The ongoing Bangalore Book Festival at Palace Grounds has received a tremendous response, even as the sale of Kannada books has reached new heights.
Speaking to presspersons on Thursday, the seventh day of the festival, festival director Raghuram said the participants had sold books worth over Rs. 6 crore over the past six days.
The festival concludes on Sunday, and the organisers hope that more people will visit the venue over the weekend.
Sales at the festival have surpassed expectations, Bangalore Booksellers and Publishers Association secretary Devaru Bhat said.
Mr. Raghuram pointed out that publishers of Kannada books, who have put up around 100 stalls, had a business of over Rs. 2 crore. Meanwhile, the 170 stalls selling English books have registered sales of around Rs. 4 crore.
Sapna, a leading book store in the city, has had over Rs. 4 lakh in sales of Kannada books in its three stalls so far. “Most customers have a wide variety of books in mind when they walk in to the bookstore. The categories that are most often selected are fiction, biographies, cookbooks and travel books,” said a representative from Sapna Bookstall.
Navakarnataka, another leading Kannada bookstore, said it had crossed Rs 1.5 lakh in one stall in the six days of the festival. “This year we are witnessing a big demand for Kannada fiction books. I think, even with the new programmes on television geared to lock in eyeballs, reading is still a favourite pastime,” said a Navakarnataka representative.
Similarly, UBSPD Publication has had over Rs. 6 lakh in sales of English books in its two stalls, in six days.
Stationery too
The sale of stationery too has witnessed an increase. A representative of Solo Stationary Products said, “It has been a surprise this year that the stationary counter is also doing brisk business. We have crossed Rs. 4.5 lakh in the two stalls till now.”
