Ekushey, boom time for books

Visitors flock to the Ekushey Book Fair at Bangla Academy in Dhaka yesterday.Photo: STAR

Little Maumita gestures disapprovingly, as she tightly holds on to two nursery rhyme books she got. She is not willing to share the books she bought from the book fair.
The five-year-old and her parents meander through the rows of bookstalls at the Ekushey Boi Mela, the biggest book festival centring the Language Movement of 1952 on February 21.
The fair, a congregation of readers, writers and publishers, is taking place on the premises of the Bangla Academy.
Another young reader Sarita is yet to decide upon a book. Unable to make up her mind, she stands a few yards away from the gathering, over by the yellow coloured stall of the publishing house-- Annesha Prokashon.
Sellers clad in yellow fatuas, offer many popular series, such as Humayun Ahmed's Himu.
This year, Annesha wins the bid to publish the latest 'Himur Madhaya Dupur'. It's now one of the top selling novels at the fair.
“We have already sold 30,000 copies of 'Himur Madhaya Dupur'. We hope to sell another 30,000 copies by the end of the fair,” says Mohammed Shahadat Hossain, publisher of the relatively new publishing house Annesha Prokashan.
Last year, Anyaprokash, one of the leading publishing houses, won the rights to print 'Himu Remande'. It sold 70,000 copies, mainly to the young, last year.
Anyaprokash still draws in the crowd, as it stocks another triumph, Humayun's Ballpoint, where the writer shares anecdotes on his path to becoming a writer.
Sales hovered around 30,000 copies until yesterday, according to Anyaprokash.
Alongside Humayun Ahmed, books by Muhammad Jafar Iqbal, and Anisul Hoque also rule over the sentiments of the young, the main consumer of books.
“It is not a good sign. Creative book publishing businesses now run based on a handful of 10-15 writers. There are many other good books out there, but readers are unaware,” says Mazharul Islam, chief executive of Anyaprokash.
Books ranging from children's classics to novel, poetry and fiction, essays and research works, also catch the eyes of readers, even though people flock to stalls that sell books by popular writers.
Thanks to the month-long book fair, the creative book publishing houses record nearly 80 percent of their annual sales.
Publishers attribute the high sales during the Ekushey Book Fair to a wide range of discussions and the media coverage.
The remaining 20 percent of sales take place over the rest of the year, publishers say.
“The market for books has somewhat been confined to this fair. Almost 80 percent of our proceeds come from this fair,” says Faisal Arefin Dipan, publisher of Jagriti Prokashoni.
“Demand from book retailers remain low for the rest of the year,” he says.
Publishers blame the inadequate marketing and campaign network for the slowdown in demand for books all the year round.
At present, individuals act as the main buyers of creative books while the government, educational institutions and some NGOs also buy books.
But the government purchases are said to be politically motivated, as many publishers, who claim to publish high-quality books, do not receive orders.
“In many countries, governments encourage the publication of serious books through purchase. But the fund allocated for the official purchase is low and also prone to politicisation," says Anyaprokash publisher Mazharul Islam.
“Government purchase has also encouraged the creation of many writers overnight.”
Community libraries are the last resort for publishers. But its numbers have comparatively reduced, owing to the emergence of alternative entertainment mediums like satellite media and the internet.
Rahib Noor, publisher of Pathsutro, a latest entrant into the business, blames slack sales on a lack of marketing efforts.
“Many think marketing is unnecessary for the sales of books. But it matters,” he says.
The impact: houses that focus on more serious books struggle to survive. But publishing houses that focus more on popular writers breeze by and appear to profit.
“It is tough to make readers buy many good books,” says Faisal Arefin Dipan, who has been in trade for about 17 years. “In many cases, we receive returns lower than the investment. But we still continue because it gives immense emotional satisfaction.”
Sales on the rise
According to the Bangla Academy, some 2,578 titles were unveiled at the 2008 book fair, up from 1,888 titles a year ago. This year, about 1,600 titles have been published since February 1.
Book sales doubled to Tk 20 crore at the 2008 Ekushey Book Fair, up from about Tk 10 crore in 2007.
“It's good that the sales of book are increasing. It will help nurture professionalism among both publishers and writers,” says Mazharul Islam of Anyaprokash. He expects sales to increase by 10-15 percent this year at his stall.
The rate of books published during the fair has increased thanks to technological advancements in the printing industry.
But publishers remain shaky about printing books by relatively new and unpopular writers, as they worry about returns on investments. To minimise risks, most publishers charge high prices for books, exceeding the costs of production.
In certain cases, publishers compel new writers to share the cost of investment for books. Sometimes, new writers also have to bear the whole cost of publication. It is however the poetry writers who bear the brunt of the cost the most.
New publishers even bet over young and new writers, despite a risk of losses.
“There are risks involved in publishing new books. These books need to be effectively promoted to the readers,” says Rajib Noor of Pathsutro.
Little Maumita has the books she wants, but the crowd still lingers in the final hours of the day.
It seems there are not enough hours. Dusk descends and a young seller starts shoving later entrants away from the counters.
“We are closing for today. Please drop by early tomorrow,” says the salesman for Anyaprokash, as he brings the red curtains down on his stall for the day.

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