?
Animesh was working on a startup of his own, iTasveer.com when he started IndiaBookStore as a part time project. I took over IndiaBookStore last year and have been involved with marketing, product development, and content management.
I mostly read light hearted, masala books like Chetan Bhagat’s. I really don’t have a favorite author so to say.
11) Working in Start-up can be little tiring, what you do in your leisurely hours?
I spend 3-4hrs a week in gym, this kind of helps me re-energize myself. Dancing is my other passion.
12) Explain your website in just one word.
User-friendly
So next time when you think about buying a book, this website should pop up in your head. It had assembled all the reviews, author interviews, book searches and comparisons. Hope indiabookstore.net will shine and soar high.
2 Comments
Prashanti- that Newton Einstein thing- happen sometimes ;)
by the way corrected it :)
Lil Miss Gupta had a website
E-I-E-I-O,
And on her website she gave insights on books
E-I-E-I-O,
With a book review here,
And a giveaway there,
Here a giveaway, there a giveaway,
Everywhere a giveaway.
Lil Miss Gupta had a website
E-I-E-I-O.
Tho Miss Gupta on ur website,
E-I-E-I-O,
U’ve made a faux pas downright,
An oversight here….an oversight there,
Here a faux pas, there a faux pas,
Everywhere a faux pas.
Lil Miss Gupta had a website
E-I-E-I-O.
And on her interview she mentions Albert,
E-I-E-I-O,
Though Issac was the chap who was the one,
Who saw the apple fall and the tale of gravity he spun!
An apple here…and an apple there,
Sorry Ms Gupta…Einstein doesn’t feature anywhere!
Gravity and Newton is the combo….we all read
And this….as school children is drilled into our head!
Lil Miss Gupta had a website
E-I-E-I-O.
All the best IndiaBookStore
BTW—Gravity and Einstein feature much later….Einstein reportedly got the inspiration for this imaginative leap in understanding
of gravity by contemplating a man falling off a building…