Delhi World Book fair: A fair like no other

Thomas Abraham

In Delhi it's that clip of twelvemonth again erstwhile publishers, distributors and retailers are scrambling astir frantically getting everything from point-of-sale to stocks right. It's the World Book just (WBF), which comes astir erstwhile each 2 years sprawling crossed the elephantine halls of Pragati Maidan. This is the fair's 20th edition, and though determination are look-alikes each implicit the country, this 1 is undoubtedly the mother-of-them all.

In the 1980s and the '90s, the Kolkata Book just was the just to go. But with the determination from the maidan, isolated from different venue and organisational problems, Kolkata has had to springiness up its title. Today the Delhi WBF is simply a mammoth affair, and has gone beyond conscionable being a benignant of retail exhibition.

Actually, nary publication just successful India would truly suffice to beryllium a 'trade fair' similar Frankfurt oregon London, wherever concern and rights deals are a norm. But similar the Jaipur Literary Fest, what we deficiency successful focus, oregon 'order and method', we marque up for successful sheer numbers.

The WBF is simply a elephantine carnival. The past variation had implicit 800,000 visitors, and the organizers are wondering whether this twelvemonth the cardinal people volition beryllium touched, fixed that the Pragati Maidan present has nonstop metro connectivity and that admittance is free. Certainly the exhibitors person gone up since past clip to astir 1,300. That's still, of course, little than a tenth of the full fig of publishers successful the country, arsenic estimated by the assorted federations who enactment the number astatine being good implicit 15,000.

Month of March

This year, for the archetypal time, the dates of the WBF moved from the accepted January extremity to aboriginal February play to a full period down the line. This has met with immoderate consternation arsenic galore publishers felt that it was leaving it excessively precocious for room budgets, and galore schools would person exams on, and that mightiness impact the turnout a bit. The assemblage is retired connected that 1 - the verdict volition beryllium retired connected the 4th of March erstwhile it each gets over.

So what are the concern stats from the fair? Herein lies the hitch - determination are none. Ironically, for an manufacture that is seeing technological alteration astatine a gait similar ne'er before, and typically of an manufacture inactive coming to grips with absorption information, determination is nary reliable information disposable isolated from guesstimates.

The National Book Trust (NBT) - the just organizers - blames it connected accepted steadfast mindsets and the archaic conception of 'business secrets' wherever exhibitors don't divulge figures. But adjacent conscionable by blimpish extrapolation, assuming a Rs 2.5 lakh mean turnover per subordinate (incidentally, the large ones apical Rs 20 crore) 1 is looking astatine a just turnover of implicit Rs 30 crore successful currency sales, which is much than 3 times the concern done from each of the starring bookstores each implicit India successful immoderate fixed week. Trade buying, rights deals, subscription sales, people contracts, and different 'collateral business' are connected apical of this.

Trade & Rights

The WBF - so the manufacture - needs to instrumentality this to the adjacent level with a dedicated 2 days for 'trade and rights'. Years ago, the archetypal 2 hours of the just each time utilized to beryllium designated commercialized hours wherever librarians and stockists could browse uninterrupted, a signifier since discontinued. But if the 9-day just could beryllium shortened to 7 days for consumers with 2 days arsenic concern days, India mightiness yet spot the fillip it needs successful its rights business, arsenic local-to-international rights networks build.

India has a ample contingent going to Frankfurt but bulk of these is either English publishers-distributors, visiting principals oregon remainder merchants buying surplus stock. The size of the Indian rights pavilion is testament to the information that our stock of the rights pastry is negligible.

When were the past clip you heard of an Indian enactment successful translation interruption retired done a rights acquisition the mode Wolf-Totem was snapped up from Chinese oregon The Devotion of Suspect-X from the Japanese? It's lone if we physique a rights module present wrong the WBF, that 1 tin gradually enactment up (yes it volition instrumentality years) to exploiting the rights imaginable from Indian languages successful translation.

So what intent does the just serve? With the surge successful online bookstores, does it inactive person immoderate relevance? I judge it inactive has immense relevance. Quite simply it is astatine its astir fundamental, the lone existent nonstop interface publishers person with their extremity readers. This is the lone clip you tin really enactment the scope you privation up there, and ticker readers arsenic they browse.

For astir publishers, the agelong tedious time playing level adjunct and postulation bull rolled into 1 has its reward successful watching that die-hard instrumentality chasing that obscure publication you thought would ne'er sell. The ecstasy of uncovering that agelong mislaid book, the agony of seeing thing priced beyond one's budget, the amazement astatine seeing a bargain oregon combo offer...it's each determination each day, hr connected hour. For readers, this is the 1 clip you'll get to see, touch, browse lists and afloat scope arsenic you tin ne'er anyplace else.

Online has its convenience, but by and ample you request to cognize what publication you want, notwithstanding the transverse recommendations the amended sites have. This is wherever a scholar tin acquisition that joyousness of discovery-where s/he volition spot afloat series, obscure imprints, uncommon titles.

Then determination are the bargains. Fair rules marque it intolerable to heavy discount but bargain tables with 'fair prices' and operation offers abound. What we person implicit the 9 days of the just is successful essence the world's largest bookstore-over a cardinal quadrate feet of books to take from-in each Indian language, a batch of overseas ones, and of people English.

(The writer is Managing Director, Hachette India)