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I read Mahatma Gandhi\u2019s book \u2013 \u2018My Experiments With Truth\u2019 over 20 years ago.<\/p>\n
However, it was not until a recent reading of Great Soul by Lelyveld<\/a> that I realized the marketing genius of Gandhi. The sections of the book that deal with Gandhi\u2019s life in South Africa before he became \u2018The Mahatma\u2019<\/em> are particularly instructive. During this time and in an alien country, Gandhi lacked the following that he would enjoy a few years later. He had to get scrappy and hustle in order to bring people together in a struggle against a rather hard-hearted government.<\/p>\n If you are an author you will do well to incorporate some of these ideas into your own book marketing.<\/p>\n 1. Be Authentic<\/strong><\/p>\n A hundred years before Facebook and blogging, Gandhi put his life up for public display. His writings show an extraordinary openness. The Gandhi you see in his writings, was comfortable about sharing his opinions on various topics from health, to spirituality to politics. And if he changed his mind on a subject, he was willing to expose it to scrutiny, criticism and even ridicule. For example, he held a strong opinion in the early nineteen hundreds that one must consume less salt in order to contain strong passions. But a few decades later, he led the Salt Satyagraha<\/a>. He was also open in sharing his views on celibacy and some of his experiments in his later years to test the purity of his vows.<\/p>\n There was no desire to please people and conform to their views … just a desire to explore the truth. As Gandhi would say, \u201cthe seeker of truth can have nothing to hide.\u201d This authenticity in thought and deed created a sense of trust not only among his followers but also among his enemies. Even the ruling British government respected his forthright behaviour and relied on his promises.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n 2. Be Persistent<\/strong><\/p>\n The turning point in Gandhi\u2019s life is said to have been the 1893 incident in South Africa when he was thrown out of the train (see video below. )<\/p>\n