Pertaining to reading preference, every individual is unique in their own way. Some can’t bear to read anything other than original copies, whereas others gladly read from low-priced local print. Some like to borrow, others are happy to spend precious coins for the scent of fresh pages. In the second installment of our special story on book services, we take a look at four different online bookshops catering to the unique needs of diverse readers.
Bookcentric
“I no longer go to any library in the city,” Afsar Ahmed said, not with glee, but indignation. The book lover has stopped roaming around in different libraries because of not only inadequate the collection of English books, but a dearth of new arrivals.
That is precisely what propelled Mehvish Zaidi and Tasneem Tambawala to create a platform where readers can borrow English books whether it’s a classic or new arrival. Bookcentric, a pioneer book rental service in the country is designed to cater to this need. “We do not have premises as of yet and are offering an online library,” Mehvish said.
She added that other than the scarcity of foreign books in libraries, what are available are way too expensive. It is particularly hard for students. Bookcentric, the virtual library, provides books to readers through subscription plans on a monthly, half-yearly or yearly basis. “We have different plans to suit all types of readers,” the founder informs. The platform offers special subscription plans for children up to 12 years of age.
The service is delivered through an online platform where users can browse book titles and then send requests to borrow. The borrowed books are delivered to the readers from pick-up points by Bookcentric themselves.
There is, nevertheless, a huge market for old books because of cheap rates and availability of out of stock editions
A unique feature of Bookcentric is personalized recommendation. “Some members just tell us about what genres they want to read. We then provide customized recommendations,” Mehvish said.
Although only available in Dhaka and Chittagong at the moment, Bookcentric aims to spread the service to every corner of the country. Moreover, the organization has plans to give the virtual library a physical existence. “One of our main motivations is that we want to return to the library culture,” Mehvish said, and one of the ways of doing that is, she continued, “perhaps by making facilities like Bookcentric available to youngsters.”
Kaler kheya
Sitting on his swing and happily flipping through the pages of an old yet original copy of Will Durant's ‘The Story of Philosophy’, Sumon said, “It gives me immense pleasure to read old books. I always feel a strange vibe of what the previous owner of the book might have been thinking while reading this very same book.”
The reason why Sumon collects old books may be quirky, but there is, nevertheless, a huge market for old books because of cheap rates and availability of out of stock editions. “Nilkhet is famous for its collection of old books but currently it is way too difficult to battle with the traffic and get there, even for an enthusiastic reader like me,” observed Hasan.
Emerging as the way out, Kaler Kheya, an online bookshop, provides access to secondhand books for the readers. Starting off with the sole purpose of doing business, the shop began its journey in 2014. The owners wanted to start up something which needs less capital. Tanvir Ahmed, one of the owner said, “By then no one had such services through social media. We were the first who introduced the concept of selling secondhand books on this platform in Bangladesh.”
However, readers have to rely on what is already available in Kaler Kheya’s stock, and can't have specific books bought through the service. “Unfortunately we can't have orders for secondhand books. We get what we get and can not guarantee that we will find a specific book second hand,” Tanvir said.
If the Kaler Kheya team fails to deliver any order it sends back the money as soon as possible. Faisal Khan, a customer of the online shop said, “After confirmation I didn’t get two books, and they refunded the money the very next day. It would have been better if they had removed the book’s image, so it couldn't be selected. But their service is good and I hope to buy more from Kaler Kheya in future.”
Likewise, many customers can be found on their review section providing positive feedback. “It is our business policy to not disclose the exact number of customers that we have, but what I can tell you is that most of our customers come back to us and purchase from us on a regular basis,” Tanvir told Weekend Tribune.
Worthy Books BD
Introducing themselves as bona fide bookworms since childhood, Nuzaimul Hoq Xishan and his sister Kasfia Haque Samara have experienced the burden of expenses borne by avid readers.
Doing his undergraduate English and Humanities at University of Liberal Arts, the youngster says,“It often becomes highly impractical, especially for students to continue buying and reading original books, even though book lovers desperately wait for new arrivals.” That is why Nuzaimul and Kasfia started Worthy Books BD, an online bookstore in Dhaka that is serving its customers with economical versions of pricy foreign print books.
Started in May last year, the store provides local print of any foreign English books. “Before starting the store we assumed that the market for locally printed foreign books for an affordable price is quite limited. But now we can confidently say from experience that a lot of readers actually like to read local prints,” Nuzaimul said.
Worthy Books BD also provides the service of printing out books if the customer provides a soft copy. “We are getting a lot of order to produce local prints out of PDFs,” he added. To print a book from PDF, the customer has to provide the PDF file.
There are lots of parents who want to introduce books at very early age but can't find what they look for locally. It's very easy to find books for junior readers and adults. But imported children's books are both unavailable and expensive
About local printing challenges Nuzaimul says, “Getting complaints is inevitable, but the ratio is rather low. Even If we get any problem regarding printing, Worthy Books BD, swap the problematic one with a fresh copy as soon as possible.”
To breakdown the legal aspect of publishing local print Nuzaimul says, “Printing a foreign book locally is actually illegal. However, since there is no direct international distribution in our country at the present, we do it for the sake of serving the readers.” Nuzaimul and Kasfia are in talks with a renowned international publication for get distribution rights. The duo has planned to launch their next venture Worthy Publication to provide a platform for new writers.
Little Tots Book World
The two main reasons for Tamanna Rahman to start Little Tots Book World were to give her daughter access to countless children's books and secondly, to provide books to mothers living in Bangladesh at affordable prices.
While trying to get hold of educational toys and books, especially board books, to enhance the mental development of her baby girl, the professional interior designer found it impossible to find them in Dhaka. “There are lots of parents who want to introduce books at very early age but can't find what they look for locally. It's very easy to find books for junior readers and adults. But imported children's books are both unavailable and expensive,” said Tamanna Rahman.
It is not always possible to order books through different retailers from different countries. “Availability of the same book over a period or any specific book is very uncertain. I try to collect books which are on sale, so that after paying the carrying charge and customs charge, I can still provide the books for a cheaper price,” she said.
After collecting a few books from abroad through the help of friends and family, Tamanna, who is also a former lecturer at Shanto-Mariam University, started Little Tots Book World on Facebook last year.
Tamanna's biggest challenge is picking up the right books that will be appropriate for the age range, and also finding them in good condition. But the most satisfying thing to her is the feedback from her clients. “They even send photos of their babies with books (i don't post them as i believe those are private) and they share their personal experience too even though none of them know me or my name,” she said. The initiative is particularly appreciated by mothers who are raising children with speech delay or other neurological issues.
