New Delhi: Does the habit of reading books causes death? "No," says Canadian author Robin Sharma. The author of 'The Monk who sold his Ferrari' opined that a majority of the population still reads literature but prefers reading on gadgets. “There is a lot of data saying book reading is dying. I do not agree. People still read books," 54-year-old Sharma told ANI.
"One of the things that great people do, they read books. They love to learn. They aren’t playing with their phones all day. They are focused on valuable activities, and reading is one of the best activities. It doesn’t have to be a book, it could be an audiobook or e-book, that all you need," the Canadian writer said while he was in New Delhi for a book launch event. Sharma, whose latest book 'The 5AM Club', was released recently, took four years to write it.
Asked why he took so long, he said, "I wanted it to be a piece of magic for my readers and I wanted every line to be calibrated, thoughtful and every women model in there to be powerful and also create results. And also, I wanted it to be the best piece of my work I have ever put else. So I pushed myself make sure that’s the best work I have ever done."
The Canadian writer also gave several tips to budding writers in order to establish themselves in the world of writing. “Firstly, read, read a lot so you can increase your vocabulary and your clarity of expression."
"Secondly, understand that failure is the price of ambition and so is the way to success. Three, I would like to say continue at any cost until you get what you want because relentless is a superpower and I would say polish your craft, there is always a room for excellence in the world and write from the right place of authenticity, vulnerability and love," the 54-year-old writer said.
"So, when I wrote the 5AM Club I really wasn’t about that I need to sell a lot of books, make money or become more famous. I wrote the book because I wanted to transform the reader, and people feel your intention in the words and if you are doing it for money and fame or fortune, your reader is not going to feel the energy in the words,’ he added.
In addition, Sharma also recommended two books for the readers; The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran, “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” by Richard Bach, which will help them to hone their writing and reading skills.
