Emraan Hashmi has a question for his fans, and it isn’t what you might think. He wants people to pick a cover for his book The Kiss of Life – the story of his son Ayaan’s successful battle with cancer.

This marketing strategy for the title, to be published by Penguin Books, has already drummed up a high level of pre-pub awareness. It’s a smart way to exploit the celeb author’s social media following. (But do they read?)

Books such as these are growing testimony to the reliance of publishing companies on showbiz personalities. Penguin Books alone has published, or is publishing, Salman Khan’s biography, Karan Johar’s autobiography – co-authored with Poonam Saxena – and this one, among others. Penguin’s 2015 title Mrs Funnybones, by Twinkle Khanna, was a hit – and Khanna is now abut to reprise her act with a novel for Juggernaut Books, who are also publishing Sunny Leone.

Our recommendation of a book by someone from the movies: Naseeruddin Shah’s memoir, And Then One Day.