Publishers believe that a competition between e-books, buying books at bookstores or getting them online is unnecessary as offline production and sales will continue while new technologies has room for growth.
Shubhankar Dey said: "There are two methods online. One is an e-book and another is online store. However, getting a chance to touch the books while buying at a bookstore has a different emotional impact.”
Publishers across the nation sat togather at an event to discuss the ins and outs of the online medium's impact on book publishing on the third day of the Dhaka Lit Fest 2023 on Saturday.
Nishat Jahan Rana, the publisher of the United Publishing House, said: “The publisher, who brings the subtle thoughts in a man's life to the pages of a book, always tries their level best. However, the reality of market is brutal. Moving to the online world from the bookstore has both potential and crisis.”
According to publisher Khan Mahbub, online is now an unavoidable reality. The benefit of online is its broad appeal. But the small and mid-cap publishers are facing some issues that needs to be addressed.
While discussing the marketing between Kolkata and Dhaka, Maruf Hossain said: “I don't want to hold the bookstore and online face to face in this conversation. A new strategy must be developed because technology cannot be avoided.”
Dipankar Das, another panelist at the event, said: “It is not that the shops have closed after the pandemic. It started earlier. Many have gone to Facebook-centric marketing for the love of books. But the value of printed books will not decrease.
“Many books may not be read if they are downloaded as e-books. However, if the book is at our hand, it can be read easily. As a result, online can be a medium for purchasing books but it will not create any conflict with printed copies.”