By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Jan 2: The 30th Guwahati Book Fair organized by the Publication Board, Assam is underway. Books of diverse genres like fiction, non-fiction, philosophy, religion, history, logic and others have found themselves stacked on the shelves. However, publishers have a different story to tell in so far as sale of books is concerned.
“The sale of books is not up to the mark. We’ve sold books worth Rs 480 on the first day and of Rs 500 on the second day. The rent of this particular stall is Rs 35,000. Till now this venue has had two to three book fairs in the recent past. The same books are sold in every book fair. This has a negative feeling among book lovers. Demonetization is also a factor for poor sale of books,” Sonit Prakashan proprietor Promoda Das said.
“The poor show in the sale of books so far is due to consecutive book fairs in the same venue. Sales don’t not exceed Rs 500 a day,” Kunjalata Prakashan owner Nitya Ranjan Goswami said.
Goswami pointed out that people are less interested into browsing through new books. “They tend to buy the ones which are commercially successful. The recent books by Pankaj Pathak and Himanta Biswa Sarma top buyers’ list,” he said.
“The book on Astrology by Dr. Moni Kashyap is one of the best sellers this year. 4000 copies have already been sold. Kunjalata Publications deal with children literature. ‘Bhut oi Bhut’ by Dr. Purendra Prasad Saikia and ‘Akonir Rasal Xadhu’ by Dr. Runima Baruah have registered the highest sale from our side,” Goswami added.
However, publishers from outside the state are having good times. Publishers like Discovery from Kolkata and MotiLal Barsidass from New Delhi are able to attract book lovers like they did in the previous years.
“We deal in children literature in English. Apart from story books and fiction, children are more interested in activity books, drawing and quiz books,” Discovery Publishers’ owner Mukesh Sahai said.
“We take part in both of the book fairs in Guwahti towards the end of the year. We’ve been in this business since 1903. We deal with Indology genre, and we have been publishing books on Hinduism, Phylosophy, Yoga, Tantra, Buddhism, Jainism, Art, Architecture, Antiquities, Epigraphy, Paleography, Numismatics and others. We also cater to the need of academics, from college students to research scholars,” owner of Delhi-based Motilal Barasidass said.
“Sale of books from our stall is comparatively better. Many copies of an introduction to Indian Philosophy by Satischandra Chatterjee and Dhrirendramohan Dutta, Rigveda Brahma, Vedic Mythology,Vedic-laksa Vedic Ancillary literature, Karan Mahabhasya, Venisamhara of Bhatta raya, The Uttaramacarita of Bhavabhuti, The Words Speaks to Faustian Man have been among the highest sales this year,” he added.