Despite the anticipated boost in sales at the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela due to the metro rail, publishers are facing challenges in sustaining themselves in the publication sector.
Milan Nath, the publisher of "Anupam Prakashani," expressed that people are more interested in taking selfies with books than actually buying them.
He noted that even if a small percentage of the selfies taken resulted in book sales, it could significantly impact sales.
"Earlier, people used to come to book fairs with their families, exchange books, and give books as gifts —now, that has reduced," he added.
"The condition of the publishing sector is worsening. We are not financially incentivized, and we are not branded. Sustaining the publishing sector becomes difficult without new writers. But how many new writers have emerged in the last few years?"
Similarly, the publisher of Howlader Publications feels that the publication sector is facing challenges and is not in a favourable position.
Khandaker Mizanur Rahman, the publisher of Racks Publication, believes that people attending the fair are more interested in visiting than buying books.
According to him, food stalls outperform book stalls in terms of sales.
"I thought book sales would increase due to the metro rail, but now I see it as the same as previous years," he remarked.
Imrad Zulkarnain, the publisher of Kahini Audiobook Publication, introduced an audiobook stall this year. Audiobooks, accessible through an app, are priced between Tk40-200.
He believes that people with various preferences will respond positively to audiobooks.
What kind of books are selling more?
Talking to numerous sellers at the book fair regarding the types of books selling more, they mentioned that while some new books are doing well, those by established authors are selling more.
Sellers from Kakoli Publication reported higher sales of Humayun Ahmed's books, while Mizan Publication noted that books by older authors like Rabindranath Manik Banerjee are popular.
Publishers mentioned that new books by certain authors, including Anisul Hoque, Asif Nazrul, and Sadat Hossain, are performing well in terms of sales.
