An author speaker for colleges and literature festivals
I'm Bhavik Sarkhedi. I left a mechanical engineering job to write, co-wrote The Unproposed Guy, and built three companies out of writing. I speak to students and readers about how a writing life becomes a living.
- Author of 21+ books
- The Unproposed Guy: 4.40 on Goodreads
- Three bootstrapped exits
- Ahmedabad, India
Three sessions for a campus or a festival
The Unproposed Guy: a reading and a conversation
A reading from the novel, the story of how a romantic comedy about a stand-up comedian got written and published, and open questions. I gave these as book talks at Crossword in Ahmedabad in 2022.
Your name is searched before your interview
My Person Engine Optimization talk, cut for final-year students: what a recruiter finds when they search you, and a 15-minute check to run that night.
A one-person business with AI
How I run thirteen jobs alone on AI systems, which jobs I would hand over first, and which two I keep.
Three short videos on writing
Three of my videos on writing: the first draft, the words on a website, and where posts come from. Play one before you write to me.
From engineer to writer to founder
I left a mechanical engineering job to write. The writing became three companies: Dad of Ad, an advertising agency I sold in 2021; Write Right, which grew from two people to seventy-five without funding and which I sold in 2023; and Blushush, which I exited in October 2026. Along the way I wrote 21+ books.
The Unproposed Guy is the one readers know best. It is a romantic comedy about Kevin, a stand-up comedian who can make a whole room laugh and cannot talk to the girl he loves. I co-wrote it with Suhana Bhambhani, Leadstart published it, and it holds a 4.40 rating from 303 readers on Goodreads. The book's page has the first pages and the reviews.
The question I most like answering for students is whether writing can pay. My answer is the story above. Writing paid when I treated it as a skill every business needs, and it still left me room to write novels.
How the author session runs
A reading from the novel
I read a passage from The Unproposed Guy and explain where it came from.
How the book was written and published
Co-writing with Suhana Bhambhani, finding a publisher, and what changed between the first draft and the printed book.
Writing as a living
How writing turned into three companies, and what I would tell a student who wants to write for a living.
Open questions
Students and readers ask anything, about the book or the work.
What organisers need to know
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Length | 45 to 60 minutes with questions |
| Formats | A talk, a fireside conversation or an online session |
| Audiences | College students, book clubs, literature festivals and entrepreneurship cells |
| Based in | Ahmedabad. I travel across India and abroad. |
| Fee | On request |
Tell me which of the three sessions you want and I shape it to the audience.
Where I have spoken
| Year | Place | Session |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Crossword bookstore, Ahmedabad | Readings and book talks for The Unproposed Guy. |
| 2020 | TEDxYouthAundh | Picked as a speaker. COVID cancelled the event that year. |
| 2025 | Melbourne | I hosted a meetup for founders. |
| On air | The Career Show, and a conversation with Deepak Gautam | Podcast guest. |
Nobody has filmed me on a stage yet. What I can send is studio video, and I ask each organiser for a copy of their recording.
From the novel to the flip chart
1 / 6 · Tap the photo for the next one
- The Unproposed GuyMy novel
- Jaipur, July 2025Writing on the flip chart
- Studio portraitBlack blazer
- Ahmedabad, October 2026The studio where I record
- Ahmedabad, October 2026At the studio desk
- Melbourne, September 2025Portrait
The short version
I'm Bhavik Sarkhedi, an author and a serial entrepreneur from Ahmedabad. I have written 21+ books and built three companies without outside money, and I have exited all three.
Google shows a verified Knowledge Panel for my name, and my work has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Fast Company, HuffPost and Entrepreneur.
- Dad of AdAn advertising agency, and my first exit, in 2021.
- Write RightTwo people at the start, seventy-five at the sale in 2023, and no investor at any point.
- BlushushExited in October 2026.
Books: 21+. Novel: The Unproposed Guy, with Suhana Bhambhani.
My talks for companies and conferences
Person Engine Optimization
How Google and AI get to know your name. The full keynote for companies, conferences and leadership teams.
A one-person business with AI
Which jobs to hand to AI first, and which two to keep. For founders and business owners.
If your event is about personal branding in general, I keep a list of personal branding speakers from India and abroad. My current work is Solo Not Small, for people who run a business alone.
Read next
“Editing should be kept with AI. Research should be kept with AI. But the first draft should be written by you.”From my video: Should you use AI to write? Keep the first draft humanWatch the videos
Questions from colleges and festivals
Can you speak at our college fest or literature festival?
Yes. Email the date, the city and the audience size, and tell me which of the three sessions you want.
Which session suits a literature festival?
The author session. It has a reading, the story of the book and open questions, and it works as a talk or as a conversation with a moderator.
Do you do book readings?
Yes. The author session includes a reading from The Unproposed Guy and open questions.
What do students take away?
From the author session, an honest account of how a book gets written and published. From the student talk, a 15-minute check of what a recruiter finds when they search their name.
How much do you charge for a campus or festival session?
The fee is on request. Send the date, the city and the size of the audience, and I reply with a number and the dates I'm free.
Will you come to our city?
Yes. I live in Ahmedabad and travel for sessions in India and outside it. Book clubs abroad usually take the online session, with live questions.
Can we see you speaking before we invite you?
Yes, on studio video. No stage recording exists yet, so I send studio talks, and I ask your team for a copy if you film the session.
Invite me to your campus or festival
Email the date, the city and who is in the audience. I reply with the fee and my available dates.
bksarkhedi78@gmail.com
