Book fair ends, publishers a worried lot

By our staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Jan 10:  Publication Board, Assam did claim that books worth Rs 2.50 crore have been sold at the 30th Guwahati Book Fair. However, the publishers who did business in the fair till the concluding day today said that they failed to get even rentals of their stalls.

Kunjalata Prakashan proprietor NR Goswami said that the expenditure which had to dole out in the run-up of installing a stall at the book fair has not been retrieved. “I have invested Rs 2.50 lakh on books. The sale of books in the 30th book fair is the lowest in my 23-year experience. I had to pay Rs 35,000 for a stall of 400 square feet. In this book fair I have sold books worth around Rs 13,000,” he said. “I paid over Rs 50,000 for the stall of 600 square feet. I am short by Rs 20,000,”  Gyam Publishers owner Dipjyoti Sangma said. Purbamnchal Prakashan and RG Publications held the view that demonetization was behind the poor sales of books.  “The footfall of children is overwhelming this book fair. It is good to see to a sudden spurt in enthusiasm of the budding generation. Assam doesn’t have a best seller book in Assamese in the recent years. People have already read the books of prominent writers of the State,” Goswami added.